GdS: Milan score, Ramos struggles – the paradox that Amorim must fix
As the weeks go by Ruben Amorim continues to tweak AC Milan tactically, but a constant theme remains: Goncalo Ramos can’t score consistently.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Milan are evolving on an almost game-by-game basis, but the only one who remains the same is Ramos. One factor stands out above all: the Portuguese fails to get into the flow of play, not only when the team is struggling but even when they play well and win.
Worrying numbers
His derby stats tragically mirror those reported the previous Wednesday against Bologna: zero shots on target, zero shots off target, zero blocked shots, zero chances created, zero assists. The same story. Even the number of balls played was identical: 31.
Yet they were two very different games. Against Inter, Gonçalo even infuriated Luka Modric, who shortly after the quarter-hour mark unleashed a sharp, angled right-footer that was aimed squarely at Josep Martinez. Ramos was right in the path of the ball, potentially denying a 3-0 goal.
Modric muttered words of frustration under his breath, knowing of course that it was not deliberate sabotage. That incident is proof that there are times when nothing goes right, not even when everyone else is playing with a smile.
Ramos’s first two months resemble Gimenez’s a year ago: just as Santiago couldn’t score but had Massimiliano Allegri’s trust thanks to his backroom work for the team, the same is true for Gonçalo. Unlike Santiago, he has scored three goals, though one was a penalty and one a gift.
In terms of goalscoring, his contribution is completely inadequate compared to expectations, the player’s level, and the club’s investment in bringing him to Milanello. Ramos runs, he battles and he tries to get the team moving forward but he can’t get fully involved.
You can also look at it from the other angle: is it the team that are incapable of giving him service? Perhaps precisely because he’s a striker who roams widely and provides no reference points not only for opposing defenders, but also for his own team-mates.
In any case, he was and remains the starting centre-forward. Partly because Francesco Camarda – in Amorim’s eyes – clearly doesn’t offer enough guarantees, and partly because of Gonçalo’s dirty work, which serves to free up space for others.
It’s no coincidence that Adrien Rabiot is frequently finding the back of the net, and the same goes for Diego Moreira and Alphadjo Cisse, all players who don’t usually hang around in the box.
Furthermore, Milan have recently developed a particular quality: when their shots hit the target, they end up in the back of the net. The two goals against Bologna came with their first two shots, the three against Inter with their first three.
Between the Emilians and the Nerazzurri, Milan have had a total of seven shots on target, squeezing five goals from them: a stratospheric 71%. The million-dollar question, now that Milan are poised for the Scudetto race, is: if Ramos were to unlock himself, how far can this team go?
