The two defeats in the first three Europa League matches force Milan to win tonight at San Siro against Ferencvaros. The Rossoneri want to ride the wave of enthusiasm that has built up after the derby victory to put their European standings right as well. But it will not be a given, because the Hungarians are one of the few teams in the Europa League still on maximum points, with three wins in as many matches. "We have to win because it is fundamental to our objective of going all the way in this competition," Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim said in no uncertain terms.
The Rossoneri cannot afford another poor showing after the three goals conceded in their last match at Bournemouth. But the squad will not allow him to field the best players, and extensive rotation is indeed expected tonight: "The schedule is packed, and we cannot afford to lose many players for the upcoming matches because sometimes, when you do not want to rotate, you end up with an injury that keeps you out for a month or a month and a half. We will have to rotate a little, and all the lads are ready to cope with the demands of the match," the Devil’s coach clarified. Then, analysing the opposition, he said: "They are doing very well in the league. They play a 4-2-3-1; they have a strong identity," as relayed via Corriere dello Sport.
Mental change:
The euphoria over the derby victory must be set aside. This is the message Amorim wants to get across to the team. Milan cannot be content with winning just one match and then neglecting the others. Indeed, the Portuguese coach is still quite angry about the defeat against Bologna: "Thinking only about the derby is a small-team mentality. When you are at Milan, every match is important," Amorim said. "I no longer care about the match against Inter. Was it nice to win? Yes. But I am still angry about the match against Bologna."
The former Manchester United manager also said this at the press conference to remind everyone around the club that it is now time to turn the page: the success against Inter belongs to the past, while Ferencvaros is the present. And Amorim is still not satisfied with his team: "We are capable of winning every match and losing every match. I am not satisfied in the Europa League; I am not satisfied in Serie A. I think we can do better, and against Ferencvaros we have to win."
Milan's attacking phase
For Amorim, Milan will have to improve even more in the attacking phase.
Therefore, they must try to help the forwards’ play. "There is still a lot of work to do, especially in the final 30 metres: I have to help my players do it," referring to Ramos, who is not scoring much, despite being an important player because of the help he gives his teammates. "Our identity is to be proactive: we still lack the ability to pin our opponents back in their penalty area to create more chances."
But Amorim is clear about one thing: his team already has a precise idea of how to play. "We already have an identity: we want to dominate matches; sometimes we manage to do it, and sometimes we do not."
