Ruben Amorim, Milan coach, was interviewed by Sky Sport at the end of Bournemouth-Milan, a match valid for the third matchday of the Europa League League Phase, which ended 3-0 in favour of the home side.
How do you comment on this match?
“The penalty changed the match. We did not have the opportunity to recover from these two penalties against us. Regarding the sending-off, their player was in Maignan’s position, that is how it went, and then the third goal came from a set piece again.”
Would you have made the same choices again?
“There was no match, there was no match. And it is not even a question of comparing the pace of this match with that of Salzburg. We all watched the same match: it is true that we were facing another team, but it is clear that we cannot afford to concede a penalty from that corner and then end up with one fewer player.”
Milan cannot afford to have certain experienced men like Maignan make these kinds of mistakes...
“That is true. We must remain eleven against eleven on the pitch, especially when it comes to the more experienced players. However, today, I repeat, there was no match. Now we have other games ahead of us: we must recover our energy and immediately think about the next one.
“It is true, we had to work hard and run a lot with one man fewer, trying to press, and it was indeed a negative performance from every point of view and in every respect. But now we turn the page and focus on the league.”
Why did you choose to stick with the 5-3-1 after the sending-off?
“First of all, because the lads know this type of defensive structure better, so I wanted to leave them feeling more comfortable and then try to push forward more in the final minutes, taking as few risks as possible during the middle phase of the match.
“With one fewer player, that is how it went: I tried to put my players in the positions where they feel most comfortable, and then change something during the match with the substitutions.”
Have you already spoken to Maignan?
“I have not yet had time to speak to him. Now, we must return to Milan as soon as possible to prepare for the match against Udinese, and we will talk about it when we are home.”
Can you take stock of your first 100 days at Milan, even after this difficult evening? Amorim answered:
“This is part of the journey. If we look at Milan's history, it is clear that we find ourselves in a different position. Fabio Capello is there in the studio, and he can talk about Milan's history and the negativity of a match like this: and I agree, it is impossible not to agree with him. However, I still appreciated the way we fought, the fact that we tried, that we defended and helped each other. We must learn from moments like these, so to speak, realise that football is also this and that difficult evenings like this happen. Now, we just have to think about the next match, trying to win it to immediately change the momentum of this period.”
