Rúben Amorim's Confidence Amid Criticism for Milan

Rúben Amorim did not flinch.

On the eve of Milan’s trip to Lazio, the Portuguese coach walked into the press room, met questions about style, criticism and selection head on, and doubled down on his ideas. The noise around him is rising. He sounds like a man who has heard it all before.

“More than that, it’s impossible”

Milan are unbeaten: two wins, one draw. On paper, a solid start. On the pitch against Juventus, though, the performance reopened an old Italian wound – a big club accused of playing too cautiously.

“The last game wasn’t just static; I think we lacked energy,” Amorim admitted. “We controlled the ball quite well, especially in the first half, but then we lacked aggression in the final third and inside the box.”

He went straight to the details that irritated him most.

“I showed the players that a lot of opportunities for Juve came from us losing the ball, sometimes even without pressure. Just a sloppy pass. Those details can change the game and the momentum. We worked on that, and we need to do better.”

The criticism has been sharp. Amorim shrugged.

“Criticism is normal. I already experienced that in my former club [Manchester United]. More than that, it’s impossible,” he said, a line that landed like a reminder: he has survived a tougher storm.

What he keeps repeating is his hierarchy of priorities.

“The team is always in first place,” he stressed. “My intention, and what they [Milan] asked me to do, was to be positive and score goals. Sometimes we want to score goals and be positive, but then there’s the opponent, and maybe Spalletti – your Spalletti – is really good and they pushed us back. We had the ball more than Juventus. Sometimes even when I have the ball, the other guy is better than me, but that doesn’t change the intention you have.”

Ramos, the system and the “non-random” Milan

Gonçalo Ramos felt the heat after a subdued night in Turin. Amorim pushed back on the idea that the striker alone should carry the blame.

“I think we need to improve as a team. Ramos did so well against Torino and Venezia that, in a game where he doesn’t have the same performance, you notice it,” he said.

For Amorim, this is about structure, not scapegoats.

“It’s more about the understanding of the game from all the players in the team,” he explained. “If you look at our team, we always have an intention; you can’t see anything that is random. Sometimes we want certain patterns that are hard for the players. I understand the pressure. I understand that when you see a guy coming from abroad to say how to play your football, it is really hard, and in the first moment you are just waiting to tell me that in my face.”

He knows exactly where he is and how Italian scepticism works. He also knows the only answer that really counts.

“What’s really important is to be good in the last set pieces of the game because if we win, some guys will have to keep that question in their pocket for one more week,” he said. “The only thing I promise is the club will always be in first place. My intention is always to be better than the opponent in a certain way. I’ll try. But then you have the opponents; Spalletti was better than me, and that doesn’t change.”

Cissé on the brink of the Azzurri

While the debate rages over tactics, one story is cutting through the tension: Alphadjo Cissé. Two goals in three Serie A games, fearless movement, and, according to reports in Italy, on the verge of his first Italy call-up for the upcoming international break.

Amorim did not hesitate when asked if the 19-year-old is ready for that leap.

“If you put Cissé on the pitch, he’s going to play. Doesn’t matter if he’s with the national team, with Bastoni or with these guys,” he said. “He’s going to play, free. For that, he’s ready.”

Then came the nuance.

“But he needs time to grow up. I saw a bit of a difference when he plays away and when he plays at San Siro. San Siro is tough, so he needs to adjust to all these small things. Let’s give time to Cissé.”

Amorim’s faith is clear, but so is his warning about expectations.

“If you put Cissé in training with the national team and playing with the national team, he won’t be shy, and he’s going to have the ball. So he’s ready, but he needs time to be the player he can be. He has a lot to learn.”

For Milan, and perhaps soon for Italy, that learning curve could define a chunk of the season.

Pulisic’s frustration and the battle for minutes

Another attacking subplot: Christian Pulisic. The USMNT star has yet to play a minute this season, a surprising twist for a player of his profile and status.

Amorim confirmed the wait is almost over, but also that Pulisic is not hiding his feelings.

He said the American will get his first minutes of the 2026-27 campaign, while acknowledging that Pulisic is “upset” about being sidelined for the opening three league matches.

That honesty cuts both ways. A coach publicly recognising a player’s frustration, and at the same time signalling that the door is about to open. With Lazio away and fixtures piling up, the rotation battle in Milan’s attack is about to intensify.

Como, Fabregas and a comparison Amorim rejects

While Milan wrestled with Juve, Como quietly stole the European headlines. Cesc Fabregas’ side were the only Serie A club to win in the first round of the Champions League, and they did it by dominating RB Leipzig.

Are Fabregas and Como a model for Milan’s long-term project? The question came. Amorim batted it away.

“I think we are different managers, with different backgrounds and work for different clubs,” he replied. “Mister Cardinale has never told me that [Como] is the inspiration, so you need to tell me, as I didn’t know.”

The line drew a clear boundary.

“I have my way of playing; I think it will take time. Every manager needs time. You saw against Torino, the friendly against United, that we are improving. But if you want a team that plays like Como, you need to buy Como’s manager to play the same way.”

No ambiguity there.

“I’m completely different; I have my style of play, my identity. Coaching Milan is really hard; coaching Como and doing what they are doing in the Champions League is so hard, and they are doing so well, but I’m not focusing on how Como are playing; I focus on how Milan must play to win games.”

That is the line Amorim keeps coming back to: his Milan, his ideas, his identity.

Now comes Lazio away, Pulisic’s re-entry, Cissé’s rapid rise and a fanbase demanding both results and spectacle. Amorim has made his promises. San Siro will decide how long he gets to keep making them.