GdS: When, which roles and why – the ‘ABC’ of Amorim’s ‘spot on’ substitutes

So far, Ruben Amorim’s record with substitutions at AC Milan has been phenomenal and the ‘ABC’s of them have been looked at.

When Amorim looks to his bench in games, Milan fans have gotten accustomed to things happening. Against Torino, two goals. Alexis Saelemaekers changed the game against Venezia and then Alphadjo Cisse made the difference from the bench against Juventus.

It’s a track record which many are already noticing and this morning, Gazzetta dello Sport have looked at his system and why it works.

Amorim the strategist

Substitutions boil down to strategy and Amorim is very much a strategist, as seen with his ‘Professor’ nickname. So far, he’s been ‘spot on’ with his changes, both in terms of the players brought on and the minutes they’ve been introduced, but how?

His changes come, on average, in the 69th minute and he’s always used all five of the chances to make changes. Somtimes that decision has been forced with Mario Gila’s struggles with knocks, but that’s understandable.

Amorim demands a lot, so he understands that it’s not a walk in the park. Substitutes, then, as are big a part of the game as those who start. It’s no surprise that they’ve contributed so heavily already this season.

Freshness on the flanks is a must, with none of the starting wingers finishing a game yet this season. There’s always been changes.

A desire to learn

Following this, there is the desire to see all of his players. After all, he’s still coming to terms with his squad and he wants to see mentalities in different situations, as well as their general abilities. So, he’s still working things out.

He wants to be shown who can help him by giving them chances. The schedule will be tough, so it’s better to find out the will of these players now, rather than in October, where Milan will play every three or four days.

It’s been a trend of his coaching career – this ‘reliance’, if you will, on the bench – so it won’t change. Nor will the wildcard factor, he’s not like Simone Inzaghi, as Gazzetta references. Instead, he’s his own wildcard and he will deploy his players as and when he needs them.