Milan, Amorim deeply disappointed by yet another European embarrassment: who risks falling behind

AC Milan, huge disappointment after a third defeat in four matches: who is really at risk?

"We are not ready to compete on two fronts. We need to work on the way we see football and how we approach matches. There are no excuses tonight; there is nothing I can say. I usually have plenty to say in defence of our team, but not tonight. We need to be more humble and understand what happened. I need to work out how to change this provincial mentality. Everyone must train like Pavlovic. He is ready to die in training. He is a good example." Amorim did not mince his words after Milan's humiliating 0-2 defeat to Ferencvaros. Even that scoreline flattered Milan. The Hungarian side feasted at San Siro, helped by an AC Milan performance that bordered on embarrassing. The Portuguese manager must ask himself how a team could produce a perfect performance against Inter, then take the field five days later with a lack of desire that showed no respect for the club's history in European competition.

Three clues point to one conclusion: Milan are not aiming to win the Europa League, despite being one of the favourites on paper. The heavy defeats against Benfica, Bornemouth and Ferencvaros came down to two factors: the attitude of the squad's big names and the shortcomings of several reserves. Rabiot dominates in the league, but looks lazy and defeatist when the Europa League anthem plays. The Frenchman, captain on this occasion because of Maignan's suspension, isn't the only example, but he's certainly the most obvious.

The small squad assembled last summer by Cardinale, Amorim and the integrated working group has a starting XI capable of competing with anyone, as the derby showed. But it lacks depth, and several of the alternatives aren't up to the task. Pietro Terracciano is a case in point. The previous management had already rejected him, but he stayed at AC Milan at Amorim's request. He played poorly for 45 minutes against Benfica before being replaced at half-time, received a straight red card after coming on in Salzburg and was booed at San Siro during a poor performance against Ferencavaros. Doubts are also growing about Jashari. After a few performances that were at least passable, he continues to show all-too-obvious limitations in technique, tactics and pace. The money spent on him (more than 40 million) has been an outright flop.

Despite his inconsistency and some obvious limitations, Hutchinson always shows an attitude befitting the importance of the matches. That's why Amorim has been using him fairly regularly.

His excellent performances against Salzburg and Udinese suggested Milan had the bold, strong Bartesaghi back, but he failed the acid test. The AC Milan academy graduate again showed the shortcomings in personality and concentration that marked his last season. Meanwhile, Estupinan seems to have disappeared from the radar altogether after spending the entire match against Ferencvaros on the bench. Both left-sided players have plenty of work to do if they want to avoid slipping down Amorim's pecking order.