Ruben Amorim Defends Milan's Style Amid Criticism

Ruben Amorim shrugs off the noise. The criticism, the debates about style, the grumbling over a draw with Juventus – he has heard far worse.

“I already experienced that in my former club [Manchester United]. More than that, it's impossible,” the Milan coach said on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Lazio. The message was clear: this is not a man rattled by a week of tactical think pieces.

Cissé “ready” for Italy – but on Amorim’s terms

At the centre of Milan’s early-season buzz is Alphadjo Cissé. Two goals in three Serie A games, a constant live wire between the lines, and now on the verge of his first Italy call-up, according to reports.

Amorim didn’t hesitate when asked if the 19-year-old is prepared for the Azzurri.

“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.

“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.

“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.”

Ready for the stage, not yet the finished product. That’s Amorim’s line, and he’s not budging.

Style wars after Juventus stalemate

Milan have taken seven points from nine – two wins and a draw – yet the mood around the club this week has been strangely tense. The 0-0 against Juventus sparked a familiar Italian argument: results versus aesthetics.

The accusation? Milan were too defensive, too static.

Amorim pushed back.

“The last game wasn't just static; I think we lacked energy,” he said. “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 was blunt about the self-inflicted danger.

“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.”

Gonçalo Ramos, so sharp against Torino and Venezia, found himself under the microscope after a quieter night in Turin.

“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,” Amorim said. “It's more about the understanding of the game from all the players in the team.”

The focus, he insisted, is collective, not on a single striker’s off-day.

“The team will always be in first place”

The Portuguese coach knows exactly why some fans and pundits are waiting to pounce. A foreign manager, a clear idea, a demand to “play your football” in Italy – it’s a familiar tension.

“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 admitted.

The response is not a tactical lecture but a promise.

“What I promise is that the team is always in first place,” he repeated. “Then I said my intention, and what they [Milan] asked me to do, was to be positive and score goals.”

He acknowledged that idealism has limits when the opponent bites back.

“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.”

For Amorim, the key is that nothing Milan do is improvised.

“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.”

Then came a line that felt like a warning shot to his critics.

“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.”

Pulisic “upset” – and finally getting minutes

One of the most high-profile names yet to feature this season is Christian Pulisic. The USMNT star has watched Milan’s first three league games from the bench, and Amorim did not hide the player’s frustration.

He confirmed Pulisic will get his first minutes of the 2026-27 campaign against Lazio and admitted the American is “upset” about his lack of playing time so far.

For a coach who keeps repeating that “the team is always in first place,” managing a high-calibre, unhappy substitute becomes another test of his authority – and his man-management.

Como’s Champions League statement and the Fabregas question

While Milan wrestled with Juventus, another storyline unfolded in Europe. Como, under Cesc Fabregas, were the only Serie A side to win in the opening round of the Champions League, outplaying RB Leipzig and turning heads across the continent.

So are Fabregas and Como a model for Milan’s long-term project?

Amorim didn’t entertain the idea.

“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.”

Then he drew a firm line around his own identity.

“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.

“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.”

Seven points from three matches. A teenage star on the brink of an Italy debut. A marquee forward under scrutiny. A national-team captain “upset” on the bench. And a coach refusing to bend his principles.

Lazio away will not just be another fixture. It will show whether Amorim’s Milan can turn defiance into dominance, or whether those questions stay out of pockets for a little longer.