Peppe Di Stefano, journalist, spoke to Sky Sport from Milanello about the current situation surrounding Ruben Amorim’s Milan:
“If, hypothetically, the first half against Lazio had been Milan’s worst performance, then yesterday’s game as a whole was simply a poor, insufficient performance. Yesterday, all the problems came to the fore. Milan suffered their first defeat of the season, having picked up eight points from the 15 available during this opening part of the campaign."
"Above all, there has been a tactical regression that cannot help but be concerning at this stage, on matchday five overall, with four league games and one Europa League match played. Without exaggerating, the situation is somewhat worrying. It is worrying because there has been a complete regression from the dominant, possession-based and aggressive style of football we were supposed to see. We were told we would see this type of football, but we are seeing none of it."
"There have been no real attacking moves. In recent games, Milan have created something only thanks to moments of inspiration, such as Diego Moreira’s goal or the occasional solo effort from Christian Pulisic. It is certainly a complicated period that requires reflection, especially because we need to understand exactly what Ruben Amorim intends to do."
"This rotation system, designed to keep the whole squad involved and give everyone playing time, is not working. Yesterday, in the first half, Milan simply did not look capable of scoring. They were a team without leaders. As Riccardo Montolivo, who also wore the captain’s armband during his time at Milan, said, there was a lack of personality in midfield, or rather, throughout the entire team."
I believe some decisions need to be made. This team cannot do without Pulisic, Modric, Rabiot and players like Diego Moreira. Decisions will be made regarding the starting line-up over the next 48 hours because Milan can no longer afford to take risks, and the rotations are no longer working.
Some of the pillars of Amorim’s thinking during the summer have now been rejected: Loftus-Cheek was an experiment that failed, while Chukwueze is also not delivering, even as the right wing-back, because he cannot keep up against the top teams.
This is a period in which Milan fans expected a different level of performances and football, including visually. Instead, this Milan have fewer points than they did at the same stage last year and are playing almost worse.
That is why I believe Gerry Cardinale will arrive in Italy in the coming hours. After spending €150 million, he expects greater satisfaction, not just results, from this new Milan that he built a few months ago.”
