Amorim: We currently have a significant gap to Inter, but we all start from zero

Milan will face Torino away in Serie A Round 1 at 02:45 CET (CEST) on August 24. Coach Amorim attended the pre-match press conference. This article covers the second part of the press conference.

Carlos Passerini (Corriere della Sera): Coach Amorim, good afternoon. I would also like to extend my sincere welcome to you personally. I’d like to broaden the discussion slightly, moving beyond Milan to consider Serie A as a whole. In your opinion, which teams are the strongest this season? Who is the leading favorite—the team everyone wants to beat? And if you were to draw a starting grid for this season’s Serie A, where would you place Milan?

I would like to take this opportunity to share my personal views frankly. Last season, I watched many of Milan's matches closely. I felt that when Milan faced Inter or other traditional strong rivals in the league, our team performed very well and was tactically well-prepared. However, it is regrettable that whenever we faced opponents who appeared weaker on paper, our team's focus and concentration declined significantly.

Therefore, in my working dictionary, it doesn't matter which team is the strongest in Serie A. At this moment, for me and my players, tomorrow's opponent, Torino, is the strongest team in the world. This is the fighting mentality that we must instill in ourselves every day when we train and prepare for battle. Perhaps the fans and media naturally assume that we must easily defeat Torino, but I would rather see my team show an extreme desire to win every match and demonstrate its strength by defeating opponents through practical actions.

If you analyze this league, the most mature and tactically prepared team is undoubtedly Inter. They have a deep-rooted tradition of team building, and their playing style and tactics have undergone years of highly effective, continuous refinement and evolution since Simone Inzaghi took charge. This has enabled them to establish a distinct and profound tactical identity, which is by no means an overnight achievement.

In addition, there are many other strong teams in Serie A that should not be underestimated. For example, there is the team led by Gian Piero Gasperini, who knows Serie A like the back of his hand and is familiar with every tactical nuance. We can also talk about Como, whose offensive and defensive transitions are very fast, and who play with complete freedom. This is also because Como does not have to bear the immense pressure of winning the championship and facing public scrutiny, as Milan does. Although they have excellent coaches and high-quality players, they do not carry the same burden of pressure, which is a decisive difference. The pressure to win the championship can sometimes become a heavy, cold shackle on our players' shoulders.

There are many other strong teams in Serie A, such as Atalanta, coached by famous coaches like Maurizio Sarri. Last season, Milan regrettably missed crucial points and a position after losing at home to Cagliari in the last round of the league. Therefore, in Italy, no match can be considered an easy match.

What we want to build is the unshakeable mentality of a formidable club. For me, neither Inter nor anyone else is under consideration at this moment. Right now, my focus is solely on Ignazio Abate and his Torino. If we can win tomorrow's match, everything will be perfect. The message I convey to the players is also extremely simple: focus on Torino, don't get distracted, be fully prepared, and win our first match.

Alexandra Gozzini (Gazzetta dello Sport): Coach, good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to meet you here. At your official introductory press conference for Milan, when discussing the goals for the new season, you stated without hesitation that Milan’s aim is to win the Serie A title and compete for the historic "second star". I want to ask you: after several weeks working at the club, have you fully understood the extraordinary significance of this goal for Milan fans? Do you still confirm that Milan’s goal is the "second star"? In addition, even if you do not want to speak too much about competitors, do you think there is still a significant gap between the current Milan and Simone Inzaghi's Inter?

Milan's goal, at any time and in any historical period, is only one: to win the Serie A title. I cannot predict or promise how many months or years it will take to accomplish this grand plan, but our entire team's fighting mentality must be defined as "we want to win the championship." No matter what kind of transformation, rebuilding, or adjustment period the team is currently facing, the expectations of the Rossoneri fans are always to lift the trophy. We must fight hard to meet the fans' expectations, and this also means that we must stay grounded, from one Sunday to the next, winning every match before us.

To be accountable to the Milan fans, we must maintain a high degree of frankness and honesty—at this stage, there is indeed a real gap in strength between us and Inter. Although admitting this and hearing such an argument may make fans feel a little uncomfortable, it is necessary at this stage to explain the current reality to our fans truthfully.

However, in competitive sports, at the beginning of the season, our starting point on the scoreboard is the same as everyone else's; everyone starts from zero points. We have mountains of work and arduous polishing tasks ahead of us, but I still firmly believe that our team is fully capable of defeating any opponent in a single match, and we fear no strong opponent in Serie A. Therefore, our first goal is to bring back those crucial three points from Torino, and then look forward to the subsequent schedule.

Francesco Rocchi (RAI): Coach, hello, and welcome. You specifically said that, rather than overemphasizing your own tactical style, you would prefer Milan to first become a united, fighting team. In this transfer window, the club has brought in many key new players personally chosen by you. So I want to ask you: under your coaching blueprint, what kind of Milan should we expect to see? Will your Milan be defined by highly aggressive attack, or will it be a Milan with an even stronger defense than last season? What changes can we expect to see tomorrow?

For me, the most fundamental and overwhelmingly important point is that Milan must be an unbreakable whole at every minute of the match. On the field, if the situation requires us to pull all players back and drop deep for area defense, then everyone, including the attacking players, must retreat to the box without hesitation and build the defense with their flesh and blood; if the match requires us to press high across the board, then everyone must firmly commit to pressing and organizing attacks in the opponent's half.

We must demonstrate and pass on the consistent spiritual identity of this great club: to control, dominate, and dictate the game on the field. This is also the core tactical principle for our entire team this season.

I really can't predict with 100% certainty at this moment what specific process we will encounter on the field tomorrow. I don't know whether we will be able to achieve extremely fluid, sustained periods of possession and tactical pressure in tomorrow's match, as we did against Man United. This is the tactical goal we eagerly hope to achieve, but the primary task tomorrow, no matter how difficult the actual situation, is for the entire team to stick together as a single unit for the full 90 minutes and win the opening match through genuine cooperation.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details, and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com