Ruben Amorim spoke to the media in a press conference today ahead of tomorrow's match against Venezia at the San Siro.
Question: In the first few friendlies, you rotated the squad a lot and wanted to see everyone. Since the match against Manchester United, there have been more consistent choices. Is that to help the team develop an identity?
“I think we need to give the team stability, but we also have to prepare all the players around our concepts. Our objective is to win and be competitive, and for that we need plenty of rotation. Every week we will face different opponents, with different characteristics in terms of tactics and players. We need to create stability within the team and establish mechanisms so that every player knows what they have to do. We will not always be able to play with the same line-up in league and Europa League matches," as relayed via Milannews.it.
The transfer window is about to close. Are you happy that this is the last match with the window still open, and can you give us an update on Leao and Ricci?
“I’m very happy with the squad. I don’t know what will happen between now and the end of the transfer window. Leao is not ready to be called up; he has only trained once and will not be involved. We have to wait five more days until the transfer window closes. If someone arrives, it will be because they can help us both now and in the future. I will try to choose the best players for tomorrow’s match. At the end of the transfer window, we will talk about our squad.”
Is the decision regarding Tomori, Fofana and Gimenez final, or could they be brought back into the squad?
“It’s not that they aren’t excellent footballers and excellent people, but it’s impossible to train with 27 players available. We, as a club, have to allow them to carry out their work in the best possible conditions. The transfer window is still open, but my focus is on Venezia.”
Do you not think the squad is short in certain positions?
“I believe we have to remain focused on the match. There are a lot of players and young players who need minutes. We cannot expect to solve every problem in a single transfer window. It will take time to put everything in place. There could also be some surprises. Nowadays, everyone wants things to happen quickly, but I think certain things take time. And there could be surprises, as happened with Cisse. From now on, everything we do will have an impact on the future, so we need calm and patience. And, as I said, there could be some surprises.”
Amorim, If Leao were to stay, is he a player you could count on, or would he return to the group alongside Fofana, Tomori and Gimenez?
“We can talk about that in five days. It’s difficult to discuss individual situations. I understand what you’re asking, but at the next press conference I will tell you everything about the transfer market. Leao is a very talented player who, if he is in the right mindset, can play for any team in the world. Sometimes in football, the moment comes when you have to move elsewhere. We haven’t even talked about Venezia yet, how they play or the fact that they had a very good season in Serie B last year. I’m focused on my first match at San Siro.”
What kind of impact do you expect tomorrow at San Siro, and what kind of Venezia are you expecting?
“I think it will be a special day for me. I will feel the responsibility of being Milan’s head coach, but I also want to enjoy the moment. I’m expecting a difficult match. We watched the game against Lecce, and we showed the players a lot of footage regardless of the result against Lecce. There will be some tension, but we have to be intelligent, humble and willing to press and run a lot, while managing possession well. They will come after us man-to-man all over the pitch. What struck me, watching the matches from the opening round, is that we need to do a better job of promoting Italian football, because there are so many good coaches and the quality of the product is high. Venezia will come here without the pressure of getting a result, which will all be on us. We will have to think when we have the ball, even though our fans will want to see Milan dominate the game. But we have to be humble and intelligent in doing so.”
How do you want to change the perception of your Milan?
“As for my approach to watching matches, I don’t know why I do it. I would prefer people not to consider us among the favourites to win the Scudetto. We have to play matches without allowing our performance level to drop too much. We need consistency in our performances. We need time to grow. I don’t think one match changes anything, because a team can play well in one game and then fail to do so in the next. We need to find that consistency by playing well every week. When I see my team in training, I see that we are working well and that the players are putting in a lot of effort. That is the only way we can improve, and to do that, every player must feel part of the project. And if we want to promote the product better, we need to play good football.”
How important is Rabiot, and when did you decide that you wanted him to stay at Milan? Amorim replied:
“I didn’t know him before I arrived here, but Adrien is a crucial player for our project. We wanted to keep him and, if there is an opportunity, his contract should be renewed. He knows that. He is a great professional and has an impressive desire to learn. He helps his team-mates a lot during training. He played against Torino after just three training sessions and was decisive, yet he is still a long way from his best form.”
