Ruben Amorim after the change: “I can’t repeat the Manchester mistakes”

It has been a tiring few weeks for former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim in Serie A. – The criticism that has come has been about him being stiff-legged and not changing strategy when required. Manchester United fans recognize themselves.

The AC Milan manager is happy with his own tactical moves he took in the win over Lecce. – Not so stiff-legged anymore…

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Ruben Amorim was pleased after AC Milan’s 3-0 win over Lecce, highlighting his team’s tactical change when they finally exploited the deep attack – something they had lacked in the previous games against Lazio and Benfica.

Serie A – Round 5
20.09.2026

Milan 3–0 Lecce
Pulisic 14′
Rabiot 61′
Moreira 73′

“It was a beautiful victory. I liked the movements, especially the attacks against the depth. We controlled the game and read the opponent well,” said the Portuguese coach.

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Unlike previous meetings, where Milan preferred centralised play and possession, this time the team attacked the opponent’s defensive line – resulting in the first goal, scored by Pulisic after a long throw-in.

Amorim also commented on the greater freedom the players were given on the pitch. “In the last few games, we were a bit too static, blocked,” he explained. This flexibility was visible in the tactical adaptation, with Gila almost acting as a full-back in a four-man defence.

“I can’t repeat my mistakes in Manchester. If we don’t have the qualities to play in a certain way, we have to adapt,” he admitted, adding: “We are rebuilding as a third, but we’ll see. Here in Italy, the coaches are very good, especially at putting pressure on the other teams man-to-man.”

Confronted with a DAZN statistic that no Milan coach since Liedholm had started Serie A with three wins and two draws in his first five games, Amorim dismissed comparisons with legends such as Sacchi and Capello. “These are different times, but we are getting better,” he replied with a smile.

The coach also addressed Modric’s lead – he came off in the 76th minute after coming on as a substitute against Benfica – and underlined his importance in ball possession matches. “With Modric we need to have the ball for a long time, but he is ready to play in every game we need him. If we only play transitions, it’s not good for him or Jashari. In these ball possession games, he is perfect,” clarified Amorim, who chose not to use Jashari in this match.

Finally, the Portuguese coach made an analysis of the table situation, showing optimism despite believing the team deserved more. “We have to be balanced in our assessments, but we deserved more points. Against Lazio we deserved more, and against Juventus we conceded one goal at the end,” concluded Amorim, whose team is only two points behind first place.

Serie A 2026/27 – Table

Champions League · Europa League · Conference League Qualification · Relegation

Results – Round 5

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