Rúben Amorim Faces Criticism Head On as Milan Prepares for Lazio

Rúben Amorim leans into the storm. On the eve of Milan’s trip to Lazio, the Portuguese coach met the cameras, the questions and the criticism head on – and doubled down on his ideas, his young star Alphadjo Cissé, and a restless Christian Pulisic.

Amorim bites back at style critics

Milan are unbeaten: two wins, one draw. On paper, a solid start. On the pitch, the 1-1 against Juventus lit the fuse around San Siro, with accusations of a cautious, defensive Milan swirling around Amorim’s new project.

He didn’t duck it.

“The last game wasn’t just static; I think we lacked energy,” he 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.”

The numbers back him up: Milan saw plenty of the ball against Juventus. The problem came when it really mattered. The coach pointed straight at the details that infuriated him.

“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 pressure around the style debate doesn’t bother him. It’s familiar.

“Criticism is normal. I already experienced that in my former club [Manchester United]. More than that, it’s impossible,” he said, with a wry edge.

What he keeps repeating, almost as a mantra, is that the team comes before everything else.

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

He knows what the fans want. He also knows that Serie A now belongs to a new generation of sharp minds.

“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.”

“Nothing is random” – Amorim’s identity

If the criticism suggests a team without ideas, Amorim strongly rejects that reading.

“If you look at our team, we always have an intention; you can’t see anything that is random,” he stressed. “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: at a club, and in a country, where tactical identity is sacred and outsiders are scrutinised from day one.

“I understand, but what I can promise is that the team will always be in first place. I want to dominate games, but then Spalletti, Fabregas, all these guys, they are really good and will push us.”

Then came a line that showed how he reads the mood around him.

“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. 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 “ready” for Italy – but on his own timeline

While the debate rages around Milan’s style, one player has cut through the noise: Alphadjo Cissé. Two goals in his first three Serie A games, and now a likely first call-up to the Italy squad later this month.

Amorim didn’t hesitate when asked if the 20-year-old was 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.

“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 is convinced the stage won’t scare him.

“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 shirt, still miles from his ceiling. That’s Amorim’s verdict.

Pulisic frustration and Ramos under the microscope

Not everyone is smiling. Christian Pulisic, still waiting for his first minutes of the 2026-27 campaign, has been watching from the bench.

Amorim confirmed the USMNT star will finally feature this weekend and didn’t hide the player’s mood.

He revealed Pulisic is “upset” about his lack of playing time in the first three games. It’s the reaction a coach expects from a player of that stature, but it adds another layer of tension around selection as Milan juggle early-season form, hierarchy and egos.

Gonçalo Ramos has felt a different kind of scrutiny. After strong displays against Torino and Venezia, his quieter night in Turin drew criticism.

“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 pointed out.

For him, the issue is collective, not just about the No. 9.

“It’s more about the understanding of the game from all the players in the team.”

Ramos’ dip, in Amorim’s eyes, simply exposed a side still learning new mechanisms.

Como’s Champions League surge and the Fabregas question

While Milan wrestle with identity questions, Como have lit up Europe. Cesc Fabregas’ side were the only Serie A club to win in the opening round of the Champions League, outplaying RB Leipzig and grabbing headlines across the continent.

Are they a model for Milan’s long-term project? The suggestion drew a firm response.

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

He respects what Fabregas is building. He just refuses the idea of copying it.

“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.”

That line hung in the air: blunt, unapologetic.

“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.”

The message before Lazio is clear. Amorim won’t chase someone else’s blueprint. He’ll be judged on his own – and on whether his Milan can turn possession, patterns and promise into dominance on the scoreboard, before the questions stop fitting in anyone’s pocket.