Sergio Conceicao was in mourning this evening, so Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke for Milan and hailed the impact of the new arrivals. ‘We are Milan, if we can only rely on one player then we’re in trouble.’
It was a tough slog for the Rossoneri to break down the worst defence in Serie A, as Verona held firm until the 75th minute.
Alex Jimenez dinked up a pass for Rafael Leao’s acrobatic flick, setting up the Santiago Gimenez header from close range for a 1-0 result.
When it came to the most-match interviews, special advisor Ibrahimovic attended rather than Conceicao because news had just come through that legendary FC Porto President Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa had died at the age of 87.
He was President for 42 years from 1982 to 2024, winning 68 titles, some of them with Conceicao as coach.
“I am here because the coach is in the locker room, he is very shaken at the death of the Porto President, who was like a father to him. So I am here,” explained Ibrahimovic to Sky Sport Italia.
Gimenez has become only the third player in the three points for a win era to score in his first two Serie A appearances for Milan, following in the footsteps of Andriy Shevchenko and Christian Pulisic.
“I expected things to go this well, because Gimenez is someone who likes to score goals and this is a team where the ball does get into the box. You just have to be ready to meet it and put it into the net,” added Ibrahimovic.
“It is not easy coming to Italian football as a foreigner, but we are helping him to settle in and step by step get stronger.”
This result means that Milan have at least got their Serie A form back on track with 10 points from the last four rounds, failing only to beat Inter in a dramatic 1-1 draw.
“This is a very important victory. It’s true we only scored one goal, but we dominated and if you score early, then it totally opens up. With all due respect to Verona, they came to San Siro only to defend and it is not easy to play against a well-organised team. If you score early, it’s a very different game.”
Joao Felix arrived on loan from Chelsea where he had very little playing time, but has been practically ever-present since the move to Milan, so is this a strategy to get him back to match fitness quicker?
“He came here to play and to help. The coach makes the decisions, it depends on the games and his form. Joao Felix is a player who always wants the ball at his feet, he creates situations and if he is in good form, then he should play. It is up to the coach.”
Rafael Leao came off the bench this evening and made an impact with the assist, so is it taking some of the pressure off that he is no longer considered the only talent in the Milan squad?
“He will always be a reference point for this side. The statistics show he makes the difference, even when he’s not in top form, he still makes the difference. He provided an assist today off the bench, that’s what we need him to do.
“We are Milan, so if we only have one player to rely on, then we’re in trouble! The more players you have, the more alternatives there are. Every coach has to rotate the squad when you play every three days, otherwise we’ll burn them out and risk injuries. It is also important to keep everyone involved and confident.”
Now Milan look to the Champions League play-off, where they host Feyenoord on Tuesday night and must overturn the 1-0 first leg defeat in Rotterdam.
