Ruben Amorim has made it clear that he won’t repeat the tactical errors from his time at Manchester United now that he’s at the helm of AC Milan.
On Sunday, Amorim maintained his unbeaten streak in Serie A with a solid 3-0 victory over Lecce at San Siro, propelling Milan to fifth place in the league.
Christian Pulisic kicked off the scoring with an impressive goal, followed by Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira who secured the win during a commanding second half performance.
This victory marked Milan’s first time being unbeaten in their opening five Serie A matches since the 2022-23 season, with a record of three wins and two draws.
Amorim (W3 D2) has become the third foreign manager in Milan’s history to remain undefeated in his first five Serie A matches, joining Luis Carniglia (W3 D2) and Nils Liedholm (W4 D1) from the 1963-64 season.
After the match, Amorim explained that he allowed his players to “play with freedom” and attributed this approach to his challenging time at Old Trafford, where he struggled to adapt his tactics.
“It’s about observing games and understanding player characteristics,” Amorim stated to DAZN, as reported by Football Italia.
“Naturally, I listen to my players; however, a manager, especially at a major club, must also take charge of the direction. Players tend to favor their own strengths, and if I want to establish a team identity, that’s tricky.”
“Ultimately, the decisions are mine. I’ve sensed the issues popping up in these games are similar to what I experienced at Manchester United, and I refuse to repeat those mistakes.”
“Sometimes our players may not be ideally suited for a certain style, so we must adapt our approach. I felt it worked well today.”
“In different matches, we can revert to a three-at-the-back formation during the build-up. The key is to have multiple strategies.”
“This is particularly crucial in Italy, where managers are tactically astute and excel in one-on-one marking. If they lose sight of our play style, it complicates their job, just as it does mine.”
One…
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Three… pic.twitter.com/KcI1ATGIjU— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 20, 2026
Milan now has two home victories in Serie A this season, achieving clean sheets in both matches for the first time since 2020-21, when they previously defeated Bologna 2-0 and Spezia 3-0 under Stefano Pioli.
The team’s dominance was reflected in the statistics, with an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.93 from ten shots, while limiting Lecce to just 0.17 xG from six attempts.
This win was crucial as Milan approached the international break, having not won in their last three matches across all competitions (D2 L1).
Roma, Inter, and Lazio are currently leading the table, sitting two points ahead of Milan, but Amorim believes his team is progressing well.
“If you analyze our performance, it’s clear that Roma and Inter have had more time to establish their tactics. We’ve maintained our position without losing too many points,” Amorim commented.
“We dropped points against Lazio and Juventus away, so it’s not all negative. Recent results may suggest otherwise, but we need to maintain perspective. Today’s victory was against a solid team, albeit a different challenge, and we can anticipate some difficulties ahead.”
“This is a process; I believe we should have more points. Against Juventus, we weren’t at our best but were just 30 seconds away from a win. Even in the Lazio match, I felt we earned a bit more.”
Fan Take: Ruben Amorim’s approach at AC Milan is significant for soccer enthusiasts as it showcases a manager’s growth in strategy and adaptability, which can influence Milan’s trajectory this season. His emphasis on flexibility and learning from past mistakes could set a new standard for how teams evolve in response to challenges, making this journey worth following for all fans of the sport.
Source: www.soccernews.com
