Milan are ready to take to the field for the fourth round of the Serie A Enilive season at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. Speaking to DAZN before the game, Rossoneri head coach Ruben Amorim shared his thoughts shortly before kick-off. Here are all his comments.
Amorim, what do you want to see in terms of more quality in midfield?
“I think we need quality in every area, quality on the ball. I think we were good against Juventus in terms of keeping possession, but we lacked the ability to be dangerous. In the final third, we were not aggressive enough and we need players between the lines. I think that was what we were missing. So it is not just about the quality of the players, but the quality of their positioning at the right moments, in the right spaces, to be dangerous. We worked on that during the week," as relayed via Milan News.
Amorim, what do you want to see from Ruben Loftus-Cheek?
“It is fundamental to always be honest with the players. When I say something to the media, it is because I have already told the player concerned the same thing ten times. I know that is not something you commonly see, but I consider it important and I think the players trust me, knowing that I make certain statements precisely because I have enormous belief in their qualities. Take a player like Loftus-Cheek: he has everything. He has tremendous physical power, he can use both feet, he is strong in the air, but he has to learn to stay in the game for all 90 minutes. The concept is very simple: he has to make an impact with his quality in every single moment of the game. He cannot always be in contact with the ball, but he needs to be much more involved in the game. Only by participating consistently can he help the team to be more creative and genuinely dangerous in the final 30 metres.”
What did you ask of Adrien Rabiot? Amorim had this to say:
"It is a little different compared with Musah, also because of their preferred foot: one is left-footed, the other right-footed. I believe Rabiot is not only capable of making frequent runs into the penalty area, but he is also able to dictate the tempo of the game. He has a lot of experience, he knows how to make the right runs and he is also good around the edge of the box. Today, however, I felt that the qualities of Modrić and Rabiot would be fundamental in supporting Cisse and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. It was difficult for me to leave Musah out, but every game is different. Sometimes we have to forget the performance from the previous match and understand that this is a different game, with different characteristics. That is why I felt today was the ideal game for Rabiot."
