The Fort Worth Press - Conceicao demands more hunger as AC Milan eye Champions League top eight

USD -
AED 3.672999
AFN 69.999655
ALL 87.950016
AMD 386.940158
ANG 1.789679
AOA 916.999768
ARS 1137.994901
AUD 1.558855
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.68207
BAM 1.747444
BBD 2.020577
BDT 121.583046
BGN 1.74541
BHD 0.376951
BIF 2935
BMD 1
BND 1.300679
BOB 6.914637
BRL 5.6822
BSD 1.000728
BTN 85.508651
BWP 13.560761
BYN 3.275062
BYR 19600
BZD 2.010195
CAD 1.39481
CDF 2869.999868
CHF 0.83428
CLF 0.02448
CLP 939.420241
CNY 7.20701
CNH 7.198505
COP 4201.5
CRC 507.690864
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 99.07499
CZK 22.265978
DJF 177.71958
DKK 6.660605
DOP 58.950196
DZD 133.102983
EGP 50.15003
ERN 15
ETB 132.788227
EUR 0.89281
FJD 2.270703
FKP 0.751869
GBP 0.751236
GEL 2.739893
GGP 0.751869
GHS 12.401
GIP 0.751869
GMD 71.999659
GNF 8655.494587
GTQ 7.688287
GYD 209.366219
HKD 7.80913
HNL 25.949578
HRK 6.724797
HTG 130.800538
HUF 359.440239
IDR 16387.75
ILS 3.55605
IMP 0.751869
INR 85.31925
IQD 1310
IRR 42099.999959
ISK 129.189906
JEP 0.751869
JMD 159.519672
JOD 0.709299
JPY 145.410978
KES 129.500515
KGS 87.449736
KHR 4018.000187
KMF 440.502368
KPW 899.960947
KRW 1397.164997
KWD 0.30724
KYD 0.833974
KZT 511.041517
LAK 21619.999823
LBP 89934.697782
LKR 298.6995
LRD 199.600704
LSL 18.030501
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.515019
MAD 9.288503
MDL 17.432676
MGA 4534.999414
MKD 54.940247
MMK 2099.548104
MNT 3575.14423
MOP 8.048622
MRU 39.619869
MUR 45.879844
MVR 15.46054
MWK 1735.999862
MXN 19.496797
MYR 4.267973
MZN 63.900765
NAD 18.150338
NGN 1601.939846
NIO 36.760159
NOK 10.407585
NPR 136.813842
NZD 1.69676
OMR 0.384979
PAB 1.000697
PEN 3.684504
PGK 4.066026
PHP 55.566016
PKR 281.599559
PLN 3.794294
PYG 7989.385607
QAR 3.640973
RON 4.559002
RSD 104.769907
RUB 79.999732
RWF 1421
SAR 3.750804
SBD 8.354365
SCR 14.217032
SDG 600.476319
SEK 9.71778
SGD 1.295275
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.697874
SLL 20969.500214
SOS 571.934041
SRD 36.341503
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.756411
SYP 13001.358155
SZL 18.150271
THB 33.149498
TJS 10.362346
TMT 3.505
TND 3.017502
TOP 2.342104
TRY 38.848099
TTD 6.795956
TWD 30.122603
TZS 2692.68098
UAH 41.503333
UGX 3652.494784
UYU 41.691052
UZS 12974.999866
VES 94.038035
VND 25930
VUV 120.052179
WST 2.765395
XAF 586.102387
XAG 0.030816
XAU 0.000311
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.734637
XOF 577.000053
XPF 107.250248
YER 244.104804
ZAR 18.017699
ZMK 9001.208931
ZMW 26.724862
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSD

    0.1200

    22.38

    +0.54%

  • RBGPF

    64.5000

    64.5

    +100%

  • VOD

    0.2300

    9.27

    +2.48%

  • SCS

    -0.0400

    10.5

    -0.38%

  • CMSC

    0.1350

    22.1

    +0.61%

  • RYCEF

    0.0100

    10.8

    +0.09%

  • BCC

    0.2500

    90.99

    +0.27%

  • RIO

    0.7200

    62.75

    +1.15%

  • RELX

    0.9800

    54.04

    +1.81%

  • NGG

    2.6000

    70.03

    +3.71%

  • BCE

    0.3700

    21.63

    +1.71%

  • JRI

    0.1035

    12.74

    +0.81%

  • GSK

    1.3500

    37.57

    +3.59%

  • AZN

    1.7300

    67.96

    +2.55%

  • BTI

    0.8200

    41.37

    +1.98%

  • BP

    -0.2500

    30.11

    -0.83%

Conceicao demands more hunger as AC Milan eye Champions League top eight
Conceicao demands more hunger as AC Milan eye Champions League top eight / Photo: © AFP/File

Conceicao demands more hunger as AC Milan eye Champions League top eight

Sergio Conceicao has been in charge of AC Milan for less than a month but has already diagnosed a lack of hunger as the source of his new team's woes, as the seven-time kings of Europe host Girona on Wednesday with the last 16 of the Champions League firmly in their sights.

Text size:

Milan could yet obtain direct qualification as they sit a point away from the top eight positions and have two winnable final fixtures in the league phase, first their lowly Spanish opponents at the San Siro and then at Dinamo Zagreb next week.

But Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Juventus highlighted the same issues of quality and character that have become increasingly evident with each season that has passed since their dramatic league title win in 2022.

Milan are a whopping 19 points behind Serie A leaders Napoli but more importantly sit eight points from Italy's top four, making the club's minimum requirement of qualification for next season's edition of Europe's elite competition a difficult task.

"The first step to winning a match is wanting to win it," said Conceicao after his team's fully deserved loss in Turin.

"I don't want to hear anything about tiredness or lack of energy, it's only January for goodness sake. The players have everything they need to recover in time to play every three days. What we need is an empty fridge at home, more hunger."

Charismatic Conceicao was hired to shake up a Milan team long been considered to be lacking fight, and the Portuguese was visibly displeased at his players after they crumbled to their first defeat since he replaced Paulo Fonseca in the dugout last month.

The 50-year-old had already publicly blasted his team when he described Milan's first-half display against relegation-threatened Cagliari, a match which finished 1-1, the worst he'd ever seen as a coach.

But the vehemence with which he called out his players for lacking guts was surprising even if it earned him praise from pundits and disgruntled fans alike.

"I started coaching 13 years ago I was in charge of smaller teams, teams that in terms of talent weren't all that but had an incredible level of desire," said Conceicao.

"In life you need to grow, have goals, even more so when you play for Milan. You have to maintain that hunger, that desire and maintain your own personal goals as a player so that when you get to the end of your career you're proud of what you've done.

"What I'm seeing here isn't new to me, I've watched almost all of Milan's matches (this season). It's down to me to change the attitude of the players. It's my responsibility."

Conceicao has some credit in the bank both for guiding Milan to the Italian Super Cup earlier this month and the way they won the final, coming back from two goals down to beat local rivals Inter Milan 3-2.

Milan have also had to deal with absences to key players -- Christian Pulisic and Alvaro Morata the latest big-name casualties -- but failure to beat a Girona team on just three points would only further darken the mood among fans who have been calling for American owners RedBird to sell the club.

J.P.Estrada--TFWP