On the eve of the Europa League match between Milan and Ferencvaros, head coach Ruben Amorim was interviewed by Sky Sport in the usual one-to-one format. Here are all his statements to Peppe Di Stefano:
After the Derby, we saw some big smiles at Milanello today…
“It is important, we cannot say otherwise, when you win. And when you win a match like that, you are left with good feelings. However, it is then important to forget about it and use those good feelings in training to prepare. Use the confidence but forget about it, because football goes day by day and tomorrow we have an important challenge. We are undoubtedly happy because we won the Derby. We want to maintain this mood and keep winning.”
One last question about the Derby: were you impressed by how emotional the Rossoneri fans were at the stadium?
“I did not expect it. When you have some experience in football, and I also have experience in the Premier League… I have never had this feeling, this sense of closeness from the people. There were special moments. I did not expect such a beautiful atmosphere, even though I know how important a match like this is for people: you can feel it. When I was out and about with the children, everyone was talking about the Derby, and that is something we must preserve: it was special. I spent a lot of time with Mr Cardinale, and we understood how important it was for the club and the fans.”
What kind of team are Ferencvaros? Amorim said
“They are used to winning matches, they are comfortable in this competition. We are coming off an important match, but now another competition awaits us. Tomorrow is another game and we must accept that it is crucial for our future in the Europa League. We are ready to forget the past and move forward.”
There is a difference between the Serie A and Europa League standings. Will the next step be managing to do the same things with players considered alternatives?
"I think that is the secret to trying to win every type of competition you take part in. We have lost many players through injury recently, and everyone must be ready. This is an important step: we can rotate, but we must maintain consistency. We must also consider that against Bournemouth, because of us, it was not a good performance. Maignan was sent off immediately, and then we did not play well. We played a good match against Salzburg, and tomorrow we must certainly be more clinical. We must be aware of their transitions, focused on set-pieces and fully switched on, present in every aspect. We must deliver a high-level performance: sometimes we have not done that."
Did you expect this level from Diawara?
"I am very happy. Our scouting department did an excellent job in identifying this player. It is certainly difficult to find players like him, and it is important to recognise the club's work. When you make a decision like this, you never really know how things will turn out: he is a young lad who had no experience in the top division, not even in France. The credit certainly goes to him, but also to his team-mates. They passed on our principles to him, and the staff also helped him settle in. But he has been a surprise for everyone, there is nothing more to say. We expected him to deliver an important level of performance, but he has gone even further."
