Listening to the stories and comments of English colleagues, one point has often been emphasized: one of Ruben Amorim's biggest mistakes at Manchester was walking into the Manchester United dressing room, a place full of established rules and influential senior players, with the intention of taking control, changing everything immediately, and personally showing everyone how things should be done. That approach was not well received, and in the end, he paid the price for it, as relayed via Milannews.it.
Amorim's approach at Milanello
Having learned from that experience, Amorim has entered the AC Milan dressing room with a completely different attitude. His messages to the players during his first few days as head coach were the first clear sign of this, followed by the conversations he held with the club's new signings at the team hotel. Yesterday's speech at Milanello before the fitness tests completed the picture:
"Guys, you should be the ones introducing me to the staff because you know them better than I do. I'm genuinely happy to be here and truly proud. Whatever you need, I'm here for you. I'm at your disposal. If you ever have a disagreement with another player, I'll stand up for you—as long as you're in the right. Okay, that's all. Let's get started. Thank you."
At Manchester, Amorim had adopted a much more authoritative and abrasive approach with the dressing room, and the results ultimately reflected that. He knows he cannot afford to make the same mistakes again.
Amorim's formation
There is one thing, however, that Amorim will continue to do exactly as he did at Manchester and, before that, at Sporting CP.
During the training games at Milanello, where every session has been conducted exclusively with the ball, Amorim worked on his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, rotating all the players through different positions on the pitch, including several youngsters and players who are expected to leave the club.
It will now be up to Gerry Cardinale and the club to provide him with the right players in the transfer market. Unlike Massimiliano Allegri, who is known for adapting his tactics to the squad at his disposal, Amorim relies far more heavily on having players with very specific qualities and characteristics in order to implement his style of play effectively.
