Conceição: His Sensational Outburst Comes at a High Price—Spalletti’s Decision
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Anger after being substituted, a confrontation with the coaching staff, and then a clarification in front of the cameras. Francisco Conceição’s evening in Vigo was complicated both on and off the field. The Portuguese coach tried to downplay the incident, but his words weren’t enough to completely put the matter to rest.
In the postgame press conference, Conceição tried to restore normalcy with a clear statement: “I didn’t argue with anyone.” This clarification only partially helped downplay the incident, partly because Spalletti immediately addressed the issue without hiding his disappointment.
“He’d better be angry at himself. Otherwise, we’ll have to talk about it,” warned the Juventus coach. A clear message, followed by a further comment on the Portuguese player’s performance: “He needs to show character during the 70 minutes he spends on the field, not in the 20 that follow. There are also other strong teammates on the bench, and in fact, when they played, they turned the game around.”
According to La Stampa, Conceição could start on the bench in Sunday’s match against Lazio. This decision is reportedly linked not only to his reaction in Vigo but also to his recent performances, which have fallen short of expectations. After staying in the locker room at halftime of the match against Cagliari—when he was substituted in the 45th minute—the son of a legendary player failed to redeem himself even in the Europa League. His performance was deemed inadequate, fueling doubts about his current form.
