Milan Head Coach discussion IV

[xudong]

This is terrible. There is no hope with this club.

[Zio Fester]

Vito Angele: Amorim could soon become Milan’s new manager. He accepted the role without a clear plan and without knowing the other technical staff members in the management team. Amorim had been out of the running to manage the big clubs and is looking to bounce back after his failure at Manchester United.

Relegation battle next season?

[Sampinjon]

And once again I'm curious about "recommendations"... of all coaches why pick one who recently showed he's unable to work in toxic environment?

[Kris forever]

This makes more sense for our management. He will definitely be coach. Our worst option

I wish you were just joking.

[Sleeping Giant]

Vito Angele: Amorim could soon become Milan’s new manager. He accepted the role without a clear plan and without knowing the other technical staff members in the management team. Amorim had been out of the running to manage the big clubs and is looking to bounce back after his failure at Manchester United.

Relegation battle next season?

We are B team of Premier league, they sell our shit player and they sign our best players  now we are behind their shit managers...What worse can happen...

[Zio Fester]

Romano: Here we go! Ruben Amorim will join the club shortly, with a contract verbally agreed upon. He will join the club initially on a two-year deal until June 2028, but with an option to extend until 2029.

Sky: An internal hire has been made with Bobby Gardiner stepping up. He had previously been working as a match analyst, but now he will move into the role to oversee the scouting department.

Project Gerry.

[Arildonardo]

I have a really bad feeling about this.

All I can do now is hoping that I'm wrong...

[xudong]

I have a really bad feeling about this.

All I can do now is hoping that I'm wrong...

Same here. Very bad feeling. 

[reza]

I am not as worried, not saying this is great but just not as gloomy as it looks, I mean Amorim in particular. Ibra and Cardinale should be out.

Posted on Reddit:

Hello dear Rossoneri,

I am a Manchester United fan and come in peace.

Recent reports suggest that AC Milan have appointed Ruben Amorim as your new head coach. While the signs had been there for a few days, I imagine it still came as a surprise for many Milan fans. Judging by some of the discussions I have seen, there seems to be a lot of uncertainty surrounding his appointment.

As someone who watched Amorim's entire spell at Manchester United, I wanted to give some context on why he struggled, how his teams play, and what you can realistically expect from him.

First of all, Ruben Amorim is not a bad manager. Quite the opposite. He is an excellent coach who was dealt an incredibly difficult hand at Manchester United.

United appointed Amorim in November 2024, midway through the season, when he was one of the most highly rated young managers in Europe. This was shortly after Amorim and Sporting had schooled Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the Champions League.

The important thing to understand is that Amorim never wanted to join United in the middle of a season. Implementing an entirely new system and philosophy halfway through a campaign is incredibly difficult. However, the United board reportedly gave him an ultimatum. It was now or never.

So he came.

His Style of Play​

The first thing Milan fans need to understand is that Amorim will not compromise on his system.

He is not the type of coach who abandons his principles because results become difficult. His entire philosophy revolves around a specific structure and specific player profiles. If he does not get the players he needs, the team will struggle.

His preferred shape is a back three that becomes a back five when defending.

In possession, the three centre backs form the foundation of the build up. The wing backs push very high and provide most of the team's width, progression, and chance creation. Many attacks develop through wide areas before crosses are delivered into the box. For this you need a lethal finisher.

When attacks move through central areas, Amorim likes his striker to drop deeper, hold the ball up, and create space for attacking midfielders or wide forwards to run into the half spaces.

Out of possession, the wing backs drop deeper and the team becomes a compact back five. The striker and midfielders press aggressively, looking to win the ball high up the pitch and force mistakes.

The Three Most Important Positions​

In Amorim's system, no positions are more important than the left wing back, right wing back, and defensive midfielder.

Wing Backs​

The wing backs are absolutely crucial.

They must be comfortable carrying the ball, receiving under pressure, and driving attacks forward. When possession is lost, they must immediately recover and help defend.

They do not need to be elite defenders, but they must possess the pace, stamina, and athleticism to get back quickly and slow opposition attacks until the defensive shape is restored.

Think of players such as Theo Hernandez, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Jeremie Frimpong, Alphonso Davies, or Trent Alexander Arnold. These are simply examples of the profile Amorim likes - good ball carriers, good crossing abilities and decent at defending.

Defensive Midfielder​

The defensive midfielder is arguably the most important player in the entire system.

Because the team presses aggressively, opponents will occasionally bypass the press. When that happens, large spaces can appear in midfield.

Amorim deals with this in two ways.

First, his defenders play high up the pitch to compress space between defence and midfield.

Second, he relies heavily on an elite defensive midfielder capable of covering enormous ground, winning duels, disrupting attacks, and protecting the defence almost single handedly.

The ideal profile would be players like prime Casemiro, N'Golo Kante, or Park Ji Sung in terms of work rate and defensive intensity. It is no coincidence that Manchester United spent much of 2025 pursuing Carlos Baleba.

If Milan can provide Amorim with strong wing backs and a dominant defensive midfielder, I genuinely believe you will see a very good team.

If not, expect inconsistency. His system is demanding and very dependent on player profiles. You will probably experience what United fans did. One week you look outstanding. The next week you look completely lost.

Additional Requirements​

For the system to function 100% , Amorim also needs:

• Centre backs comfortable defending high up the pitch.

• At least two centre backs ( preferably the LCB & RCB) who can progress the ball effectively.

• A frontline capable of pressing aggressively and intelligently.

• A striker who can drop deep when play progresses centrally & also be a lethal finisher when crosses come from the wings.

Based off this, In my opinion your most prioritized positions this transfer window should be an Athletic CDM, LWB and Striker.

Why He Failed at Manchester United​

When Amorim arrived, Ten Hag’s Manchester United were already sitting near 14th place.

He inherited a dysfunctional squad built for a completely different style of football. He openly admitted from day one that the team would suffer during the transition. In his first transfer window, despite trying to implement a new tactical identity, he was given only one signing: A young Patrick Dorgu from Lecce.

By February, United's league season was effectively over. The Europa League became the club's only realistic path back into the Champions League. Once relegation was mathematically impossible and league objectives had disappeared, Amorim prioritised Europe.

Throughout March, April, and May, academy players were regularly starting league matches while key first team players were rested for Europa League fixtures. The final league position does not tell the full story.

More importantly, he never received the players his system required. At right wing back he often relied on Amad Diallo, originally a winger, or Diogo Dalot.

At left wing back he had an inexperienced Patrick Dorgu, an injury prone Luke Shaw, or Dalot playing out of position.

At defensive midfield, Casemiro remained the closest fit for the role, but physically he was no longer capable of performing it consistently.

Things became even worse when Rasmus Hojlund struggled in front of goal and Andre Onana continued making costly mistakes.

Lisandro Martinez, the team's best ball playing defender, spent much of the season injured. Harry Maguire struggled to play in a high line, often leaving large spaces infront the backline and exposing Casemiro.

In short, the board never truly backed the rebuild.

Amorim was not dismissed because results were terrible. The bigger issue was that he became increasingly frustrated with the club hierarchy trying to force him to change his system, particularly after receiving very little support in the transfer market. Eventually, that frustration became public.

What Milan Fans Should Expect​

The first thing Amorim will do is clean up the dressing room. Team culture matters enormously to him. If a player has a poor attitude, lacks professionalism, or creates division, Amorim will move him on regardless of reputation or status.

Training standards are also non negotiable. If a player does not train properly, they will not play.

His press conferences are usually honest, direct, and often entertaining.

Most importantly, do not expect immediate miracles. It took months before United began showing consistent signs of "Amorim ball." The encouraging thing for Milan is that many of your players are already familiar with three centre back systems, which should make the transition smoother.

With your board seeming to be currently undergoing changes, there may be a period this season where Amorim has to rely on youth players and convert existing players into new roles until recruitment catches up with his ideas.

My biggest piece of advice is simple: Be patient. There will be frustrating results. There will be inconsistency. But if the club backs him with the right profiles, the signs will become visible long before the league table fully reflects them.

Even during difficult periods, United's underlying attacking numbers and chance creation steadily improved. Many fans simply wanted immediate results and were unwilling to wait for a long term rebuild.

I genuinely hope Amorim succeeds at Milan.

Thank you for reading.

[Codazzi]

Since we probably never ever gonna get relegated (let us hope) there is no big difference btw missing out on Champions League as 5th or 6th and finishing 12th.

In that sense, I'm also aware that there isn't much to lose. Still, Amorim isn't convincing, especially when we have a better option, Glasner.

I genuinely think that all the football world is a bit too hyped for the Portuguese coaches. I don't see them that successful, yet they are capable of landing great offers for themselves, all the time.