Milan, Amorim further ahead than expected. Cissè does not let up, unlike Leao

The reaction after AC Milan’s win away to Torino on their Serie A opening day

I liked Milan, at times a lot. Even in the first half, despite the few real chances they created. They already look like a side with clear ideas, even on the opening matchday: I didn’t expect them to be so far along tactically.

Any judgement still needs a bit of caution, but Amorim is starting to reap the rewards.

They wanted to keep the ball, dominate possession, move it quickly and press high: but they need to be more clinical, shoot more often and find Goncalo Ramos more regularly, because he had very few playable balls.

For Milan, making a good start mattered for confidence too. Confidence from outside and, above all, inside the dressing room: for the players, it matters to see that the work done in recent weeks is already paying off.

Cisse's story is a wonderful fairytale, a player who at one stage in the transfer window looked set to join Torino. The club did well to keep him, and Amorim did well to trust him. That naturally leads to a reflection and a comparison with Rafa Leao, given they operate in the same area of the pitch. Nobody felt the absence of the Portuguese, and that alone is already a sign.

I'm not saying Cisse is better than the number 10 today, but yesterday he was in the game from start to finish, without pauses, something that happened instead almost every time with Leao.

This side can be improved. Milan need a winning Ramos with Gimenez highly likely to leave. And if Moreira is going to play mainly on the right, as Amorim seemed to suggest, then on the left, with Bartesaghi and Estupinan, the level is not among the best.

Then there is the defence. As long as Gila stayed on the pitch, AC Milan stood firm. Once the Spaniard went off, perhaps also because of a physical drop-off, the team suffered too much. I think that should make the club reflect on the need to bring in a strong centre-back who gives security to the department and the whole side. It is one of the clearest indications the match against Torino gave us.