Just one short week ago, AC Milan were suffering as the club ran out of patience for manager Paulo Fonseca.
The club’s two most prolific forwards of the last two seasons were both in a position of compromise — American star Christian Pulisic, who had blossomed into the club’s top goal scorer this season, was injured, while world-class Portuguese superstar Rafael Leao had been benched by Fonseca.
With Fonseca gone and former Porto manager Sergio Conceicao installed, Milan have suddenly been transformed into an unstoppable force.
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In just a week’s time, Conceicao has led the club to a pair of Supercoppa Italiana victories over fellow Serie A giants Juventus and Inter, with Pulisic and Leao at the heart of the transformation.
With Leao suffering from a muscle injury for the semifinal, Pulisic starred as he created chances and scored from the penalty spot in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Juve. Everything ran through the American, as he attempted a whopping 13 duels. He combined effortlessly with Emerson Royal down the right flank, winning the penalty he would ultimately convert himself.
In the final against Inter, Pulisic was once again the go-to target in the final third, this time on the left at first but given the freedom to roam. His high-risk, high-reward style of progression was shackled somewhat in the first half but unleashed after the break as Milan fell 2-0 down to the defending Serie A champions.
Conceicao turned to Leao for the second half, something Fonseca refused to do on numerous occasions over the past month. It was a masterstroke, as the reinvigorated superstar was brilliant. He delivered a delicious long vertical ball to Theo Hernandez to set up the equalizer, scored by Pulisic with 10 minutes to go, before making a run only Pulisic would see to set up the winner for Tammy Abraham.
Images of the Milan squad dancing in the locker room with a cigar-laden Conceicao after the trophy lift confirm that the vibes of this club have been completely reversed. His groove was intentionally recreated from his celebrations of Porto’s league title two years ago, proving he has brought new life to this Serie A squad with his unique personality.
“For us it was important this cup,” Pulisic said after the match. “We changed the game again today even though it was tough, a good feeling for the group.”
With the second half of the Serie A season to come, and Milan sitting eighth in the league table, a push towards the Champions League places is the clear end-of-season target. They will lean on that “good feeling” moving forward, even given there are clear flaws in the side.
This new-look side will of course want to avoid falling behind early in matches as they did in both Supercoppa games, but they clearly possess a newfound venom which did not exist under Fonseca. The rest of the Italian top flight would do well to take notice.
