AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim insists Diego Moreira is ready for his debut, and refused to be drawn on the Scudetto question.
With no disrespect intended to Torino or Venezia, this is without doubt the big early-season test for Milan after two wins from their first two games. Juventus have also made a winning start, and are yet to concede a goal after beating Frosinone 1-0 and Parma 2-0.
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Amorim has chosen to make four changes to the starting line-up from the team that beat Venezia last week. It is all-change at wing-back with Diego Moreira and Pervis Estupinan starting, while Adrien Rabiot and Alexis Saelemaekers will operate behind Goncalo Ramos.
The manager spoke to DAZN not long before kick-off in Turin to explain his selection choices and what he is looking for from the first big test, with his words relayed by MilanNews.
How do you want to see your team play?
“We want to play the same way, but a great team understands that sometimes you have the ball and sometimes you have to defend. Especially in these types of matches, you have to be able to play with and without the ball. So the idea is the same, but we’ll see.”
You have given Diego Moreira his debut…
“He’s ready. He’s a really brave guy. He’s had a great week, and when you train well and prepare well, you’ll play well. I know it’s his first match, but he’s really confident and ready for the game.”
Is there a Scudetto dream?
“It’s hard to say. We’ve got two months of work behind us, and I’m not sure where we are exactly. What I do know is that we can win any match. Whether we’ll be able to fight for the title this season, I don’t know: it depends on the moment.
“But we have the players to do it. We also need to understand that we need time to work. There are teams who have been working with the same players for a long time and who have had better seasons than us.
“We’re building something, but I don’t want to take responsibility away from my players. We just need to understand the reality, while still approaching every match with the understanding that we have to fight to win.”
