Milan, Amorim’s game management is a factor: sometimes it offers solutions, sometimes it takes them away

AC Milan build on their win over Salzburg, mixing the good with the less good

The alarm clock on Atalanta's bedside table may have gone off too late, but AC Milan helped them back into the game. Or perhaps Amorim's substitutions were the problem. His Milan side had thrilled fans for 60 minutes and led by three goals, only for him to get his changes completely wrong: Hutchinson is still tactically behind what matches at this level demand, despite his excellent performance in Salzburg, while Estupinan made every conceivable mistake in his positioning and build-up play. The Portuguese manager keeps reiterating his faith in the Ecuador international, but what has happened on the pitch so far doesn't back him up.

Fluid formation and proactive substitutions

Amorim's tactical set-up immediately tore up Atalanta's game plan, denying them any reference points: Ramos kept swapping positions with Pulisic, Modric sat deep and Rabiot covered the whole pitch. The defensive line played as a four for long stretches before quickly reverting to a three. The former Sporting Lisbon man has also revived struggling players such as Musah and Chukwueze. He keeps everyone focused without relying on a core of 12 or 13 regular starters. Everyone matters in this AC Milan side.

When making substitutions, Amorim is just as bold. He seems to favour changes between the 65th and 75th minutes. Against Torino, Lazio and Juventus, that approach paid off for the young AC Milan manager. In Italian football's tactical battles, though, it does not always deliver the rewards he wants.

Calculated risks?

At 3-0, Amorim brought on Estupinan, Jashari and Loftus-Cheek: a playmaking midfielder, an attacking midfielder and a full-back who is certainly more comfortable going forward. That gave Atalanta huge spaces to attack. As the minutes passed, those gaps sapped Milan's confidence and left their fans facing 20 minutes of wholly unwarranted anxiety. Milan's schedule offers part of the explanation: they are playing every three days and travel to face a formidable Bournemouth on Thursday. A step forward could come from matching bold game management with a substitution that fits the emotional and tactical state of the match.