Capello on Milan’s managerial pursuit and Conceicao: 'He has what it takes'

Fabio Capello has weighed in on the recent developments in AC Milan’s pursuit of a new manager. Among other things, he heaped praise on Sergio Conceicao who has emerged as a strong candidate for the Rossoneri. 

Milan’s are still in the evaluation phase of their post-Stefano Pioli pursuit and Conceicao is considered a strong candidate, as confirmed by Gazzetta dello Sport this morning. The manager now appears willing to leave Porto, giving the Rossoneri a great opportunity.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport this morning (see photo below), Fabio Capello weighed in on the managerial pursuit and the candidacy of Conceicao. He heaped praise on the latter, more or less saying that he would be perfect for Milan.

Conceicao has taken several steps forward…

“He knows Serie A from his past as a footballer: he played and won here, this can certainly help him manage the pressure of the environment. As a coach he has done very, very well at Porto, demonstrating great tactical and attacking attention. His teams are solid and balanced, we saw it in the Champions League: when the Italians met Porto they often suffered. But there is another thing I like about Conceicao…”.

And that is?

“He’s a coach capable of working with both important players and prospective players: he brings out the best in everyone. He is used to building and doing it with a winning mentality. He made this with the philosophy of Porto, where historically value is created by winning.”

It’s like reading the identikit of the coach Milan are looking for…

“I would say so, yes. If Milan are convinced about him they could be on the right path, Conceicao has what it takes. The important thing is that everyone in the club agrees, the Lopetegui case teaches: the fact that a club like Milan gave in to the will of the fans suggests that perhaps there was not total unanimity on the choice. Having said that, if the decisions of the past had been made based on the mood of the fans, Milan would not have had Sacchi or even Capello…”.

There is another Portuguese in the running with Porto on his CV: does Paulo Fonseca convince you?

“The point in his favour is his knowledge of our league: Fonseca already knows everything about Serie A and has been missing from Italy for a few years. In the two-year period with Roma, he showed good things, a proactive style of play, an attacking mentality. With him there would be no need for revolutions, he is a coach who knows how to adapt to the players he has in his squad.”

Roberto De Zerbi also knows Serie A well. Is he ready for a big club like Milan?

“He’s a prepared coach, who asserts his ideas wherever he coaches, and has a highly respectable sponsor like Guardiola. Until now, however, no one has come forward despite his name being linked to the benches of the big clubs. And then with Brighton, he has a 15 million clause: honestly it seems like too much to free a manager.”

Mark Van Bommel will say goodbye to Antwerp in June…

“He also lacks experience at a high level: he won in Belgium, but Milan is something else. Of course, if he arrived he would already be able to swim in the Rossoneri sea, because as a player he won a Scudetto together with Ibra: this is undoubtedly an advantage, especially for a foreign coach.”

Let’s end with Roberto Martinez…

“If we talk about international experience, here is another profile that meets the requirements of Milan. Before leading Portugal and Belgium, Martinez coached in England and did well: he won the FA Cup with Wigan, a club that had never won anything, and then he had fun with Everton, coming close to the Champions League and finishing in front to Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premier League.

“Lukaku exploded with him, his Belgium entertained and climbed onto the podium at the 2018 World Cup. Since Martinez has been the coach of Portugal, Leao has also become a regular starter for the national team. Working with Martinez at Milan could stimulate Rafa to raise the bar,” he concluded.

Roberto De Zerbi, as well as Thiago Motta, has also been mentioned by the media but the Brighton manager appears keen to stay in England. The Bologna man, meanwhile, is being courted by Juventus who are ahead in the race.