AC Milan’s Champions League journey came to an abrupt end last night as they were knocked out by Feyenoord, and there is predictably a large fall-out.
As Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews) recall, Zlatan Ibrahimovic expressed all his disappointment and regret after the full-time whistle, saying that if Milan did not qualify for the Champions League round of 16 it is their own fault.
The Senior Advisor to RedBird Capital spoke of sporting suicide, and it would be accurate given that the red card Theo Hernandez received early in the second half completely changed the complexion of a tie that Milan otherwise looked likely to get through.
The two yellow cards the Frenchman got are the perfect symbol of his season, and it seriously risks having direct consequences on his future at Milan, which is still in the balance considering the negotiations for the renewal in progress.
However, the paper highlights that while Theo might be the main culprit, there are others to blame as well and Sergio Conceiçao is one of them. He tried to defend himself in the press conference after the game, before taking on some responsibility.
“I arrived a month and a half ago, but they make comparisons with coaches who have been here for years. In this month and a half we haven’t worked with the first team, we’ve worked with a few people who do different things,” he said.
We won the only trophy we could win, we’re in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and in the league, since I arrived, we’ve got 14 points and Napoli 15. It’s not all perfect, there’s a lot of work to do.“
But we have to remember this. The atmosphere here at Milan isn’t the best and the red card proves it: we have to work on this at a mental level with the players. Believe me, it’s not easy, it’s not easy.”
Milan therefore continue without any kind of balance, and if not even the coach things he can find quick counter-measures then the situation risks becoming a very serious one in the scheme of the season.
Yesterday evening Conceiçao didn’t help himself, as the substitutions he made have left many doubts among supporters, which make the Portuguese ‘responsible as much as Theo’ for this elimination of Milan in the eyes of the paper.
