Ruben Amorim, AC Milan’s head coach, spoke at a press conference at the start of the Rossoneri’s tour in Perth, Australia. Below are his statements as transcribed by La Gazzetta dello Sport through correspondent Andrea Ramazzotti.
On Leão:
“It’s not too complicated (what we will do, ed.). For me, the team is the most important thing. I will speak with Rafael, with Ramos, with Saelemaekers and with all the players returning from the World Cup to explain what we are going to do. They already know what it means to play for a club like ours. I know there are many rumours surrounding some of our players, but they remain our players until something changes. Again, the objective is to prepare the team for the first match, and that is what we are focused on. Everyone will train and fight for a place in the team, that is certain. There is nothing new, nothing different. I treat players differently because they are unique individuals, but the rules apply to everyone. It is quite simple. We don’t need to complicate things. It is about training, enjoying ourselves, helping the team, sharing a lot with the fans and preparing the players.”
On Modrić:
“Some players returning from the World Cup will arrive here in Perth. It is difficult to say whether Modrić will play: the idea is for him to feature in the friendlies here, but you can never know for sure. When a new player arrives, we have to assess every situation. As I have already said, the main objective is to prepare for the first match of the season, but of course we want to present our best players here so that everyone can see them and so that we can prepare our team. So, if you ask me, the idea is for Luka to play, but in the end we will have to evaluate the situation.
“How many more years will he play? It depends on the player’s desire. From what I saw last season, he can still play at the highest level. He did very well, not only during the season but also at the World Cup. I think we need experience. As you can see, we are bringing many young players with us and, for a young player to succeed, we also need to surround him with experienced players. This is the main objective.
“It is not only about the quality that Modrić and the other players will bring to the team, but I want a squad that includes young players because it is really important, not only for our club but also, for example, for the national team. It is really important and we have made a big effort to keep Luka in our squad. I think he is really happy. And we are talking about Milan: I believe that anyone in the world would want to play for a club like ours, with our history. Now, we need to take a step forward, play better and play well in order to reach a different level.”
Amorim on how Modrić will help the team:
“He has experience and quality. Sometimes it is not about how fast you run, but how quickly you think. He is really strong in that aspect. He will help our young players and he will help our team. We want to base our game on possession of the ball. If there is one person in the world who can be truly useful in managing possession, that person is Luka.
“But it is not only about Luka. I know there is a lot of interest surrounding Luka Modrić, but we have players of the highest level. We have young players with enormous potential, so I am really excited about the next season.”
On Amorim’s Milan dream:
“Sometimes there are people who are very lucky, and I feel that I have been very fortunate in my career. I am the same age as Luka Modrić, so I am still really young. But, as you said, sometimes it is not about age, it is about experience. And with all the experience I have gained, both positive and negative, I think it is really important.
“I would be happy if this was my final destination (my last job as a coach, ed.), so I need all the experience I have collected in the past. Every time I wake up, I am really happy and I know how lucky I am to coach a club like Milan. Coaching here is a dream for me.
“But I also know that you will judge me based on the next match. That is why I am completely focused on that. My thought is: if we win the next game, I will be fine and we will be fine. So let’s focus on that.”
On his elegant look:
“You know, there are some things you have to do... I think I felt a bit of pressure from my staff, who told me that things are different here and that you have to present yourself differently. Milan is the city of fashion, so you have to represent your city in the best possible way.
“Part of the history of our club is not only the way you play, but also the way you represent yourself and your city. So I will dress like this on the touchline.”
On Milan’s call:
“I think I was chosen because of a combination of things. They believed I was the right person because of the way I want the team to play. They identified that they wanted to play in the same way. And I think they chose me not only because of the successes I achieved, but also because my experience at a big club like Manchester United helped them understand better who I am.
“Then, all the thoughts I shared during the meetings with Mr Cardinale made them understand that I was prepared for this job, not only because of my past successes but also because of my failures. I believe that had a big impact during those discussions.
“I am really happy and honoured to have been the Manchester United manager during that period, but now I am at Milan. I have spoken with some people at the club: with Massaro, and I exchanged some messages with Mr Baresi. This is the most important thing now: understanding what kind of club I am at and what its history is.
“For me, this time was easier because I have been a Milan fan since I was a child, so I know the club’s culture, its ideas and its history. But all of that belongs to the past, while our objective is to build a new future.
“We have to understand that we are in a different situation. We want to take risks by focusing on some young players and we want to rebuild. You can say that it is also a risk for the coach, but I prefer to take this risk and be excited about something new.
“And once again, they chose me for a reason, and one of those reasons is that I like taking on teams that are going through a difficult period. I know it is complicated, but we want to rebuild something.”
