AC Milan defeated Lecce 3-0 at home in Serie A matchday 5, and head coach Amorim attended the post-match press conference.

This victory echoes AC Milan's two outstanding performances at the start of the season. Is the team's current objective to maintain this level of play and control consistently when facing stronger, higher-ranked teams in the future?

Yes, of course. We want to play dominant football in every situation. I'll emphasize again, only against Juventus and in the first half against Lazio did we struggle somewhat to establish dominance. But in the second half against Lazio, a team that has been performing very well recently, we showed very clear dominance.

Of course, going forward, we need to show greater consistency and coherence in controlling the tempo of play. We were fully aware of the type of match we faced today—opponents who were patient, waiting for us to make mistakes. However, our fluidity today felt better, and our movement behind the defensive line was very helpful for the team.

Good evening, Coach Amorim. This is our first question for you. I'd like to ask: in building this AC Milan team based on your tactical philosophy—particularly regarding ball possession, high pressing, transition speed, and quick counterattacks—in your view, what percentage of the ideal state has the team currently achieved? Is it 50%? 60%? 40%? Or 70%? Are we approaching your best vision for the team?

You're too focused on where we are right now (laughs). We've only just begun here. I fully understand the enormous pressure that comes with being at a prestigious club like AC Milan, and I'm also aware of the rumors circulating about what are said to be promises I've made—though I never promised things like big scorelines in every match or a complete overhaul immediately after I arrived. Those rumors are not accurate. All this building takes time.

After the upcoming international break, we'll face a congested fixture list with almost no time to prepare for matches calmly. And I'm very aware that every minor setback or development at that point will likely be amplified by the outside world into a major focal point and public controversy.

Good evening, Coach. There's a common perception now that almost all players on the team, or at least many of them, can play in various positions and perform different tactical roles. For example, we've seen Pavlović often push forward to participate in attacks against Benfica, and Saelemaekers also covers different areas of the pitch. Of course, each player also performs according to their technical strengths. Is this the tactical effect you're aiming to achieve from everyone? What kind of response have you received from them?

I believe we're still searching for the most ideal player configuration and best starting eleven. We learn more about this squad every day. Preseason friendlies are too short, and it's difficult to see everything clearly at the start of the official season, especially for players who participated in the latter stages of the World Cup and returned late.

Today's match was very effective because we used different methods to build attacks from the back, which helped us break down the opponent—this formation change allowed us to use the opposition's relatively fixed defensive structure as a reference, effectively creating space. However, it's predictable that in the future, opponents will gradually come to understand and recognize our playing methods and organization. At that point, we must have the ability to make changes and adjustments at any time. I've always believed that players shouldn't rigidly memorize specific tactical formations, but rather deeply understand the operational principles of football itself and work hard with their teammates to apply this understanding on the pitch.

Coach, good evening. I'd like to ask you: when you started this new chapter coaching AC Milan, if you could secure five matches unbeaten at the start—including three wins and two draws, with those two draws being last-minute draws in away matches against Juventus and against current league leaders Lazio—would you have accepted that record beforehand?

I think this record is not bad, but at the same time, I feel a bit frustrated and regretful because if you look closely at the details of these matches, we really had the opportunity to earn more points. However, if you looked at public reaction last week, it seemed like we'd had five consecutive matches without a win rather than five unbeaten matches.

I'm doing my best, and I believe the players continue to improve. I also believe our tactical intent and fighting spirit are clearly visible in every match. Sometimes we play brilliantly, sometimes not so ideally, but I'll emphasize again: this is still the start of the season, and we need to look ahead to the next phase. After the international break, we'll face a congested fixture list with almost no adequate time to prepare for matches calmly, and I'm very aware that every minor setback or detail at that point will likely be amplified by the outside world into a major focus.

Coach Amorim, I must ask quickly. I know you typically don't like talking too much about rigid formation systems, but I still hope you can personally explain the 4-4-2 formation we saw on the pitch tonight, including with Pulisic and others. Why did you make this decision? What specific advantages and benefits does this formation bring to the team? Sometimes telling the story behind a tactical formation can be very interesting...

I'll emphasize again: coaches in Italian football are very, very smart; they understand the tactical aspects of football extremely well. I know they sometimes anticipate and wait for our patterns and attacking build-up to become rigid and predictable. To maximize a particular tactical system, your squad must have players whose technical characteristics fit well with that system. The deep lesson I learned from my time at Manchester United is that you shouldn't mechanically repeat the same actions while blindly expecting different results. The more attacking tactical setup tonight worked very well. We successfully controlled the tempo of the entire match and deserved this victory.

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