One of the most striking things about Ruben Amorim’s early tenure at AC Milan is his communication style.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how in an increasingly fast-paced world, where sometimes we overthink things and often end up misrepresenting certain aspects, Italy offers a rare example of communication that goes beyond all this.
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An example: how many times has there been a game between Juventus and Milan where one side concedes a 92nd-minute equaliser but criticises his team, congratulates his opponent and accepts the result? Almost never.
Amorim is the exception, and Milan fans seem to appreciate it. “We didn’t deserve to win; to be honest, Juventus didn’t deserve to lose,” the Portuguese declared in the heart of the Stadium on Sunday evening.
He added: “We didn’t play well; we’ve only been working on it for two months. We’ll keep the point, but we have to do better.” Dry, concise, and incredibly honest. For the Rossoneri world, it’s undoubtedly a break with the past. In an age where communication is so important, it could be key.
Saying it how it is
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Amorim in the two months since he arrived in Italy, it’s his frankness. Once, at Manchester United, they asked him about departing from his beloved 3-4-2-1.
Ruben replied: “No one will ever be able to convince me, not even if the Pope himself asked me to. It’s my job, it’s my precise responsibility, it’s my life. I won’t change.” It was a word of warning to all: don’t bring up this topic, even if things are going badly.
This is Amorim: sincere and direct, even when he has to compliment his opponent. At Manchester, results weren’t forthcoming, but he always stuck to his guns, receiving no support from the management and the board above him.
At Milan, a world has changed for him, because there’s an owner who chose him and supported him in every way. The fans like this, especially the way he presented himself last July: “I’ll try to be honest and fair with the players because that’s how you earn respect. I like the human contact, the contact with their lives, with their families. All of this will benefit the team spirit and help us win.”
Speaking of human relationships, the one with Alphadjo Cisse is special, as he revealed before the Torino game: “I love Alpha.” Two goals in three games have followed for the 19-year-old from Treviso, who clearly feels empowered.
That evening at the Allianz Stadium, when asked how much he loved Cisse once again, the Portuguese expanded on the subject: “I’m happy for all my players.”
The entertainment business
Consistency might be the word that best describe Amorim. Staying on the subject of players, when his United side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town, he said: “Sometimes I hate my players, other times I love them.
“After a day like that, I just feel frustrated and annoyed, and I can’t hide it: I can’t defend them as I should. Then there are days when I want to leave, others when I feel like staying here for 20 years. Sorry, that’s just how I am: I probably need to improve in this area.”
When it comes to saying things to their faces, good or bad, he has no qualms. If you happen to notice, when the manager speaks into the microphones, he tends to talk mostly about the pitch, avoiding incidents, controversies, or endless replays.
“This is a long-term project, but I hope you can see something of my game right away. I’m full steam ahead from the start,” he said on his presentation day at Casa Milan. With an addition: “I want to dominate my opponents, I want to win the ball back as quickly as possible, I want to play football that’s beautiful to watch and entertain the fans. It takes a while for the engine to kick in.”
Well, against Juventus this wasn’t seen, and the coach was the first to admit it. After the game he raised his hands, apologised, and acknowledged the opponents’ merits without looking for excuses. The Milan fans must have appreciated that.
Protecting the club
For the entire Italian football movement, the presence of a figure like Amorim is a welcome one. Especially in a context where controversy, refereeing errors, and victim mentality are (very) often the staples of weekend broadcasts.
The Portuguese comes from a different culture, perhaps more accustomed to acknowledging the opponent’s merits without viewing every defeat as an international conspiracy. He may or may not be popular, especially since sometimes too much candour in front of the cameras can play nasty tricks.
One of his last words as United manager was: “I came here to be a manager, not just a coach. And this must be clear. I’m not Tuchel, Conte, or Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United. And it will be like that for 18 months, or at least as long as the club’s board wants it.” Well, before he could say it, a few days later he was collecting his belongings.
The context was very different from the one he finds himself in today. Amorim makes everyone feel like they are part of a family: “I’d give the transfer market a 10, my players are the best in the world. For me, Milan is the best team in Italy.” That is what he said on the eve of Juventus-Milan.
Regarding Chivu’s provocation about head-to-head games, he didn’t take the bait: “We need to be honest with the fans about the path we need to take to get Milan back to where they deserve to be. This worries me more than what Chivu said. If we focused on those words, it would be like being distracted.”
“Well, the concept of ‘honesty’ always comes back, and in Italian football, it’s not exactly a house specialty. Perhaps, precisely for this reason, Amorim is already making headlines. Now, he hopes the results will follow.
Well, due to the pessimism around his signing for us, most especially on this site, if anyone had offered 7 points from a possible 9, most would have swallowed the offering basket.
I can honestly say I’m not missing Allegri(ball) one bit. I wasn’t happy when we signed Amorim but I’m not unhappy now either. If he continues like this I might turn to even appreciate him. 🙃
Any new coach at any new project needs time for his ideas to grow. One of the problems in this and other leagues is that coaches are supposed to hit the ground running and get results. Look at Grosso, already out.
Amorim will need time for his football to take roots. This team still has very obvious gaps and will need longer than a season to improve. The question is will Gerry afford that time to Amorim?
Amorim playing style is promising
Very promising my brother. I pray the team pick up on his style of play