A convincing victory to forget the criticism and enjoy a peaceful international break. The 3-0 win over Lecce has restored calm around Milan and, above all, given Ruben Amorim some breathing room, after he was (too) hastily put under pressure following the European defeat to Benfica.
The Portuguese coach responded on the pitch, presenting a team that had been transformed both in its tactical approach and in some key personnel. Whether this was merely a temporary spell or whether the former Sporting and Manchester United coach has genuinely discovered the philosopher’s stone for his Milan side, only the pitch will tell.
The feeling, however, is that the emphatic victory over Di Francesco’s side has given Amorim some rock-solid certainties to build on after the international break, as he looks to finally give the Rossoneri a defined, if not definitive, identity.
AC Milan's 'Captain America':
Christian Pulisic's first start, for example, revealed a truth that was easy to anticipate for the Milan coach: there is a Milan with the American and a Milan without him.
None of the other players in the squad possesses the characteristics needed to give the attacking midfield three the same dose of unpredictability guaranteed by Chris.
The first goal was proof of that. Pulisic attacked the space in behind, received Pavlovic’s inch-perfect pass with a magnificent first touch and then beat Falcone to the ball with a first-time finish as the goalkeeper came off his line.
Point one: the other attacking midfielders, from Loftus-Cheek to Saelemaekers, and from Hutchinson to Cisse, do not possess Captain America’s ability to make runs into the box.
Point two: although Christian had not scored for Milan for 266 days, when it comes to goalscoring he remains several levels above the other players competing for those roles under Amorim, writes Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
Point three: Pulisic is capable of doing so many things well, from making runs that split open the opposition defence to holding the ball up, as he did in the build-up to Rabiot’s second goal, when he set the Frenchman free with an excellent first-time touch.
So, Amorim’s Milan will find it difficult to do without the American in the future, rotation permitting.
Amorim's tactical flexibility
From a tactical perspective, the game against Lecce showed Rossoneri fans that Amorim is no longer the doctrinaire coach who, during his time in Manchester, went as far as saying: “I won’t give up the 3-4-2-1 even if the Pope asks me to.”
Against the Salentini, Milan adopted a back four during several phases of the match, pushing Gila out to the right and dropping Estupinan to the left.
The move surprised Di Francesco and made Milan’s game plan easier to execute, particularly allowing Chukwueze to avoid exhausting himself with 90 minutes of running up and down the entire flank.
Can this be replicated in other situations?
That is not really the main point. The point is that Amorim came up with something different, showing that he has learned from the mistakes of the past and understood that in Italy you can certainly have clear playing principles, but tactical monotheism does not pay off in the long run.
And then there are the selection decisions. In defence, they were clear from the outset; elsewhere, less so.
When a match is being dominated, Modric is an invaluable asset, especially with Rabiot alongside him. The Frenchman returned to midfield after the experiments in the attacking midfield role and also scored his first goal of the season at San Siro. 'Cavallo Pazzo' (Rabiot, the 'crazy horse') can play anywhere, but he cannot be left out. And Diego Moreira? A phenomenal weapon so far used primarily as a substitute, but who knows what the future holds... Amorim will have three weeks to think about it.
