Ruben Amorim is no longer the manager who would not change his system to suit his players.
Speaking to DAZN during the first international break of the Serie A season, the AC Milan head coach said his short Manchester United spell rewired how he approaches a club of this size.
“Manchester United is a global club just like Milan, so every single thing you do carries weight, and that has helped me try to conduct myself in the best way here at Milan,” Amorim said.
The weight is not only about public attention. Last month, Amorim did at San Siro what he was never willing to do at Old Trafford: he dropped his preferred 3-4-3 and set Milan up with a back four. They beat Lecce 3-0.
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No more refusing to adapt
Amorim’s unwillingness to move off his back-three system contributed to his dismissal by Manchester United in January, after 14 months and 63 games in charge.
“I can’t repeat my mistakes from Manchester,” Amorim said after the Lecce win.
“If we don’t have the characteristics to play a certain way, we have to adapt.”
He has also signalled that the back three remains the base to return to when the squad allows, telling reporters Milan will “go back to building with three” at the right moment. The willingness to switch at all is the break from the coach England saw.
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Milan is not England
Amorim’s comparison point for the Milan job is not Manchester. It is Lisbon.
“It is a different type of pressure,” he said of the atmosphere around the Rossoneri. “That is similar to Portugal and I am used to living like that.”
Milan sit fifth in Serie A on 11 points from five matches, unbeaten in the league but beaten 2-0 at home by Benfica in the Europa League. The Lecce display was the first time this season his ideas visibly matched what the players did on the pitch.
The project, not the next match
Amorim framed what he is doing at Milan in long terms rather than match by match, telling DAZN that the recruitment and tactical decisions are tied to where he wants the club to be, not just where it is.
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“All the moves we’re trying to make aren’t just designed for the present, but also for the future,” he said.
He also defended striker Gonçalo Ramos, who is yet to find a scoring run.
“I’m not going to say that Ramos should run less, I’ll never say that about a player,” Amorim said. “The goals will definitely come.”
Milan’s next league match is away to Sassuolo on 11 October.
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