The test of nine has failed: Amorim falls in the ninth league match, his first defeat in Serie A, and his unbeaten run as a foreign debutant comes to an end here. The previous precedents dated back to the 1960s. More than on the past, the focus is on the present, while the future is becoming almost worrying: on the horizon is the derby, with half the squad dealing with physical problems. Then there is the parallel run in Europe (with a league table position to improve) and the double commitment to manage until the next international break in November. Will yesterday's Milan, lacking intensity, manage to rediscover the energy they need? Yesterday, the youngsters Cisse and Hutchinson shone in the first half, but the light soon went out and in the second half complete darkness descended. Nobody was capable of igniting the spark, not even Modric.
The possibility of a derby with the Scudetto in sight is already a mirage: today the Nerazzurri are seven points ahead. The night of witches may serve to slow their run, but there is no chance of drawing level or overtaking, a hope that the Rossoneri supporters had even been able to entertain when Milan were leading yesterday (with Inter still level). Unfortunately, Milan then melted away, something that had never happened before, certainly never to such an extent and so quickly: injuries have had an impact, leaving the squad decimated, but they certainly do not explain everything. Amorim explains more after the match: "From the very first minute, I had already seen a tired team, with little energy. With so many matches, we paid the price here for a drop in physical condition, with so many players unavailable," as relayed via La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
A chain of troubles for Milan and Amorim
An alarm bell ringing ahead of the match against Inter in forty-eight hours. The list of doubtful players is long: Gila, Rabiot, Moreira, and Tomori himself, whose condition will be assessed during the day. Long-term injury absentees Gabbia, Chukwueze, Saelemaekers and Loftus-Cheek remain out.
The Rossoneri coach continues: "I don't know how many players we will be able to recover, and that is a problem. In the next training sessions, we will understand who we might have back with us."
A chain of physical problems that, however, did not cause the latest defeat. At least not according to Amorim: "I didn't say that we lost because of injuries, and they must not be an excuse. I think we lacked energy, that yes, and when we cannot play our football, we suffer. Certain mistakes came from tiredness.
"Lack of consistency? There is a coach who arrived here two months ago, and he cannot expect the entire team to play a different kind of football for ninety minutes, and that is something you should understand. In any case, we also had the chance to equalise through Camarda."
No excuses
No alibis, then. But a little anxiety, yes: "We have the responsibility to fight to win the next match. I know that in the future this team will grow a lot, but in the meantime, no excuses, and I don't even want to try to defend myself every time we get a negative result, even if it seems that I am forced to do so.
"The reality is that we lost 4-2 at home, and at a club like Milan we cannot allow that to happen: we will try to win the next one."
A particularly special next match.
