AC Milan coach Sergio Conceicao is under fire after his side lost again, this time to Bologna in a 2-1 defeat.

The Rossoneri have been in dreadful form as of late, and their latest defeat could spell the beginning of the end for the Portuguese coach.

Conceicao replaced compatriot Paulo Fonseca towards the end of last year, and despite an immediate upturn in results, which ended in an Italian Super Cup triumph over Inter in Saudi Arabia, the new year hasn’t been kind to Conceicao or Milan.

A Champions League playoff exit to Feyenoord has set the tone for the rest of the season. Milan had lost the first leg in The Netherlands, only for the Dutch side to steal a draw in San Siro to advance 2-1 on aggregate.

To compound issues, Milan had signed Feyenoord’s best player and top scorer, Santiago Gimenez, the week before the first leg.

Moreover, Feyenoord were also manager-less, having sacked Brian Priske several days before.

The elimination cost Milan around $10m in Champions League prize money, and it’s also infuriated the management.

Furthermore, Milan have been struggling in the league. Currently languishing well outside the Champions League places, the chances of returning to Europe’s top table next season appear minimal, and the loss of revenue next season could force the club to sell off several key players in order to balance the books.

Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao have been in the firing line this season, with the pair well off the pace and nowhere close to the pivotal roles they played in the title-winning season of 2021-22.

Both had been dropped by Fonseca earlier in the season, and Leao has routinely been substituted by both Fonseca and Conceicao, as question marks center around his work ethic.

Hernandez, meanwhile, was sent off for simulation in the second leg against Feyenoord, which played a part in Milan’s exit.

Hernandez’s form has nose-dived over the past 18 months, and a departure from Milan at the end of the season seems all but certain, with his contract entering its final 12 months. The Rossoneri will want to make a profit on his sale and therefore a summer move seems imminent.

Conceicao, meanwhile, will only be kept on should Milan qualify in the top four. At present, they are in eighth place and eight points behind Juventus for the final spot.

Italy’s chances of having five clubs in the competition for next season diminished after a horror show of a week in the Champions League, in which Milan, Juventus and Atalanta all exited meekly.

Even gaining a Europa League spot could be beyond the Rossoneri at this point.

Milan spent big in the January transfer window in order to try and save its season, but the purchases of Gimenez and Joao Felix, on loan from Chelsea, haven’t worked so far.

Felix, in particular, has drawn criticism from some quarters in Italy, with some suggesting he’s ‘as useless as he is handsome’, while Gimenez has scored only once since landing. But the argument could be made he’s been starved of service.

Next up for Milan is Lazio at home, and should another defeat transpire, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Conceicao walk away from the club.

It’s been a disastrous season from the seven-time European champions, and it could get much worse.