Ruben Amorim is best remembered at Old Trafford for his charming smile and adamant “I’ll never change” principle. Both the smile and the principle lasted as long as the Portuguese was in the starting phase, but the reactions soon turned to frustration at the United manager’s refusal to adapt to the game in the Premier League. Now Amorim faces a similar reaction at the San Siro, this time it hasn’t taken many games.
AC Milan got off to a perfect start with Amorim at the helm with wins in their first two games against Turin and Venice. Since then, Amorim’s side have been winless after losing 2-0 in their opening match of the Europa League against Benfica.
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The Italian media is already on Amorim with harsh criticism.
Marco Pasetto of Gazzetta dello Sport draws parallels from Amorim’s unsuccessful spell at United. He describes the mood in Milan as “uncomfortable” just two months after his appointment.
Pasotto wrote, “So we’re already at this point, and it feels like we’re reliving his experience in Manchester (where at one point he said, ‘Even the Pope can ask me, I’m not changing the system’), when all of this happened a year and a half later, not a handful of weeks later.”
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“Maybe he’s just trying to raise the bar in his conversation to shift attention from the team to himself, but to hear a newly appointed coach use the verb ‘fail’ with such ease is shocking.” Especially since AC Milan is already on the verge of failure,” comes the Italian journalist.
According to the Record , Gerry Cardinale, the owner of Milan, is going to call Amorim to analyse and try to solve the current problems. This will only add to the pressure Amorim is under, although Milan shouldn’t hold their breath if they expect him to be substituted anytime soon. The former United head coach remains adamant about his preferred system regardless of the players he has at his disposal.
Corriere dello Sport criticized Amorim’s starting line-up, and urged the 41-year-old to reconsider his choices:
“Be careful, Ruben, because the edge is already slippery, and the fans’ whistling, at half-time and at the end, signals that their patience is not boundless. The question is: how can you do that, how can you deliberately, immediately and at the same time give up Rabiot, Modric, Roma’s Moreira, Pulisic and Gila? They say that Modric does not fit Amorim’s demanding game. Probably Amorim does not fit the way Modric plays.”
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