Tomorrow, AC Milan faces Gattuso's Lazio. The Rossoneri coach, Ruben Amorim, spoke to the media in a press conference on tomorrow's match.
Here's what he had to say:
"The first thing about tomorrow is that Lazio are a team with a lot of pace and a strong identity. Frattesi was a great signing, giving them a lot of aggression up front. They have two wingers who are very good on the ball. They have a new striker. They are in good shape after three wins. They lost in the Coppa Italia and then started Serie A like this. Football is strange, funny. Gattuso is a Milan legend: talent is not everything. The passion he had is something we need to rediscover at our club. It has been missing in recent years and we need to bring it onto the pitch. With passion and commitment, you can overcome various problems."
Have you analysed what went wrong against Juventus?
“We talked about it and worked on many of the things we did badly in the last match. We lacked energy. We controlled the ball well in the first half, but we lacked aggression in the final third to get enough players into the penalty area. I showed the players that Juventus’ chances came from us losing the ball without pressure, from misplaced and lazy passes. These are situations that can make the difference.”
Ramos touched the ball very few times against Juventus, but he moved a lot...
"You shouldn’t focus on a single player: we didn’t play well as a team. If we lose the ball without pressure, we have several problems... When Ramos had the ball, the understanding with his teammates was not the best and he knows that. We need to improve as a team. Against Torino and Venezia he did very well. In those matches we showed that we know how to get him involved, and against Juventus he didn’t put in the same performance. Ramos is a player who can perform very well."
Some people believe that Modric struggles with this type of football at the age of 41. What is your opinion?
"That line of thinking is understandable. Luka can’t press all the time, but on the other hand, he always controls the tempo of the game and understands it better than anyone else. As a coach, I have to make choices. Maybe we lose something in pressing, but with the ball we have more control when Modric is on the pitch. Against Juventus, perhaps there was less pressing and sometimes Douglas Luiz had more time to manage the ball, but look at what happened when we had possession. I think that if we have to lose something, it is better for it to be without the ball. With the ball, we must always have that something extra. And Luka gives us that something extra. I understand the criticism, it’s fair, but you have to look at the whole picture: Modric allows us to manage the ball better and I want a team that dominates possession."
Milan greats agree that Amorim should be given time. Does that give you confidence? Do you feel the team is improving?
"We have to improve in every training session. If something isn’t working, we get a lot of information from it and take that into training. After Juventus, we saw what we needed to do in those situations. We’ll see tomorrow. As for the first part of the question, I have already worked at a club with many legends, and legends have very strong opinions. But I live in a different era and I know what moment the club is going through. However, I don’t want my players to forget how important it is to play and win for Milan. For me, that is the most important thing. We need time, but it depends on the club, not me, how much time we have. We need to build a foundation to win consistently, and that takes time. If we look at the Premier League, how long did Arsenal take to win? And if we also look at Italy, Juventus and Inter. It takes time to win consistently and you have to build something. And to buy ourselves time, we need to win on Saturday. By winning, we will have more time to build our project."
Are there any changes tomorrow regarding who will play behind Gonçalo Ramos?
“I won’t say who will play. Pulisic is training well, Cisse is doing well, and so is Saelemaekers. Hutchinson is improving his fitness, there’s also Loftus-Cheek... If you look at the last few matches, the players who came off the bench changed the game. That is important. I won’t say who will play, but I have the feeling that there will be a strong team on the pitch.”
Is Cisse ready for the national team? And regarding the table: if you win, you would be top for one night.
“The table doesn’t matter to me at the moment. Being top for one night wouldn’t be special. That’s for children, for my son (laughs). If Cisse played for the national team, he would be free, he is ready. But in the second half of the season he needs more time to aid his development. I have already noticed a difference between his home and away performances. Playing at San Siro is tough, give him time. But if you put him in the national team, he won’t be shy, he will play. But give him time to become the player he can become.”
How is Pulisic? Amorim said the following:
“You’ll see him tomorrow. I don’t know if he’ll start or come on during the match. I think he’ll play a few minutes. I like him a lot as a player. He is upset because he has zero minutes so far, and I like that in my players. Don’t forget that he had an injury in the summer and then took a knock in the first training session and had to stop. I won’t leave out someone who is doing well just to put a ‘name’ in. That is how I manage the group and I will die by these principles. Pulisic is very important to me. After the international break, there will be eight weeks with three matches a week. Everyone will be tired because of how much football there will be. Pulisic is important and he will play many matches. But you have to understand the context and my history to understand why I make certain choices. But you will see Pulisic from this weekend onwards.”
Is it time to reintegrate Bondo?
“We have enough players. We have an extra player for every position. We are fine and have players ready for all our needs.”
Amorim, is there another midfielder with the same characteristics as Musah?
“Rabiot can play in the same position, as can Jashari. Musah can make runs from deep, and so can Rabiot. Jashari is a little different but can play as an 8. Comotto is very young and is training in this position and improving every session. Musah, Rabiot, Jashari, Comotto and also Loftus-Cheek can play as a number 8, with different characteristics.”
Can Amorim make Milan play like Fabregas’ Como?
“I think we are different coaches with different backgrounds and at different clubs. Cardinale has never told me that they should be the inspiration. I have a very clear style of play and it will take time. Every coach needs time. You saw it a little against Torino and United, even though that was a friendly. If you want to play like Como, then you need to buy the Como coach. I am different, my identity is different. Coaching Milan is difficult, just as coaching Como is difficult. But I am not focused on what Fabregas is doing. My focus is solely on how to win at Milan and how to play according to my ideas. I like to ‘steal’ many things from every coach, but I don’t copy anything from anyone. The fun part of being a coach isn’t sitting here with you at a press conference (laughs), but the tactical side. You can tell me anything, but don’t tell me I copied something. I have my own way of playing. I understand that you like Como a lot, but I have my own identity.”
On Hutchinson and Rabiot, left-footed attacking midfielders with different characteristics.
"It depends on what you want in a match. Rabiot is more of a box-to-box player, not someone who plays between the lines. But he is really good around the penalty area and knows how to score. Sometimes you want that: less play between the lines and more aggression around the penalty area. Loftus-Cheek, who is right-footed, can also play there. But he needs to be more aggressive around the penalty area, he needs to be much more involved in the game. He can’t play well for five minutes, then disappear, then come back. He needs to be more consistent over the 90 minutes. Hutchinson has some very good qualities and is used to playing there. But Pulisic can also be very good between the lines."
How do you react to the criticism you receive?
“Criticism is normal. That I have received more than at my previous club is impossible (smiles). I remember what I told you: I told you that I put Milan first, and that remains my intention. I was asked to be proactive on the pitch and we want to do that. But we also have to take the opponents into account. Luciano Spalletti is very good. But that doesn’t change our intention, which you will always see: we will never do anything randomly. In fact, we may even be too rigid. I understand that it is difficult for you to see a young coach coming from outside who sees how the game should be played. Our intention is to dominate, but there are so many good coaches like Spalletti and Fabregas who will put us to the test. It takes time. I know there was someone who couldn’t wait for us to drop points so they could ask me that question. If we had won, many would have kept their criticism and questions in their pockets for another week. Spalletti was better than me, but the intention is not lacking. Sometimes it won’t be possible, and I won’t always be able to give you the spectacle you want. After Juventus, I opened my eyes and know what to expect. I told my players to be perfect and win. People can’t wait for us to stumble. I hope they hear me now. They are having lunch and listening to me: I told them in the first training session of this week that we need to be perfect, and I’m happy that they are still listening to these words.”
Is constantly changing positions a way of motivating the players?
"We are trying to find the best balance between rotations and the best positions for each player, all together. We need to find the best combinations between the players. I understand the criticism and I understand that to work on certain dynamics we need to work with the same players. But my answer is that I have to find the best positions and the best dynamics between the players. If the players can understand our idea of football, then we can use different players. My focus is on this and on winning. I have to find the best balance for the team. Everyone has to be ready to play. Making rotations must not change our dynamics or our way of playing."
