AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao was delighted that his decision to “gamble” by still going for a win when reduced to 10 men paid off against Empoli on Saturday.
After a goalless first half, the Portuguese coach brought on attacking players Santiago Gimenez, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, before his side went down to 10 men as a result of Fikayo Tomori’s second booking in the 55th minute.
Empoli were also reduced to 10 by Luca Marianucci’s straight red before Leao headed the opener in the 68th minute, with Gimenez sealing their 2-0 win eight minutes later.
“The temptation at that moment was to take off a striker, to put in a defender, but I didn’t do it,” Conceicao told DAZN.
“I moved (Yunus) Musah to the right and put (Kyle) Walker in central defence and Joao Felix a bit deeper. A draw here is like a defeat for Milan, so I had to take the gamble.
“With all due respect for Empoli’s aggressive nature and direct approach, we were the better team throughout and picked up three important points.”
Sérgio Conceição on #EmpoliMilan #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/5vX9sUqa8W
— AC Milan (@acmilan) February 8, 2025
Conceicao was full of praise for his new signing Gimenez after the Mexico striker made a flying start to life in Italy, following his move from Feyenoord.
“Santi is a quality player, I had already followed him when I was at Porto,” he said.
“Quality works when the players are able to push outside their comfort zone and play for the greater good, which is the collective of the team. These details can bring everyone up to a higher level.
“When the players all understand what needs to be done, it will all be much simpler and also more enjoyable for them. This is the kind of football that I want to see.”
Milan, who sit seventh in Serie A with 38 points, next play at Feyenoord in the Champions League knockout-stage play-offs on Wednesday.
