For a striker who cost €75 million in the summer, such as Gonçalo Ramos, objectively speaking, one goal in five games is not enough.
This morning, the Italian newspaper, Gazzetta dello Sport, came to the Portuguese forward’s defence, and highlighted how he has historically struggled to get going at the start of a season. In his first year in Paris, he did not open his account until his sixth appearance, while the following season he had to wait until November. He went on to finish those campaigns with 14 and 19 goals respectively. He now needs to provide a concrete response on the pitch, however: tonight against Lecce, the fans, and certainly Amorim as well, will be expecting one.
In these early outings, during which the entire Milan side has struggled to shine, Portuguese striker Gonçalo Ramos has too often looked disconnected from the Rossoneri's attacking play. This has been particularly evident in the last three games against Juventus, Lazio and Benfica. The No. 9 has often been isolated, left alone against the opposition defence, and has had to drop deep to get involved due to how far he is from the opponents' penalty area.
Pulisic could help Gonçalo Ramos
Yesterday, Amorim reiterated in his press conference: "We need to create more clear chances for him and we need to help him." In this regard, Christian Pulisic could hold the key. Tonight against Lecce, the American is expected to make his first start of the season. Coming off the bench at half-time against Lazio and Benfica, he certainly changed the face of Milan's attack. He can provide support for Ramos and will also be looking for his first goal for the Rossoneri in this disastrous 2026.
Milan have extra motivation to win tonight at 20:45 at San Siro, even though winning is, of course, the objective in every game. The main concern is to reach the three-week international break with some positivity. Their last victory came on 28 August against Venezia, and there has been a negative atmosphere in recent weeks.
The three points will be crucial for building confidence ahead of October, when things will begin to get very serious in both Serie A and the Europa League. To achieve that, Amorim could also field a very attacking line-up. Much will depend on the left flank and whether he has the courage to start Moreira alongside Chukwueze on the opposite side.
