Two in two for Amorim: All the key stats from AC Milan 2-0 Venezia

By: Isak Möller

Ruben Amorim and Goncalo Ramos both had individual accomplishments to celebrate last night, as AC Milan beat Venezia by two goals to nil.

Considering that it was the first home game of the season, and against the newly promoted side Venezia, the pressure was definitely on Milan to clinch all three points. Fortunately, they managed to do so in the end after a Goncalo Ramos strike and an own-goal.

Venezia had some chances, it must be said, and the Rossoneri didn’t exactly have a walk in the park. As pointed out by Amorim after the game, though, the fact that they still got the job done is a sign of improvement compared to last season.

Better in all aspects

Taking a look at the main stats from the game, Milan were the better side with more possession, a higher xG, more big chances and more shots on target. Venezia only prevailed on the corners front, getting one more than the Rossoneri.

One thing that should be noted is that Venezia had some good chances blocked, rather than saved by Mike Maignan, so the shots on target statistic could have been a little better. That said, they still registered zero big chances as per the stats companies.

Amorim the first in 12 years

Thanks to the win, Amorim is the first Milan manager since Filippo Inzaghi in 2014-15 to win his first two league matches in charge. In other words, he has started his Rossoneri tenure in the perfect way, which other managers have struggled with.

It should be clarified that we are not talking about winning the first two games in any season here, just the first two games of the manager’s tenure. For example, Stefano Pioli won the first two games in the 2020-21 season (his first full season), but it wasn’t his first two games in charge of the club.

Anyway, it has to be said that Amorim has done it in a much more controlled manner than Inzaghi, who beat Lazio 3-1 and then beat Parma 5-4 in an epic clash. Amorim, meanwhile, has six points after scoring four goals and conceding just one.

Ramos gets off the mark

One of the most positive takeaways from yesterday’s game was that Ramos, the €74m man, got off the mark with his first goal for the club. Now, the evening could have gone better as he missed a few chances too in the first half, but he didn’t let this faze him in the second half.

Amorim said it as well after the game: one of the main qualities of the top players is that they don’t let previous mistakes affect them negatively. Instead, it only motivates them to do better next time, and that is exactly what we saw with Ramos.

It was a cracking finish with his left foot, especially since the angle was brilliant, and the defender was closing in as well. As confirmed by the striker himself in the post-match interview, he will treat his teammates to dinner soon to celebrate.

Average positions

Finally, the average positions of the starters suggest that Milan attacked a lot on their left-hand side, which was definitely true as Strahinja Pavlovic pushed up a lot. Alphadjo Cisse often found himself with the ball in wide spaces too, not to mention that both goals came from the left.

Ramos clearly involves himself in the build-up too. Even though the Rossoneri saw most of the ball, his average position was not too far away from the halfway line.