Amorim: I Can’t Make the Same Mistakes I Made at Man Utd, We Must Adapt Our Tactics

AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim spoke to DAZN after his side’s 3-0 victory over Lecce in the fifth round of Serie A.

The Portuguese coach admitted that he cannot repeat the same mistakes he made during his time at Manchester United, stressing that tactics must be adapted to the characteristics of the players available to him.

Are you satisfied with today’s performance?

Amorim: “We have improved a lot. I think the freedom we gave the players made a big difference today, especially with the runs from the back. We are not just a team that wants to dominate possession. When there is space to attack, we can also be very dangerous with our runs, and that was the key to winning tonight.

“We knew the opposition were waiting for us to make mistakes. We controlled the game and dealt with the situation very well. We were very solid defensively, and overall, it was a great victory.”

Not only have we moved forward in the standings, but the performances have improved as well. In Serie A history, among foreign coaches, only Nils Liedholm had collected more points than you after his first five league matches.

Amorim: “That is an interesting coincidence, but this is a completely different era. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are playing better now and continuing to improve. The most important thing is that we are always learning.

“In the first few matches, we struggled because our positioning was too rigid. Today, we gave the players a little more freedom, and with that freedom, they played much better.”

How big is the gap between us and Inter and Roma?
Amorim: “I think the gap objectively exists. You can see it in the way we play and in the amount of work our opponents have already put in. When you look at Inter and Roma, they have spent much more time developing as a team than we have.

“You can see that their tactical systems are already well established and very clear. They are more mature than our team. But we also haven't dropped too many points. We dropped two points against Lazio and another two against Juventus, so it’s not as though everything has been negative.

“Sometimes the difference can look quite significant, especially after the results we've had in recent games, but we have to look at things objectively. We won today, but we also know that our opponents are a very good and very strong team.

“Every opponent has a different style, and we will certainly face difficulties in some matches. That is part of the process of building a team.

“I think we should have more points than we do. You can see that from the way the games played out. Against Juventus, we didn't play particularly well, but we were only 30 seconds away from taking three points. Against Lazio, if you look at what happened in both halves, we also deserved to take more points.”

How will you manage Luka Modric’s playing time?
Amorim: “He is the kind of player who needs to have frequent touches of the ball to produce his best football, but he is now ready to play in any match where we need him. Physically, he is completely capable of handling it.

“In some matches, such as the first half against Lazio, if the game becomes a constant, high-tempo transition battle, that environment is not ideal for Modric, nor is it ideal for Yassir.

“We just need to play football that allows our players to show their strengths. Against teams that defend deep, we can use Modric more. For other types of matches, we will decide accordingly.

“But I think he is now ready to play against any style of opponent. He can play in every game.”

How do you make your decisions when selecting the starting XI?
Amorim: “I think it comes down to observing every match and understanding the characteristics of every player. Of course, I listen to what the players have to say, but as a coach, especially at a big club, you cannot make decisions simply by listening to the players.

“You have to observe them and understand them. But every player will naturally want to shape the tactics in a way that suits their own strengths, and you cannot build your team's identity that way. So ultimately, I am the one who makes the final decisions.

“The problem I have felt in the last few matches is exactly the same problem I experienced at Manchester United, so I cannot make the same mistake again.

“Sometimes, the characteristics of the players we have simply do not fit the particular tactical system we want to play. If we don't have the players for a certain system, then we have to make adjustments. I think the system we used today worked very well, but in the next match, we may go back to a back three.

“We have to have several different ways of playing, especially in Italy, because the level of coaching here is very high. Italian teams are extremely good at man-marking, and once they figure out our tactical intentions, we can find ourselves in a very difficult situation.

“On the other hand, sometimes it is also difficult for me to read the movements and tactical changes of other teams.”