The bad night against Ferencvaros has been erased. In Genoa, Amorim and Cardinale were expecting a response, and the team did not disappoint them. The Rossoneri are now in fourth place in the standings with 24 points, 2 more than those collected by Allegri last year in the first 11 matchdays and 7 more than Fonseca in 2024-25 (Pioli collected 26 in 2022-23).
"We could have had a few more," admitted the Portuguese coach, "but I feel that we are competitive, difficult to beat, and that we now dictate the course of the match by trying to maintain possession of the ball. The way we are playing is completely different from the beginning of the season, and I am satisfied with the progress. All this makes me think that in the future we will be an even better team," as relayed via La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edtion.
Gerry Cardinale, who watched the match from the United States, added:
"I fully agree with Ruben’s observations. The team showed grit and determination, as well as the desire to win. There are still aspects we need to continue working on to maintain the same level for all 90 minutes, but I am really satisfied with the victory and the spirit I saw in every one of our players. Keep it up."
Progress and Mentality...
After the break, however, Amorim will have to find a solution to achieve greater consistency in results.
"When we are not intense and do not approach the match well," the coach continued, "we are completely all over the place, and that is not good because the difference in performance compared to when we are at our best is too great. We need to work on that."
“I am not satisfied with Thursday’s performance and, more generally, with the performances we have produced in the Europa League. If we had not had all these injured players, perhaps things would have gone differently because, with a full squad, we can be competitive on all fronts, but no excuses."
“I am proud of my players and what they did here in Genoa. If we approach every match like this, then we are one step closer to being able to win them all. This time we were good at pressing and playing the ball, but also at aggressively going after second balls when we were forced to play long."
“Great teams behave like this, meaning they are capable of playing in different ways within the same match, of changing their tactical approach.”
This is what makes Amorim confident:
“I cannot say where we will finish at the end of the league season because we have not yet completed our growth process, but I am convinced that we can win the next match if we show the right mentality. I do not want to go beyond that... We will be able to do the rest if we acquire belief in our own abilities and that consistency which is still missing. The key to everything is mentality: when you are a Milan player, there are no ‘days off’. You cannot fail to show up on the pitch, as happened to us on Thursday, and then switch yourself back on on Sunday. Losing must be... the end of the world, not something normal. My teams must think this way, have this mentality. Otherwise, you need to go elsewhere and compete in just one competition. Rotation is necessary, and we will continue to do it. At the same time, however, we need to improve. In what way? In getting Pulisic and Ramos to play closer to the opposition’s penalty area. If we manage that, Gonçalo will also score a great many goals, whereas right now it is difficult for him, as it is for all strikers who are not scoring. Ramos is helping us, while we are not helping him because we are not yet dominant in possession and we are not yet winning the ball back ‘high up’ the pitch."
