AC Milan's head coach, Ruben Amorim, spoke to the media in today's first press conference of the season ahead of the Serie A opener against Torino.
On Ferragosto, it was Amorim’s turn to face one of his former clubs; tomorrow it will be Abate’s...
“First of all, good morning everyone. I know that Abate played for Milan and made a lot of important appearances for our club. He knows very well that at Milan you have to win every match, and he will draw on that. We want to win them all. It’s not that we have to win; we need to win. It will be difficult, a different game from the one against United. It is very difficult to play in Italy. Abate knows Italian football very well. I am just at the beginning, but I know what we will face tomorrow. He will be ready and we will be ready. It will be an enjoyable match to watch. I know he wants to play a certain type of football.”
What emotions are you feeling ahead of your debut in Italy?
“The pressure is always the same for me, even when we play friendlies. I have always been nervous; as a coach, you are judged every day. I am really happy to be here, I have faith in my players and I am happy with my players. They work hard. When a coach sees a group of players becoming a team, then he gains confidence. As a coach, I have complete confidence in my squad. I can’t wait, but I am also anxious: every coach in the world has to win every match.”
How much of Amorim’s Milan will we see tomorrow? How much has this team changed compared with last season?
“The important thing is that we have to be Milan, not Amorim’s Milan or Allegri’s Milan. Everyone has to think about the common interest and what is best for the team. We have to think as a team. Then we will try to show an attacking team, one that has a lot of possession and gets a lot of players into the box. I think you will already see that tomorrow.
“I want a Milan that defends well, like Allegri’s Milan did last year. There are certain principles that I want to see, as we did last year, but in other aspects we will be different, such as having some players in different roles. Obviously, we will not see the finished product tomorrow. We need to build a culture, create a family, go through a journey and become a group. There will already be some differences tomorrow, but don’t expect to see the finished product from the first game.”
Which teams are the ones to beat? Where would you place Milan in a hypothetical ranking?
“Last year, when I watched Milan, I saw a team that performed really well against the big teams, such as Inter, while their concentration dropped against the ‘smaller’ teams. For me, at this moment, Torino are the best team in the world. We need the right mentality and we have to prove everything on the pitch. The fans expect us to beat Torino; I want my team to demonstrate that on the pitch.
“Inter are the most prepared team, with an identity that dates back to Simone Inzaghi. Then there is Gasperini, who knows everything about the league. Then you have Como, with their pace, strength and freedom: they don’t have the responsibility. We do, and that can weigh heavily on the players. Then there is Atalanta with Sarri...
“Last year, we lost the Champions League at home against Cagliari. It is a difficult league. For me, there is only Torino and Abate. We have to beat Torino and then we will think about the next game.”
Have you understood how important the second star is for the fans? Are you still targeting that objective? Is there a gap between Milan and Inter?
“Our objective is always to win the league. I don’t know how long it will take us, but our mentality has to be this because the fans want to win regardless of the circumstances. There is a gap between us and Inter. We have to be honest with the fans and with ourselves, even if it can be difficult to acknowledge reality. Then we will all start with the same number of points, we can win every match and we will take it one game at a time.”
What kind of Milan should we expect? An attacking Milan? What will we see that is new?
“The most important thing is that Milan are a team at every moment of the match. If we have to defend in our box, everyone will defend in the box. If we have to attack, we will attack. Our club and our history demand a team that dominates matches; that will be our objective. We have to do everything as a team.
“I don’t know what kind of game we will play tomorrow. I don’t know if we will have as much possession as we did against United, but the most important thing is that everyone understands what needs to be done to win.”
Can you clarify Leao’s situation and his future?
“Rafa is not important at the moment. The important thing is tomorrow’s match. He is not ready to play, but he is our player. Everyone else is ready. I have no news on the players who could leave. The important thing is to win tomorrow. Leao will not be there tomorrow; we’ll see what happens in the future.”
What kind of club did you find from an organisational point of view?
“From the very first moment, I saw that there is a great deal of organisation. Everyone is ready to take the club to where it belongs. Now it is up to me and the players to raise the level. Everything else is already there. Everything is well organised. Everything is in place. At the moment, the job of the coach and the players is to bring the club back to where it deserves to be.”
Do you expect further reinforcements from the transfer market?
“That is not the most important thing right now. I feel that the players we have signed are expensive footballers who have great quality, but also plenty of room to grow. That is important at the beginning of a project. We have to become a real team, a family. You look for technical quality above all, but the most important thing is this, because it can also hide many weaknesses. At this moment, it is not so much about quality as it is about being a team. Through our performances, we have to show the fans that we want to become a great team again.
“We have to show this sense of family, of fighting in every moment and in every match. Do the best players win? No, the best team wins. We have to understand that we are playing for a club that carries great responsibility. The most important thing right now is to improve as a team.”
Is it more difficult to instil the sense of family in the players or to get them to play in a different way?
“The positive thing is that ever since I started at Milanello, the sense of ‘family’ has been there. It is present among everyone who works here. Now we have to pass that on to the players; they have to feel that sense of belonging. The players are understanding how to play in a different way, and they have to be brave. I don’t know what will be more difficult; it will also depend on the results. From that, we will understand how quickly things can change. What I feel here is that the sense of family is here and is present.”
Where will you use Moreira? Which player has surprised you the most?
“He is a wing-back, is that what you call it? An attacking wing-back. He can also play in other positions, but I see him there. The player who has surprised me the most is difficult to say... I love Cissé. I love Cissé. I hope he doesn’t hear this, otherwise he might get a big head (laughs, ed.). Matteo Gabbia, on the other hand, represents what Milan and its values are all about through the way he dresses, the way he speaks and the way he works. If you want to find a boy who represents Milan, speak to Gabbia.
“But all the players have given me something. I have been impressed by the way everyone works. We will have difficult moments, but if we work in this way, I will be 100 per cent behind them.”
What is Gerry Cardinale like when he comes to Milanello? What responsibility do you feel with the owner being so present?
“I think it is important for everyone to feel the responsibility of being at Milan. Everyone knows what they have to do and what their role is. My relationship with him is not important; what is important is that Mr Cardinale is always here. He speaks to the cooks, to the people at Milan Lab, he speaks to everyone. The most important thing for me is that everyone feels that the owner is always here and pays attention to every detail of the club. It is important that the players are aware of this.
“And if you ask Cardinale, he is also aware that this is necessary for Milan to become a strong team again. My responsibility is always there, and it is to win as many matches as possible.”
The new role for Samu Chukwueze. Can a player who is so attacking be supported in that role? Amorim replied:
“It depends on the players’ mentality. Often, people look negatively at a player because he is very strong from an attacking point of view and therefore think that he cannot defend. Defending is not just about technique; it is also about spirit and personality. I believe he has the personality to play that role.
“When we defend, we defend as a whole team. He is improving. Obviously, he is not a typical defender here in Italy. I understand the Italian culture. The wing-back is not a winger but more of a full-back, but during the match we want to be more with the ball than without it.
“And this is a message I want to get across to you: we want to defend well. But I believe you defend well by having the ball. If we don’t have possession, it doesn’t matter if we have 10 defenders; we will have problems. For me, it is important to have players who allow us to have possession and control of the game. Chukwueze is really good at this. And he showed against United that he can also defend quite well.”
