Following Milan's 0-2 home defeat to Benfica in their opening Europa League group stage match, manager Ruben Amorim spoke to Sky Sport Italia.

Good evening. This return to European competition must be a huge disappointment, and your first defeat as manager. What's most concerning is the regression in the team—particularly the difficulty in building attacks and implementing your tactical ideas.

Yes, my tactical philosophy is about playing good football and controlling the game. We controlled possession, but sometimes we created more problems for ourselves than the opposition did. We've been working on tactical discipline and passing patterns to maintain possession closer to their box. We achieved that in the second half—though by then we were already 0-2 down. We still need to improve considerably in this area because, while we controlled the ball, we lacked creativity and incisiveness in the final third. In the first half, when we conceded early, we lost our tactical shape for a period. We tried to fix it quickly but lost quality in the process. If we analyze the match carefully, we'll see we lost possession at specific dangerous moments, and those were exactly the moments that cost us.

Another concerning detail is Milan's first-half performance. You always seem to concede early in the first half, putting yourselves in a reactive position from the start. Is this a reaction problem, even psychologically?

I don't know if it's psychological, but this is the second consecutive match where we've struggled to get into the game in the first half. When we needed to defend our box in those crucial moments, we were far too vulnerable. We can't keep giving opponents these chances because we're already struggling to create clear opportunities ourselves. When we concede, panic sets in and everything becomes harder.

My question is straightforward: rather than focusing solely on our inability to score, don't you think we should prioritize fixing the defensive vulnerabilities we saw in the first half? We're conceding too many goals and the defense isn't performing well.

I believe it's all interconnected. Our overall tactical organization isn't meeting requirements. If we review the first goal we conceded, our defenders should have held their defensive line outside the box, but when their player advanced with the ball, our defenders retreated almost to the goal line. These are details we must improve. Looking at every threat they created, almost all of them came from us losing possession in midfield. We need to significantly improve our defensive organization because we absolutely cannot concede so easily again. We need to score first, get ahead, and control the rhythm of the match—something we're currently unable to do because we're not creating many clear chances.

Good evening, Amorim. I noticed the team's competitive intensity at the start and throughout the first half was too passive. This happens against every opponent—Venice, Juventus, Lazio, today. The first half feels too casual, too relaxed. Additionally, I noticed no player was making runs behind the opposition defense. I don't think that's your tactical instruction, but look at this footage: our players have space and opportunities for through balls, but nobody is making runs to the far post. Sometimes someone tries to make a run but doesn't get passed to. It's hard to understand, isn't it?

You're absolutely right. In the first half especially, nobody was making runs behind their defense. When we played with two attacking midfielders, the lack of those runs meant they had no space to operate. We discussed this in detail at halftime, and our second-half start was actually good—we created a chance—but they scored on their second attack and the game became extremely difficult. You're right because their defenders were focused in front of goal and in the box. As everyone saw, possession wasn't being converted effectively. We need to be more proactive with runs in behind. Though we emphasized this at halftime, we immediately faced difficulties in the second half. Benfica sat deep, waiting for us to transition, and ultimately we couldn't create truly threatening chances.

Of all the matches we've seen, the team's best period was the second half against Lazio. Why didn't you continue with that starting XI and tactical setup today?

The reason is straightforward: Rabiot played all 90 minutes in that match—his first full 90 in a long time. With such an intense match just three days later, we couldn't risk his physical condition. The same applies to Christian Pulisic—he played 45 minutes, and everyone knows his injury history. We had to be cautious. Additionally, Moreira was absent for two days due to personal family circumstances and missed full training sessions.

There are practical difficulties off the pitch that the public doesn't know about, but as manager I must manage every detail. We must improve as a team collectively—this isn't about one or two individual players. We're working on tactical details like runs in behind and attacking creativity in training. Many times we've progressed near their box, but when we get there, players don't decisively enter the penalty area. Even with good crosses from the wings, we lack players attacking the ball inside the box. We had opportunities—before they scored the second goal, Chukwueze had a golden chance in a completely open position. We need to be more clinical and efficient in attack because we're not creating many chances. At the same time, even after losing possession, we need stricter defensive organization. We must become a better, more mature team.

Will you stick with your current system—three defenders, four midfielders, two attacking midfielders behind a single striker—or are you willing to change it in upcoming matches?

I constantly adjust and adapt based on intuition and what I see. But first you need to establish a solid tactical foundation. We've only worked together two months. Though we lost today, I firmly believe we'll find solutions and adapt to different matches. On one hand, we must build a clear tactical philosophy, but on the other, we also need to win matches.

Переведено ИИ.

Сайт AF теперь доступен! Читайте полные новости, комментарии, детали матчей и статистику на компьютере. Посетите: www.allfootballapp.com