Conceicao says Milan derby draw a fair result
Sergio Conceicao conceded that the 1-1 draw AC Milan played out with Inter on Monday was the fairest outcome after Stefan de Vrij's late equaliser.
Milan had a third derby win of the season firmly within it grasp, with Conceicao lifting the Supercoppa Italiana after beating its rival in his second game in charge last month, before conceding the 93rd-minute equaliser to deny it a hat-trick of victories.
Inter had pushed in the game, seeing three goals disallowed while also striking the woodwork thrice before it finally found the breakthrough.
It was the first time the Milan derby has ended in a draw since March 2022, when the sides played out a goalless stalemate in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
Milan has won just one of its last 10 home matches against Inter in all competitions (D4 L5), but Conceicao admitted Inter did not deserve to leave empty-handed.
"We put on the field the attitude we wanted, Inter know each other very well and create a lot of difficulties for the opponents, it was important to curb their strengths and exploit some weaknesses," Conceicao said. "In the end, it is clear that we are disappointed, because we lost two points, but we saw all the joy they showed at the end. I think the draw is fair, but of course, mistakes are paid for.
"I think that the next game, with the transfer market over, we will face it more calmly with our heads and we can start again for four strong months."
Milan, which remains eighth in Serie A, has lost just one of its last six league games, while this result was an improvement on its shock defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Thursday.
Despite Milan's performance against the defending champion, the manager still sees room for improvement, and Conceicao spoke of what he wants to teach his squad.
"On a mental level, to have consistency. It's not negotiable, if there is no desire to play football, something is not good," he said.
"On a tactical and game dynamics level, some things are missing. We tried to press a little higher and left gaps in our midfield, which I don't want.
"In my opinion, the defensive phase is connected to the offensive one, when you attack well and occupy the space well, you are prepared to react when you lose the ball."
