AC Milan, Amorim does not hide over the senior players: “They want honesty.” Who the Portuguese manager is referring to and what had happened

Milan, Amorim returns to the issue of the senior players, explaining his philosophy in the management of the dressing room

It's only September and the season is just four matches old, but AC Milan have already put themselves in an awkward position, one they won't find easy to escape. Cardinale is not satisfied, to put it mildly, and Amorim also tried to play down the outcome of the contact the other day. The Portuguese manager is not under threat, not for the moment, but he must solve the internal and external problems. Amorim's brutal honesty also went down well in the press conference ahead of AC Milan v Lecce, even when he had to address the risky issue of managing the senior figures.

What had happened

Amorim is a young coach, consistent but also very rigid in his principles and in his management of the squad. That rigidity had already caused some internal problems in the Manchester United dressing room. Now the Portuguese coach is being asked to take a step up so he does not risk the same happening at AC Milan: Modric has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the way he has been managed in this very first part of the season and with staying on the bench for all 90 minutes against Benfica. The most blatant case is that of Pulisic, not least because the coach himself admitted the American took it very badly and did nothing to hide it over his limited use at the start of the season. Saelemaekers is not convinced by Amorim's management either, and the two have had a frank discussion in recent days.

Amorim’s honesty

"I am always clear with everyone. Obviously, when you do not play you are angry. They want honesty. Sometimes you do not agree with the manager, but if you are honest with your players they understand. You only have to look at our schedule after the break, we will play every two to three days. We will have to make sure we are ready. There are things I see during the week, I am aware of the players' physical workload and their history: I have to manage all these factors. They understand my role and that I have to make choices." Amorim made his position clear in his press conference on the senior players issue, stressing that he will always try to explain his decisions to the squad while staying true to his approach.

On the pitch against Lecce

For now, Amorim will lean on the most experienced and high-profile players in the squad: Modric, Rabiot and Pulisic will start against Lecce. There is still more doubt over Saelemaekers, whom the manager does not see as a right winger but on the opposite flank, where Moreira should get the nod, at least initially. The meeting with Cardinale has produced a first shared decision to stave off the spectre of crisis.