Milan, Amorim pulls no punches in the press conference: the Portuguese's vision as dressing-room leader and English-style manager, as Cardinale wants

From words to deeds: Amorim explains his vision for managing the group and the big names in the squad

Amorim spent a full hour in his press conference and tackled several big topics head-on. Amorim would rather work with his players on the training pitch than make public statements, but he does not duck questions. He takes them on, even if that means taking calculated risks. The Portuguese manager, though, first wanted to pay tribute to Rino Gattuso, calling him a legend: "Gattuso is an AC Milan legend:

talent

is not everything. The passion he had is something we must rediscover in our club. It has been lacking in recent years and it must be shown on the pitch. With passion and commitment, several problems can be overcome".

Managing the group

Pulisic's current condition took centre stage in the pre-Lazio v AC Milan press conference. The American has become a real talking point, both on the pitch and in the transfer market. He has not signed a new deal and has found no space in the first three matchdays, in which he is still yet to make his debut. Amorim explained his unusual handling of the outstanding American forward in these terms: "You will see him tomorrow, I don’t know whether from the start or during the game. I think he will play a few minutes. I like him a lot as a player. He is angry because he has had zero minutes so far and I like that in my players. Don’t forget that he had an injury in the summer and then in the first training session he took a knock and had to stop. I will not take out those who are doing well just to put in a ‘name’: this is my way of managing the group and I will die with these principles. Pulisic is very important for me. After the international break there are eight weeks with three games a week: everyone will be tired because of how much they will play. Pulisic is important and he will play a lot of matches. But you have to understand the context and my history to understand why I make certain choices. But you will see Pulisic from this weekend onwards".

That is a clear vademecum for how the Portuguese coach intends to manage not only Pulisic but the whole group: what counts is what players do in training, not their name. He has put himself above everyone else as the one making every call, fully aware of the weight each decision carries. Put simply: Amorim is taking on major responsibilities and knows exactly what comes with them.

Shared vision with Cardinale

The idea of an English-style coach, with managerial duties in both transfer decisions and the day-to-day internal life of the group, comes directly from Gerry Cardinale. In the thinking of the RedBird and AC Milan owner, the coach is the weak link in Italian football and the first to pay when things do not go to plan. The choice of Amorim was specifically intended to break certain patterns: AC Milan have moved on from Ibrahimovic's "the management handle the transfer market, the coach coaches", in reference to Fonseca, to an integrated transfer-market working team with Amorim having the final say on everything. It's a small revolution that needs time, support and cohesion. The new AC Milan start from Amorim's leadership.