AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim confirmed a few players could leave before the deadline, but stopped short of guaranteeing more signings.
Things started well for Amorim on Sunday night as Milan put in a good performance for 70 minutes of the season opener against Torino, doing enough to establish a 2-0 lead which rendered a late goal from the hosts a mere consolation.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
While it is only round one, there is a bit of a feel-good factor around the team and the players. The style was noticeably different to what Massimiliano Allegri’s diktat was last season, with plenty of positives to take from the way the Rossoneri were so proactive and intense.
Amorim’s pre-Venezia press conference
The coach sat down in front of reporters in the press room at Milanello to answer questions ahead of his first home game as Milan boss. The questions and responses were transcribed by MilanNews.
In the first friendlies, you rotated a lot and wanted to see everyone. Since the match against United, there have been more stable choices. Is this to help the team find its identity?
“I think we need to give stability to the team, but we need to train all the players on our concepts. Our goal is to win and be competitive, and for that we need to rotate a lot. Every week we’ll face different opponents, with different tactical and player characteristics.
“We need to create stability in the team and create mechanisms with all the players knowing what they have to do. We can’t always play with the same lineup in league and Europa League matches.”
The transfer window is about to close. Are you happy that this is the last game with the window open, and can you give us an update on Leao and Ricci?
“I’m very happy with the team. I don’t know what will happen between now and the end of the transfer window. Leao isn’t ready to be called up; he’s only trained once and won’t be playing. We have to wait five days for the transfer window to close.
“If someone arrives, it’ll be because they can help us both now and in the future. I’ll try to choose the best players for tomorrow’s match. At the end of the transfer window, we’ll discuss our squad.”
Is it a final decision on Tomori, Fofana, and Gimenez, or could they be reinstated?
“It’s not that they’re not excellent players and excellent men, but it’s impossible to train with 27 players at your disposal. We, as a club, must allow them to carry out their duties to the best of their ability. The transfer window is open, but my focus is on Venezia.”
Don’t you think the team is short in some positions?
“I think we need to stay focused on the game. There are so many players and young players who need playing time. We can’t think of solving all the problems in a single transfer window. It will take time to get everything in order. Then there could be some surprises.
“Today, everyone wants things quickly, but I think certain things take time. And there could be some surprises, like what happened with Cisse. Right now, everything we do will have an impact on the future, and we need calm, patience, and maybe – I repeat – there will be some surprises.”
If Leao were to stay, is he a player he could count on, or would he fit back into the group with Fofana, Tomori, and Gimenez?
“We can talk about this in five days. It’s difficult to talk about individual situations. I understand what you’re asking, but in the next press conference I’ll tell you everything about the transfer market. Leao is a very strong player and, if he’s in the right mindset, he can play for any team in the world.
“Sometimes, in football, there comes a time when you have to go elsewhere. We haven’t talked about Venezia yet, how their team plays, and whether they’re a team that did very well last year in Serie B. I’m focused on my first match at San Siro.”
What kind of impact do you expect tomorrow at San Siro, and what do you expect from Venezia?
“I think it will be a special day for me; I’ll feel the responsibility of being AC Milan’s coach. But I also want to enjoy the moment. I expect a tough match.
“We watched the Lecce game, and we showed the players a lot of images that don’t depend on the Lecce result. There will be some tension, but we have to be intelligent, humble, and willing to press, run a lot, and manage possession well.
“They’ll come and attack us man-by-man all over the pitch, and what struck me, watching the first matchday’s games, is that we need to better market the Italian football product because there are so many good coaches and the quality of the product is good.
“Venezia will come here without the pressure of a result, which will be entirely on us. We’ll have to think when we have the ball, even though our fans will want a Milan that dominates the game. But we have to be humble and intelligent in doing so.”
How do you want to change the way people think about your AC Milan?
“Regarding my attitude about how I watch matches, I don’t know why I do it. I prefer people not to consider us among the favorites to win the Scudetto. We have to play matches without lowering our performance level too much. We need consistency. We need time to grow.
“I don’t think one match changes anything, because a team can play well and then not. We need to find that consistency by playing well every week. When I watch my team in training, I see that we work well and the players are very committed.
“Only in this way can we improve, and to do that, all the players must feel part of the project. And to sell the product better, you have to play good football.”
How important is Rabiot, and when did he decide to stay at Milan?
“I didn’t know him before arriving here, but Adrien is a crucial player for our project. We wanted to keep him, and if the opportunity arises, we’ll have to renew his contract. He knows it.
“He’s a great professional and has an impressive desire to learn. He helps his team-mates a lot during training. He played in Turin in just three training sessions, yet he was decisive. He’s still far from his best form.”
How did you find Maignan after a busy summer for him?
“One thing I’ve learned is that I have to see things with my own eyes to be able to evaluate them properly. I spoke with him, he’s a player who’s committed to this project, he’s a leader. He’s very focused on the details, he demands respect, and we want him to stay here.
“I see him happy with the new goalkeeping coach. I know there’s been a lot of talk about him on social media. In training, he acts like a leader, and that leads me to believe he’s very happy here.”
Last year, Milan lost their opening match at San Siro against Cremonese, and the problem recurred throughout the rest of the season. Do you understand the reason for those difficulties, and have you changed anything about the team to prevent the problem from recurring?
“For me, that’s the focus. You can’t pay attention to detail in big matches and then not have the same focus against opponents who people think are more within reach. I don’t know if it was a question of humility or not; I wasn’t there.
“We can’t see one team, for example, against Inter and a different one against another opponent. If we stay focused, we can beat anyone. If we’re not always focused, we can lose even against a Serie B team.
“We must believe that our next opponent will always be the strongest team in the world. Defeats may happen, but that’s because our opponents will be stronger than us.”
How’s Pulisic? Will we see Rabiot as a midfielder or an attacking midfielder?
“Pulisic is recovering from an injury and won’t be a starter. We’ll see if he can get any minutes. As for Rabiot, I can say he can play either as a midfielder or an attacking midfielder; it will depend on what we want from the match. It will depend on which players are available.
“I know he’s used to playing in the middle. He did very well as an attacking midfielder when he was at Marseille. He’s very intelligent, has a good shot from outside the box, and has an excellent understanding of situations, as we saw in his goal in Turin.”
What are Milan’s pairings on the wing?
“Diego Moreira can play either with or in place of Chukwueze. If Chukwu is out, we’ve added a player with Moreira who won’t change the team’s identity. There will be matches where we’ll play with two very attacking wingers. Bartesaghi can drop into our [three-man] defence. We’ll see.”
Rabiot is just a beast.
The funny thing, if he was not our player, people will say “he doesnt have the pace, he only scored 6 goals last season, he isnt big/strong and will get bullied etc etc etc”
that’s what bothers me about us fans. If all you care as a fan is stats on a sheet, then go watch baseball. Adrien is a beast and very futbol smart. (ntohing agants you bro, lol your comment sparked my rant)
I think you misunderstood Liad. When he says Rabiot is a beast, he means it as praise. That is, a strong player who devastates the opponents.
Yet most people were against Milan signing him. You know who you are id*ts.
It is easy to understand
For now and next few years they count in Ramos, Morreira, Gila. DE Winter definitely, and Saelemaekers.
Tomori Fofana and Gimenez – we will not see them anymore play for Milan..
Rabiot and Modric are only short term.
And Jashari have this season to step up.
Pulisic stays, Camarda stays etc.
We can expect new arrivals from July 2027.
All loaned players are gone. Excluded players are also all gone.
And they will probably sell more now or in january
I’m not too sure about Rabiot being short term. He’s 30. I’d say he has at least 3-4 yrs with us.
Perfect interview and I fully support the new vision of the management and the coach. Young like Camarda need to feel they have a real chance and space to develop. Also really liked how Amorim stressed that everyone expects a fast rebuild, but fails to understand that there is no point in buying players that we don’t really need and be stuck with them for 5 years (like a Ricci, just to name one). The Mercato is a success already and I agree that the focus should be on rebuilding over the years. Winning a scudetto takes time. Better to build brick by brick and evaluate every mercato to come. That said, another CAM incoming after Leao is definitively sold, seems like a no brainer. Buying a prospect CB at this point makes more sense than to splash on Inacio. Lets first see how Gabbia and De Winter adapt to the system.
I like this coach’s responses in interviews. He is classy and never throws his own players under the bus. His answers are wise and prudent. I’m liking this coach more and more. He is right that you can’t take a team that was crumbling last season, and instantly make of it a trophy challenger; you need time to shape up a team to meet a coach’s demands, his style and skills. But if management gives Amorim enough time, I am confident that he will restore Milan’s capacity to earn trophies.
I do like his responses but I do hope he does get a few more reinforcements. Seems like he does deserve it. I know we do need to sell. Hope there is enough time
I like that he realizes we need to build for future. You can’t just get 5 random players or even superstars and be successful in long term. You need the right.mindset, growth from youth and consistency. All the stuff we lacked since scudetto.
The negative conclusion: Milan begins the season with a lack of quality substitutes in some key positions, relying on “chance and makeshift solutions” instead of early planning. Amorim is fully aware of this. His statements outlined the features of the “new Milan”، a system that refuses to exploit star players or compromise on discipline (excluding Leão and marginalizing those excluded), and relies on collective effort and physical and tactical transformation. While this policy ensures discipline and lays a solid foundation for the future, the initial San Siro test against Venezia will be a mirror reflecting Amorim ability to translate “rigor and commitment” into three points and entertaining football without relying on individual solutions from defenders or wingers.
Thanks for the useless AI slop.