The next challenge for the AC Milan team is against Ferencvaros in the Europa League tomorrow at the San Siro. The Rossoneri enter the European fixture fresh from a derby victory. Underestimating the opponent, however, is forbidden. Head coach Ruben Amorim is already preparing his team to face the Hungarians and has spoken to the media in a press conference.
Follow the Portuguese tactician statements below
The derby went well, but it is now behind us. Milan need consistency:
“That is the objective. The match against Inter is over and we have to think about the Europa League. We were very consistent throughout the derby... It matters little who plays or what rotations we make: we want to get a result and go all the way in the competition," as relayed via Milan News.
Will there be rotation tomorrow? Amorim replied:
“First of all, the most important match is the next one. But we must recognise that we need to be careful with certain players. We cannot afford injuries ahead of the upcoming matches. When you do not want to give someone a rest, problems that could keep them out for a month or a month and a half can arise. Tomorrow is important, rotation is necessary and all the players are ready. The opponent is a strong one, they have nine points and have not yet lost a match in their league. But the players are ready and we want to win.”
Why is there this difference between Serie A and the Europa League?
"I think that sometimes it is difficult to explain. It may be due to rotations; sometimes you have to make decisions that can change the way we play. But then you see that against Benfica, we had difficulties when they created chances... Then against Salzburg, we won very well. Then against Bournemouth, we had a sending-off and two penalties against us, but obviously that situation was our fault. I am not satisfied with either the Europa League or Serie A; we can do better. We have had some difficulties in Europe, but I think that tomorrow we can do better and win."
On Ferencváros:
"They are a team that is accustomed to winning, regardless of the context. It gives them a great deal of confidence in every match. They are comfortable. They are doing very well in the league. They play with a 4-2-3-1 formation and have a strong identity. In midfield, there is Nagy, who is very strong in building play. They are comfortable and are coming to San Siro with nothing to lose. The responsibility at San Siro is ours: we have to play well and remain focused. I told the players that we did well against Inter because we remained humble and paid attention to the details. We will have to do the same thing against Ferencváros because they are a very strong team."
After the Europa League draw, Antonio Cassano said that Milan cannot take victory against Ferencváros for granted.
"Without any doubt. We are capable of winning every match and losing every match. It depends on our approach, regardless of the opponent. Everyone knows everyone, every player has the tools to understand, and the coaches have the tools to prepare everything in the best possible way. We can win and lose against anyone; it depends only on us. And sometimes you also need a little bit of luck."
Does your Milan team have a clear identity or not yet? Amorim said:
"You often ask me when we will reach our peak. We will never reach the maximum, even if we won every match. We must always improve ourselves. We already have an identity: we want to dominate matches. Sometimes we manage to do that and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we change the formation and the defensive phase, and you don't even notice it. Our identity is to be proactive. We still lack the ability to pin opponents back in their own penalty area to create more chances. But we are playing better and also managing certain moments better. However, there is still a lot of work to do, especially in the final 30 metres. I have to help my players do that"
Amorim on the team's defensive performance in the derby against Inter:
"Inter are part of the past. We can also show tomorrow that we are capable of defending better. We defended, but with the ball. It allowed us to think better. The details are important: a metre is a metre. We were better compared to the Bologna match. We were very aggressive on the wings. Koni was exceptional, but if a cross reaches Thuram, it is very difficult to defend against him. So we were more aggressive off the ball to prevent crosses. We have to do the same thing tomorrow. They are accustomed to winning matches. When a team always wins, there is a reason for it, and we have to be ready for tomorrow."
On Sankhoun Diawara:
"We have to give him credit; he is working very well. He went through a period without playing and was a little frustrated, but he always worked very well. I think he can play this role out wide. We once played with Moreira there, while against Inter it was Diawara. The same role, but a different interpretation. During the international break, against Padova, we tried him at left-back: he showed important signs. He is fast, he is strong."
Amorim added:
"Diawara is doing well and has the potential to develop a lot. Against Inter, we knew how dangerous their crosses could be, especially from Inter's left-hand side. Dimarco did not play, but the tactical idea remained the same, and defending crosses with Koni and Pavlovic proved to be a good idea. They almost scored from a cross with Calhanoglu, but I think he is doing really, really well. He has plenty of room for improvement and who knows, perhaps he will start tomorrow."
What is your team's main strength?
"What I was saying about winning matches: this is the team's strength, our identity. I always put the collective first, not the individual, even though we have excellent individual players. Ferencváros' striker is very strong in space: he can play both out wide and as a striker, and I think he will play up front against us. Nagy is an important player because he understands the game. He knows exactly when to drop deep and when to stay high, and I really like this type of player. Added to this is the quality of their right-footed left-back, who knows how to move inside: all these little details define an identity that I really appreciate in this team, and we will have to be ready to process all this information in order to prepare for and win the match. I repeat: we have three points in this competition, and tomorrow we absolutely must win."
Amorim, was that the best second half of the entire season, the one against Inter? There was the attitude of a big team: authoritative, confident, without taking risks. Should you build on that second half?
"I think that is a good point of view. But you cannot separate the second half from the first; they are connected. In the first half, we took the lead, then we controlled the game in that way in the second half. We have improved our understanding of the game and were complete in every department. Perhaps we were missing the ability to put a few players behind Inter's midfield line: we had good possession, but we can still do better. However, it is only one match. But thinking only about the derby is the mentality of a small team: all matches are important to us. Tomorrow, I will understand more about my team than I did from the derby. The match against Inter no longer matters to me. Was it nice to win? Yes. But I am still angry about the match against Bologna. Tomorrow, we will have to be strong to win."
The derby showed an emotional side of Cardinale... When will we see you like that?
"Perhaps I will be emotional when we win the Scudetto or an important trophy. Until then, it is just another day. But during the match, I did not expect to experience those feelings, and neither did Cardinale. He gave an important interview in which he said that he supports the coach. There was a wonderful feeling in the stadium, he enjoyed the moment and became emotional. He is American, but when you spend some time here, you become a little Italian. As for me, I will not be emotional until I win something. And when I win something, I will already be thinking about the next Scudetto. I doubt you will see me getting emotional."
