Milan coach Sergio Conceiçao has demanded more personality from his players and joked about sacking rumours after the 1-1 derby draw with Inter. The Rossoneri had taken a first-half lead through Tijjani Reijnders but saw Stefan de Vrij score an equaliser late in extra time.

"We tried to press a little higher in the first half, but nobody thought the same way, so we left important space for counterattacks," he told DAZN.

"We prepared for this game a little differently. I like high pressure and not letting the opponents get the ball. We scored after Tammy won the ball on the pitch. We have to work on that. We had the right attitude, but we have work to do. We all agree on that," he added.

Conceiçao expected the team to have more personality with the ball, but replaced Ismael Bennacer during the first half break, KosovaPress reported.

"Bennacer is a very interesting player technically, but I needed different characteristics in midfield," explained the Rossoneri boss. "We could have done some things differently in the first half in terms of ability and desire to have the ball. I understand the moments and the environment, but we have to be stronger than that. We are in Milan and the players here have to take this responsibility to keep the ball and stop the opponents," said the Portuguese.

Italian media reported earlier this week that some players were unhappy with Conceiçao's methods, so the club could activate an option to terminate the coach's contract at the end of the season.

"There has been a lot of noise, but some things are not true," the Portuguese continued. The important thing was to show the personality, the ambition and the desire to win a game that meant more than a game. We need to have this consistency in the league and other competitions."

Milan's next match is against Roma at San Siro on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia.