AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim spoke to the media in his usual pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Serie A clash with Lecce, which will take place at San Siro at 8:45 PM CEST.
Coach Amorim sends a message following Mazzola’s passing:
"On behalf of ourselves and the entire club, our condolences to his family, Inter and the whole nation. We have lost a legend of world football. That is life, just as it was with Franco Baresi. We must honour these figures by continuing to move forward with our football and improving it."
Today, San Siro celebrates its 100th anniversary and Milan will play there tomorrow...
“It is an honour to be part of San Siro’s history. We want to win and play well to honour the stadium and our fans. We simply want to play well and win our matches.”
How have the days been since the defeat? Have you spoken with the leaders in the dressing room? How is Ruben Amorim doing?
“When you lose, you are not the same person. If that is the case, then there is something wrong. The team is ready for the match. We cannot change the past, but we can change the next game. I always speak with the team, not only when we lose. There are many things to improve. We want to be ready for tomorrow evening.”
Why aren’t Milan scoring in the first half?
“I think it is just a coincidence. If you look at the match against Torino, we were doing well. Against Venezia, we had two clear chances with Ramos. It is a coincidence. In the first 45 minutes, teams are very organised and focused. Then we can change the momentum of the match with the substitutions. But in any case, we cannot concede goals, especially in the first half. We need to control the game a little better.”
Why did you rotate the squad against Benfica?
"Benfica changed nine players compared to their previous match, and we needed to rotate as well. It’s not that we lost because of the players who were on the pitch in the first half. We had many more chances, more possession and more touches in the opposition box. Sometimes you simply cannot find the goal. Benfica scored from the chances they created. It is a matter of collective performance, not individual players."
Amorim, how far is this Milan from the team you would like to see?
“The promise to score more goals and be dominant? In most matches, we have been the more dominant team. We have not dominated for all 90 minutes... Tomorrow, the priority is to beat Lecce. We are still in the process of building, especially in possession. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to improve our performance on the pitch.”
On the meeting with Ibra:
“It was simply a visit from someone who works with the club. Our focus is on Lecce. That was just a visit. Contact with Cardinale? Nothing unusual, we talk about club matters, nothing special.”
When you said that the team is not suited to your idea of football, or when you said that you might consider changing the system... Can you clarify these points?
“The idea is that both things can be true. It has nothing to do with the system of play. My idea of how to play football is not based on the formation, but on principles. That is what matters. Two things can be true at the same time. I said that when you arrive at a new club, it is impossible to have all the right characteristics in every aspect and for every eventuality. That is what I said. Capello asked me a question about the attacking phase, and I said that I think we need to defend well, especially when we have the ball. I am very clear when I say something. It will be difficult to find statements from me where I am inconsistent. I am very clear about these matters and about my statements, which are very consistent.”
Is it possible to see Pulisic, Moreira and Chukwueze starting together from the beginning?
“Everyone can play together. You know a lot of things that happen here during the week, but there are also many things you don’t know, and I have to make my choices. They can play together. Maybe tomorrow you will see some of them playing together.”
On the difficulties the defensive line has had during the pressing phase:
“We are completely changing the way we press. In some games we have done better. Sometimes we have managed it, sometimes it has been more difficult. When the players are fresher, they perform better; when they are tired, it is more difficult. It depends on the stage of the game. We need to adapt better and improve in this phase. It’s not only the defenders who need to improve, but also the players further forward. We need to improve our timing and understand when and how to press, but that is normal.”
The last coaches have had difficulties managing the senior players. Is there a risk in your relationship with the senior players? Or is everything under control?
“I am always clear with everyone. Obviously, when you don’t play, you are angry. They want honesty. Sometimes you don’t agree with the coach, but if you are honest with your players, they understand. Just look at our schedule after the international break: we will play every two or three days. We will have to be ready. There are things I see during the week, I know the players’ physical workload and their history, and I have to manage all these factors. They understand my role and that I have to make choices.”
On Milan not always being dominant:
“Against Juventus, they were better in the small details, even though we had more possession. Against Lazio, it was a different game, with two completely different halves. But you will never see our team sitting back and waiting. We will always try to press, even if we don’t always do it at our best. Against Benfica, they sat deeper and stayed compact, waiting for us to make a mistake. Maybe the opponent is different, maybe we will try different things. But if you look at the games, including Juventus and Lazio, we have always been the team trying to control the match. The intention is there. We can improve our fluidity.
“Against Benfica, we had more touches in their box, more shots, more possession and more corners. But nobody cares about that, and in the end, I don’t care either. We have to create more chances. But we are a team that tries to dominate and tries to press. Maybe we have to learn, improve and find a balance to solve these problems.”
Inter, Roma, Napoli, Como and many other teams are ahead of Milan in terms of ‘killer’ passes into the opposition box. Is this where Ramos’ difficulties come from? Is it a matter of work? Does he need to work slightly less for the team, while the team needs to work more for him?
“We need to create clearer chances for him and we need to help him. I don’t want to say that Ramos needs to work a little less for the team so that he can be fresher, but rather that he needs to spend more time near the opposition box, as we do in training. We need to improve the understanding between the players.
“In the last game, we saw, I don’t know if you remember, a ball from Pulisic to Cisse that he didn’t understand the intention behind, another ball to Pavlovic that he controlled badly, as well as two other situations involving Rabiot, who didn’t orient his first touch well. In other games, we haven’t had as many touches in the opposition box. We need to improve in that regard.
"Against Benfica, we need to improve these situations. Sometimes it is not just about the pass, but also about receiving the ball better inside the box. Koni also had a great chance in the box. Pulisic did too. Benfica had one shot from outside the box against an organised defence and then scored a goal with four defenders watching their winger."
Were you very angry about that goal? Amorim said:
"Very. But I think you were too. You watched the game. We need to control these situations better. And please, don’t write that I am criticising the players. I am just explaining how things happened. The effort they are putting in is the right one. So, guys, please, don’t write that I am criticising anyone, because that is absolutely not the case."
