'He will help Ruben Amorim' - Portugal boss Jorge Jesus backs AC Milan hitman Goncalo Ramos to shine in Italy
Jesus backs Ramos to thrive at San Siro
Jesus has voiced his full support for Ramos, stating that the striker is perfectly placed to succeed at Milan. The forward has been in sparkling form for his country, playing a pivotal role in their recent Nations League success. Jesus, who previously worked with the attacker at Benfica, is confident that his development will be a major boost for the Rossoneri and their manager, Amorim.
Speaking after Portugal secured their place in the Nations League quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory over Norway, Jesus highlighted the striker's significant evolution since his early days in Lisbon. "He also provided an assist against Denmark. When he started his career at Benfica it was different, because he grew immensely. I was the coach at that time. I know he will help Milan and Ruben Amorim, because he is growing a lot," Jesus said.
Tactical preparation and team growth
Beyond individual performances, Jesus reflected on the collective growth of the squad during the international window. He admitted that the lack of preparation time forced him to adopt unconventional methods to get his tactical ideas across to the players. The coach emphasized that the team had to treat the matches themselves as high-stakes training sessions to refine their style.
"We were growing in the games as if they were training sessions, because we had no preparation time. Practice is the criterion of truth, so I had to move to theory, so I did several room training sessions. I wanted to improve the defensive idea and the positional attack, which is the most difficult moment of the game," Jesus explained.
Ramos reveals half-time instructions
The striker himself provided insight into how Jesus manages games from the touchline, revealing a specific instruction that led to his winning goal. Ramos explained that the manager had urged him to adjust his positioning just moments before he found the back of the net. This interaction highlights the close relationship between the pair and the striker's willingness to absorb tactical advice in real-time to benefit the team's overall performance.
"A minute or two before the goal, I wandered a bit to the right side and the boss said 'go to the area'. After two minutes I scored the goal and he told me 'see, I told you'. It was another funny interaction from the boss," the striker stated.
High ambition amid tactical transition
Ramos emphasized that while the squad is currently adjusting to their new manager's tactical ideas, their competitive ambition remains as strong as ever. With limited training time between fixtures, the team has been using actual matches as opportunities to refine their play—a process of steady improvement that he noted has been clearly visible across their last four outings.
"It is our goal to win every game, it is a competition we want to win, but it is also a phase of adaptation to the new boss's ideas. Without much time to train, we use the games to improve. This has been seen throughout the four games," he added.
