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00:01Welcome to the press conference on the eve of the match against Genoa.
00:05First question for Mr. Conceição.
00:09Tomorrow's match, with the Coppa Italia final coming up,
00:17is it an important step for you?
00:21With the cup in mind, will you be thinking about other things
00:24or are you determined to finish as high as possible?
00:27Well, my argument has always been that we play every match,
00:34take every match as it comes, and we prepare during the week for it.
00:38Different moments, we want to improve certain things
00:43and we have to work on the things we believe we need to improve.
00:47And every match that goes by, we want to be a better team,
00:50and that's why we're working.
00:52And we're thinking about Genoa, tomorrow's match.
00:55And then we have a match against Bologna.
01:01This season, you've never had four matches in a row
01:07with the same 11, the same team playing.
01:13This starting line-up seems to have been giving you guarantees
01:17and the team are working out how to play together.
01:21Will you try and use the same 11 tomorrow?
01:24And is Jovic's back okay?
01:26Yeah, it's true.
01:28This continuity that we've got in the new formation
01:37is helping and we're working on it every day.
01:43Defensively, we're working on it and also the attacking dimension.
01:47We want the team during the match to begin to understand
01:56what we want from them, what we want from them on the pitch.
02:02Sometimes, sometimes things go against you.
02:06Something could happen tomorrow to go against us.
02:11We've had some bad surprises, like Jovic's, Luka Jovic's back injury.
02:18But my feeling, my feeling is that everyone is important.
02:24I need all my players.
02:27They're all prepared and ready to play.
02:30The whole group is ready to play
02:31and I've got faith in all of them.
02:35Luka Jovic is better.
02:38He's trained with us three times.
02:42Tammy Abraham has stopped with a small injury
02:46and Bondo and Ricciardo Sotil.
02:51Three players.
02:52Three players who have not been well,
02:59but tomorrow you'll know what the formation is.
03:08I'd like to know about your way of managing the squad.
03:13Fabio Capello in the past said,
03:16when a season is closing
03:17and you've got one more big important match,
03:20but you've got matches before that large game,
03:24it's a bit flat,
03:26but you need to keep the starting players,
03:30you need to keep them fit and keep them sharp
03:32so they can arrive at that final in good shape.
03:36Or do you have a different kind of way of managing resources?
03:40No, no, I don't need to manage anything.
03:43Every match we're playing for something,
03:44it's not like we're playing for nothing.
03:46Every player that plays every match
03:49has got a responsibility to do their best for Milan.
03:54We know that the championship, the league,
03:58we've got a responsibility to show every day
04:01for people who are at the matches,
04:04who watch the matches,
04:06we have to show our quality.
04:08And we have to be better than we have been
04:14in some championship matches.
04:16That's why we're working so hard.
04:18The way that other managers used to manage,
04:21used to manage their resources,
04:24it's not important to me.
04:26Maybe some of them can be a reference, of course.
04:29In this case, Fabio Capello is an example.
04:31He's a former manager that I really respect
04:35and now he's a pundits TV commentator, pundit.
04:40And he's got his view, I've got my view.
04:44We work hard to make sure that the 11 that start the game
04:49are not the only players
04:54because we need all the players in the squad,
04:59not just the 11 who starts.
05:00I think match by match.
05:04That's my thought.
05:05That's our philosophy.
05:06Teo Hernandez and Rafa Leao
05:14have returned to being one of the best left flanks
05:18in the Italian Championship.
05:22The quality of the Milan players,
05:28everyone knows the quality of those two players.
05:33They need to be consistent.
05:34They need to show their qualities every match, though.
05:38And we always speak about it.
05:40We always talk about these two players
05:42who have already won the Scudetto with Milan,
05:44the league with Milan.
05:47In their position, they're the best in the world.
05:51There are times, though, when moments,
05:52when things don't go as you'd want them to.
05:56Things don't go well.
05:58But the moment is the most important thing in football.
06:01Mentally, they're well.
06:02They're both available.
06:04And I expect a lot from them,
06:06as I do from all my players.
06:08I'm relying on them as I rely on all my players.
06:09Kyle Walker is back.
06:17He played against Venezia for 20 minutes.
06:20In the new formation, do you consider him in the three central defenders,
06:25as Manchester City did,
06:27or do you want to play him as a white full-back?
06:29Kyle knows all the positions.
06:32For me, he's a great solution.
06:34He knows both positions, in a back three or a wing-back.
06:39He's well, physically he's well, and he's available.
06:42Like everyone else is fit and available to help the team.
06:48I want to ask about Jiménez.
06:54Santiago Jiménez, he scored.
06:56Which one?
06:56Santiago.
06:57Okay.
06:58He scored against Venezia.
07:00And you said Luka Jovic could come back.
07:06Could tomorrow be an audition for the final,
07:10deciding who you will pick as centre-forward?
07:12Who do you think is better, works better for the team?
07:17At this moment, who do you think is better as a centre-forward?
07:21Both.
07:22Both are great.
07:24They've got great qualities.
07:25They're great players.
07:29Who will play?
07:30Maybe one of them, or maybe both of them together.
07:32Anyway, they've got very interesting qualities.
07:37They work hard for the team.
07:39One is different to the other.
07:40But they are.
07:43But I've got full faith in both of them.
07:46As I said, it depends on the match.
07:49It depends on the moment who will play.
07:51Football, every moment,
07:53any moment can change everything.
07:57That's how it is.
07:58I watch them train every day.
08:02And the matches that come,
08:05and tomorrow is the match against Genoa,
08:06and I'll watch and I'll see.
08:08I'll watch them and I'll make my decision.
08:14I'd like to ask about Alejandro Jiménez,
08:16the Spanish defender.
08:18You've played him often and you've put great faith in him.
08:23And when he started in Serie C with Milan Furturo,
08:26he's jumped up two categories, two divisions.
08:28And he provided an assist in the derby against Inter.
08:34And he had an important impact against Venezia.
08:39He's growing match by match, improving.
08:41You've played him in several roles.
08:44Where do you think is the best role for him to develop?
08:49High up, at full back, winger?
08:53In your left, right?
08:57Yeah, he's got quality.
08:59He needs to improve.
09:00Even he needs to improve in his concentration, consistency.
09:08He's a young player.
09:09He's young.
09:10And like young players,
09:12they need to work on their concentration.
09:14They need to focus.
09:17Because in terms of skill and tactics and physically,
09:22he's a very good player.
09:24He's a good player.
09:24He needs to work hard.
09:26He needs to continue on his journey.
09:27And he wants to improve every day.
09:30He wants to improve.
09:33Not just in training,
09:36but he's learning how to be a professional,
09:38how to live like a professional.
09:42I'd like to ask you a question similar to my colleague
09:45about Loftus, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
09:48He played as a trequartista in the last match.
09:52Do you think he would play in the midfield too
09:54or as a number 10 trequartista?
09:56Yes, he's a very good player.
10:02In my view, he's a box-to-box midfielder,
10:05but he can play further forward
10:06or he can play further back.
10:08Depends on the match.
10:09Depends on our strategy.
10:10Depends on what I want.
10:12He's strong.
10:15And he's good at getting into the other team's penalty area.
10:17Technically, he's very good.
10:20And he's well.
10:22He's fit at the moment.
10:24Every day he's getting better and we need him.
10:27And we're going to need him for this running.
10:28Between the Coppa Italia and the league,
10:35Milan have got three away matches.
10:39Milan have not conceded a goal in their last three away matches.
10:42How have you made them more solid away from home?
10:44It's work.
10:48It's not always a system that defines everything.
10:52There's work.
10:52There's teamwork.
10:55And we're working on that to be consistent,
10:59to remain at this level.
11:00Attacking-wise, the squad has shown in all the matches.
11:06The team has shown that we can create,
11:09we've created a lot of chances,
11:10more than the opponents.
11:14And the defensive solidity is what we've been lacking.
11:19But we have been, we are working,
11:21continually working on the attack,
11:24but also on defensive solidity.
11:26It's important.
11:28Not just the team.
11:30But the individuals.
11:33We're all working to try and get to a higher level.
11:37We work individually with the players.
11:39On the defensive part, we work collectively.
11:43And that's our, it's what we do.
11:45It's our job.
11:46It's our job to improve the team.
11:53When you look at the table,
11:58a new Juventus, Lazio, Bologna, Fiorentina,
12:01who are fighting for fourth place,
12:03and they swap exchange positions,
12:05are you a bit angry, a bit disappointed
12:08that a team could have done more in the last few months
12:11to be there fighting for a Champions League place?
12:13Yes.
12:14Yes.
12:16That's it.
12:16Yes.
12:18Grazie.
12:20Sergio, Consiglio Sales Press Conference.