Ruben Amorim spoke at a press conference on the eve of Milan-Inter, a friendly derby scheduled for tomorrow at 13:00 Italian time (19:00 local time) in Perth, Australia. The Portuguese coach discussed several topics, from his tribute to Franco Baresi to the current transfer market and Rafael Leao’s situation. Here are his comments, as reported by Gazzetta.it.
Amorim remembers Baresi:
“First of all, our condolences go to Baresi’s family, his friends and also all the teammates he had throughout his career. I think I am the last person who should speak about Baresi, because I have only been here for two minutes, but I can explain a little about the feeling within our staff.
“First of all, nobody calls Baresi ‘Baresi’; he is Franco, and that means something. When you talk about him with everyone in our communications staff, they have tears in their eyes. When we go for dinner, Michele, our chef (Persechini, ed.), keeps showing me photos of him and Mr Baresi together and tells me many stories.
“I have spoken with many people about Franco, and nobody talks about the Champions Leagues and Scudetti he won. Everyone says one thing: ‘When we went down to Serie B, he did not leave us’. And that is something special. Now that he is no longer with us, he is teaching us that success is a wonderful thing, but it is something that is important for our ego. The most important thing, in the end, is your character and who you are, not what you have achieved."
Amorim also said:
“I do not know what will happen in the future in terms of results. I cannot control that and I cannot promise anything. But one thing I can promise: the team is the most important thing at our club, and we will carry forward Franco’s legacy. The team, until my last day here, will be the most important thing at our club. Today we are not at his funeral because we are here, but we also feel the sadness throughout our entire club. Our leader, Mr Cardinale, is there, and there are Milan representatives there. If today you could ask Franco whether we should have stopped our preparation to attend his funeral, I think I can guarantee that he would have preferred us to continue doing our job and defending the club.”
On Leao, Modric and the transfer market…
I have the feeling that all the players are working really well, both those who started from the first day and those who arrived later. Rafa is lucky to be at a club like Milan, so he should be happy. I feel that he is happy and motivated. I do not know what will happen between now and the end of the transfer window, but I feel that the group is really united. The important thing is to continue with this spirit when things become difficult. At this club, we have to win every match, and for that reason we need to maintain the right mentality throughout the season. So I have not felt or seen any difference in Leao compared to the other players. I feel that everyone is preparing for what will be a very difficult season.”
Amorim also spoke about Luka Modric:
"He will also play tomorrow. Everyone will play a part of the derby. We do not have much time to train, and with two games so close together, we have to train by playing. We will try to manage the workload. Luka is really humble and he does not like all the attention he receives. He has enormous experience, and I will treat him like a normal player. He will have to fight to earn his place, but of course he is a special player. We did a lot to have him with us for at least another season. I am really happy with him."
On the transfer market, Amorim commented:
"I am really happy with the squad I have. We are building our idea of football. We also have an idea for the market. Sometimes it is possible to achieve it, sometimes it is not. But the most important thing, as I said in my press conference and I repeat now, is this: if we started the season with this squad, I think we would be competitive in every match and we could win every match.”
On the derby and Serie A
“Who should Australians support? I have a clear answer in my mind: Milan.
“I understand that, if you only look at the last few years, Inter have won more than us. But Milan is Milan. And for that reason I will always say Milan."
“Because Milan is not only about trophies. Milan represents something that cannot be bought. Do you understand?"
“For me, since I was a child, it has always been Milan. So open YouTube, watch the videos and you will understand why I would always choose Milan.”
On the derby, Amorim said:
"We want to do well, but being the champions of pre-season is not important. The only thing that truly matters is when, in Turin on 23 August, the referee blows the whistle to start the match."
"Against Inter, we want to win, but we also want to prepare for that game against Torino. Our preparation is fundamental because it helps us play in a certain way.
“Winning is what we want, but doing it while playing very badly would not create confidence. My objective is to put these players in the best possible conditions to show their talent."
On Serie A coaches:
"There are many good coaches, and I am an admirer of all of them, especially Gasperini, who always beat my Sporting side…
“Serie A is not just catenaccio. You would have to be completely wrong to think that the coaches in our league only play defensive football.
“I will need some time to adapt to every match, but I think I have understood quite well what your coaches do.
“I want to play football in my own way. And I also want to prove in Serie A that it is possible to play in a different way.”
