GdS: Milan ‘get it right’ – how Amorim’s chameleonic moves have unlocked new potential

With Manchester United, Ruben Amorim was quite one-faced, but that has not been the case at AC Milan so far.

In the summer, there was plenty said about Amorim and his system, or rather, the lack of ability to change it. It killed him at Old Trafford, and there were worries that it’d ruin him at San Siro.

Yet, this hasn’t been the case thus far.

Amorim’s changes

This morning, as can be seen below, Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that the Rossoneri are a ‘chameleonic’ side, capable of changing their face and winning with several systems.

He’s used the 3-4-2-1, a 4-2-3-1 and even a 4-4-2; for a coach that was once predictable, he’s anything but that now, it would seem.

The Portuguese admitted in the summer that he’d learned from his mistakes, but admitting that and showing that are two different things. In recent games, it’s certainly been shown, with his flexibility (and his team’s clear understanding of his principles). Throughout it all, they’ve relied on the same idea, so it’s clear that this remains consistent, even if the formation changes.

Weaknesses become strengths

After starting with the 3-4-2-1, he shifted to a back four with Mario GIla at right-back, a clear shift away from the three-back system he’d relied on in Manchester.

It was a statement, followed up by one of his own, that his team’s formation would ‘depend on the need of the moment and the type of match’.

After the break, they returned to a 3-4-2-1, but this was dropped after the draw against Sassuolo, and Amorim instead opted to try a 4-3-3. Back-to-back wins followed and they dominated for 150 minutes. Plenty to like, even if the final 30 minutes against Atalanta brought some issues up.

Amorim’s biggest strength now appears to be what was once his biggest weakness: his ability to change.