On the night before AC Milan's home group-stage Europa League match against Benfica, Milan coach Amorim was interviewed by Pepe Di Stefano of Sky Sport Italia.

AC Milan is back at home. In European competitions, whether Champions League or Europa League, there's always a familiar feeling, as if you're at home. Do you feel that way personally?

First of all, we've only just started this new season, and we've only played one home match so far. We're looking forward to experiencing again the very special atmosphere that comes with our first home European match. We understand very well how much European competition means to our fans; it's extremely significant.

Obviously, in the future we hope to be in the Champions League, but right now we need to focus all our attention on this competition. It's a very good and high-quality competition; the matches will definitely be very difficult. We must always be fully prepared and give our best to win every match.

That said, it's still just another match we need to try to win, whether at home or away. Everyone saw in the Lazio match how great our fans are; it's wonderful to play European matches at home.

Given your past experience playing for Benfica, will tomorrow's match be more difficult or more special for you?

No, there's obviously something special about it, but my only thought and desire is to win this match. Honestly, the pressure and anxiety I feel facing Benfica is exactly the same as when I face any other team. I feel a deep responsibility to help my team win, and that feeling of responsibility is always consistent. This match is indeed difficult and competitive, but it's just one of many matches we need to win.

This is the first time you're meeting Ibrahimovic as a club member. Has he expressed anything to you? What exactly did you two talk about? From what I understand, the atmosphere during Zlatan's visit was very warm, and everyone was smiling...

Actually, Zlatan and I have already spoken several times. He understands Italian football very well and also understands this club very well. He's currently helping Mr. Cardinale on certain specific matters. Our conversations are always very friendly and harmonious, and it's always a great pleasure to meet a legend in AC Milan's history. It was a very pleasant meeting.

That's certainly wonderful, but I also want to ask you, Amorim – not as a coach, but purely as a person: don't you think the outside criticism at this stage has been a bit excessive and extreme? After all, if you look closely, AC Milan hasn't actually lost a match yet, with two wins and two draws. Yet criticism and debate about AC Milan's on-field performance is everywhere. Isn't it completely normal for a team to have an imperfect or even slightly poor performance at the start of a new project?

Yes, facing criticism in football is very normal, and I'm not worried about it. It doesn't bother me at all. Sometimes I simply want to protect my players from the bottom of my heart; that's what I want most. The greatest benefit of the difficult moments you've experienced when coaching other clubs is that they allow you to accumulate valuable experience. This is the price we must pay to become a coach at a big club, so I see and understand all of this very clearly.

I know there's always a lot of outside noise, and people always have something to say. Now I'm used to it. I'll continue doing things my way, and I believe people can see that clearly, even if you look back at my past. That's normal; sometimes my only goal is to try my best to protect my players.

So what are AC Milan's ambitions in this Europa League competition? I remember you also expressed in a previous press conference that it's about winning, winning consistently, and even trying to lift the trophy that AC Milan has never won in its history. In tomorrow's match, will we see AC Milan with significant squad rotation? Do you already have a clear and definite idea about the starting lineup and personnel arrangement for tomorrow?

Yes, of course. I have a very clear and definite idea in my mind about how we'll approach and play tomorrow's match. There will certainly be some adjustments and squad rotation in tomorrow's lineup, because with such a demanding and intense fixture schedule, it's impossible to keep players fresh and full of energy for every match, so reasonable rotation is necessary. I'll carefully select the best starting lineup to fight for a win tomorrow and also to prepare properly for the match immediately after.

As I explained in the press conference, I know that when I publicly speak about competing for different titles, I'm actually putting great responsibility and pressure on my players. However, at a club with such a rich history as ours, we absolutely cannot accept failure – and although the media may criticize me for this, it's better to state clearly and openly that we need to win and we want to win, rather than keep it hidden.

Did you communicate with Modrić in the hours after the Lazio match? He's not usually accustomed to being substituted. How does he view and experience being taken off, and how do you view it?

That's completely normal. He's an extremely quality and excellent player with a very deep and rational understanding of different situations in football. In a match, sometimes it will be his turn to be substituted, and other times it might be other players. In this respect, everyone in our team is completely equal, which is correct. He's an exceptionally great legendary player with an outstanding record that's incomparable, but he certainly doesn't view being substituted as a personal matter.

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