Amorim discusses Scudetto aim, needed improvements and summer plans: "The right time"
· Ben Dixon · 2026-08-07 · nguồn gốc
Ruben Amorim delivered his latest press conference this morning, speaking to journalists before AC Milan’s game against Chelsea.
Tomorrow’s game against Chelsea should see Milan take another step forward in their pre-season preparation. After two draws – against Celtic and Inter, most recently – they will now face the Blues who have had an equally interesting summer.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
Hiring Xabi Alonso was the first step in a new direction for the club and the signings of Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers make them a difficult opposition to face, with their youthful approach changing slightly.
Nevertheless, it offers a fantastic test for Amorim to see where his squad actually are.
Amorim’s pre-Chelsea words
Of course, it remains a pre-season game, but signs of improvement must be there. So, Amorim will hope to see steps forward from the games that have already taken place this summer and he stated as much this morning, as MilanNews relays.
On the Scudetto objective…
“The important thing is that we have to think about every single game. We have a squad that can win every match, in any competition. So, if we go step by step, we can achieve something important. In the Europa League, we have to believe in ourselves and want to win the competition.
“Then there’s Serie A: we know we’ll be facing many teams who have been working with their coaches for a long time, so it will be difficult, but I can’t come here and say we can’t or don’t want to win the league.
“There’s a lot of work to do, given that there’s a new coach and there have been changes to the squad, but when you’re at a club of Milan’s caliber, you have to aim for the title.
“So we’ll try to do that, knowing that reaching the Champions League is crucial for everything to do with our club [the financial aspect and the prestige of the competition]. But until the season is over, our goal will be to win every match we play in, in every competition.”
Amorim expects improvements against Chelsea…
“I expect to perform well on set pieces, which is an area we need to work on, and it’s important to face an English team because they’re very strong in this regard. Then there’s the physical aspect: English football is a little different from Italian football, but we also want to improve physically.
“I think we’ll struggle a little more physically, and I think that’s a positive thing right now. We’ll also try out some situations and evaluate several players, including Comotto and Diawara.
“I’ll have to make some decisions next week: as you can see, the group is very large, and we’ve reached the point where I need to gather as much information as possible to make the right choices. I also think we need to improve with the ball and especially in one-on-one situations because, if we want to press high, we need to be really strong in individual duels.
“We also want to put some players in a position to continue playing well with the ball even when they’re tired. This is the goal of the pre-season: to physically prepare the players to play the way we like, combining the two.
“The tactical aspect, the technical aspect, and the variations needed to approach each match, because every opponent is different. We don’t have much time and we don’t have many matches.
“That’s why we have to do everything faster than would normally be necessary. But it’s also a very nice and exciting feeling to see Camarda on the pitch again, to see Comotto and to give minutes to De Winter, of whom I have great expectations because I think he’s an excellent player.
“More than focusing on the opponent, in this match I want to see new things from my team and prepare them in the best possible way to be ready for the match against Torino.”
AC Milan are still far from what Amorim wants…
“Today, in football, everyone wants… everything right away, but things done well take time. In football, there’s no time, but you have to make choices. And my choice is to do the right things at the right time.
“Against Inter, I saw improvements compared to the game against Celtic, and let’s not forget that we were facing a team that has been together for years and has won the league many times. I think we’re struggling physically because we’re playing differently.
“We’re continuing to train intensely to reach the physical condition needed to play the football we want. On the first matchday of the season, we’ll be a different team and we’ll play with a specific style.
“However, we’ll certainly still be far from perfect. What we need to do is win games, gain time, and bring the team ever closer to playing the football we want.”
On the comparison with Xabi Alonso…
“When you’re the coach of a big club, you have to expect criticism of your work and we know we’ll be judged after every match. It’s the price we have to pay for coaching such an iconic club and I will pay it because I’m really, really happy to be here. And I understand that everyone would like to have my job.
“So I have to fight to keep it. I’ve spoken to many AC Milan legends and they believe in our work. Now I have to help my players and my club succeed. I’m really focused on that. Xabi Alonso? He’s a very, very good coach and I think he has a lot of ideas.
“I’ve seen a lot of Bayer Leverkusen games and we played a lot of games with the same system, so to speak. We both had difficulties in our last jobs [Amorim at United, Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid: both were sacked], so we have a lot in common.
“I wish him the best, especially because we’re not competing in any competition. So he can win whatever he wants; he deserves it. I think he’s a really good coach.”
On the team he’ll field tomorrow…
“Leao, Modric, and Ramos will play more than in the first match. I don’t know if I’ll use them all together, but we don’t have many games before the start of the season, and at the same time, we have to manage our workloads.
“So I’ll try to field two balanced line-ups. Some, like in the previous match, will play about 60 minutes. Leao, Modric, De Winter, and others will play 45 minutes because they’ve had two training sessions, one match, and now they’ll be back on the pitch straight away.”