CONCEIÇÃO: "FROM DIFFICULTIES, GREAT THINGS CAN BE BORN"
Supercoppa Italiana
It will be a special Epiphany. In fact, the Supercoppa Italiana final between Inter and AC Milan will be played in Riyadh, a game that puts the first trophy of the season up for grabs. Before the match, Coach Sérgio Conceição and Tijjani Reijnders held a press conference.
FITNESS
"I hope the team is better than me. We're preparing for a final against a strong side, who have been successful in recent years. They've had the same coach for a while and the players know each other. We need to focus on ourselves. In the face of adversity, we need to be men. We have had a day less to rest and 4/5 players who aren't fully fit."
COMING UP AGAINST HIS FORMER CLUB
"I respect every team I played for, but coming up against Inter is just another game for me. My alleigance is with my own players. I want to prepare for the game so that we know what to do. We've taken a half step, now to do the other half. The basis has to be hunger for victory. We hope it goes well. We have confidence. Good things are often hidden in hard times."
ERIKSSON'S LEGACY
"Sven is in my heart, and that of everyone who was in that Lazio team. I had a lot of great Italian coaches, such as Sacchi and Malesani, and I learnt in the Italian school of coaching. It's an honour for me to be here now."
LEÃO'S CONDITION
"We'll train this afternoon and, on the basis of that, we'll decide whether he is available and how many minutes he has in the legs."
PLAYING IN A FINAL ALREADY
"Luck comes with hard work and seriousness. We need to be hungry, organised and a bit lucky."
RELATIONSHIP WITH INZAGHI
"These things happen during a game and then they're done. There has never been a lack of respect. We're football men and we hold each other in high regard. He's my friend before and after the game, and my opponent during it."
COMEBACK AGAINST JUVENTUS
"We weren't aggressive enough in the first half aginst Juve. After the break, we showed more of that, worked hard and created more. We need to take that into the final."
GOALS THIS SEASON
"It was nice to see Pioli again. We just joked about the goals that didn't come last season. I was playing deeper and had fewer chances. This year, I'm playing in a more advanced role and I have more chances to score."
HOW TO APPROACH THE GAME
"This final is a great opportunity for us. We need to approach it as though it's our last-ever game. You don't always have the chance to win a trophy, so it's a big opportunity to turn our season around."
THE MOOD IN THE CAMP
"It's always been high. We're a family, but we need to be more confident in ourselves and the win against Juventus gave us a big boost to start getting on a roll."
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