Amorim backs Milan’s progress after late Atalanta scare

Amorim sees progress despite Milan’s late wobble

Ruben Amorim insisted AC Milan’s late collapse in control would not erase the improvement he saw in their 3-2 Serie A win over Atalanta, though he acknowledged the final stages exposed work still to be done.

Milan had built a 3-0 advantage, with Goncalo Ramos, Adrien Rabiot and Mario Gila among the scorers, but Atalanta revived the contest through Gianluca Gaetano and Nikola Krstovic. A late save by Mike Maignan denied Davide Zappacosta an equaliser and helped Milan hold on.

“The result is the most important thing, but we also have to analyse the performance,” Amorim said after the match. He added that the closing minutes did not change his view that Milan were improving, but offered “a clear idea that we have a lot of work to do.”

Momentum shift brought nerves

Amorim said Milan had been in control and closer to scoring a fourth goal before Atalanta’s first strike changed the flow of the match. He pointed to poor decisions in the build-up and said his team stopped pressing as anxiety took hold.

“We were afraid of conceding when we should’ve been trying to score a fourth,” he said, noting that the tension spread beyond the players and was also felt in the stadium. In comments reported by Get Italian Football News, he assessed Milan as having played well for roughly the first 65 minutes before their performance dipped.

The coach rejected the idea that tiredness alone explained the change, describing it instead as a shift in momentum and calling for greater consistency. He also said squad rotation following the midweek Europa League win over RB Salzburg had helped, while stressing that adapting to a new pressing approach takes time.

Rabiot stayed on despite booking

Amorim also addressed a tense exchange with Rabiot on the touchline. The midfielder had been booked for dissent and was visibly frustrated, but the coach said he did not believe another foul was likely to bring a second yellow card.

“Rabiot is a really important player,” Amorim said. He explained that the pair spoke at half-time and that the midfielder understood he could not challenge every play while on a booking. Amorim added that he would have substituted Rabiot if he thought another foul would lead to a dismissal.

Rabiot, meanwhile, had voiced anger at Milan’s second-half display and said the substitutes needed to contribute more. Amorim’s assessment was that the late scare highlighted shortcomings, but did not negate signs of improvement in a team still adapting to his system.