Amorim criticizes Milan's first-half performance after Benfica defeat

AC Milan suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Benfica in their Europa League opener at San Siro—Ruben Amorim’s first loss since taking charge. Goals by Dodi Lukebakio and Jakub Kaminski sealed the result, following consecutive Serie A draws for the Rossoneri.

Amorim’s post-match assessment

Speaking to Sky Sports, Amorim said: “I don’t know if it’s a mental issue, but it’s the second match in a row where the first half we are not in the game. We cannot concede this goal, because we still have a lot of problems to create chances, we get nervous, we get anxious, it all becomes more difficult.”

Tactical execution under scrutiny

The Portuguese coach described a disjointed performance in which Milan failed to impose their intended possession-based style. Benfica had rotated nine players from their previous starting XI, yet Milan struggled to break them down. Amorim observed that his side created more danger when in possession than when defending, citing self-inflicted turnovers as critical failures.

“This conversation of my idea is to play football. To do that, we need to play the ball, but we are creating more problems for ourselves when we have the ball than when the opponent has it,” he explained. “We are trying to create the routines to have more possession in the box, we had some in the second half, but we are not creating, we lack creativity near the box.”

Stagnant movement and spatial collapse

Amorim identified a lack of off-the-ball runs—particularly behind the defensive line—as central to Milan’s offensive breakdown. He noted that with two trequartista players on the pitch, space vanished without supporting runs, paralyzing the attack in the first half.

“It’s true, especially in the first half, nobody was making runs behind, and when we have a team with two trequartista players, they have no space because nobody runs in behind them. We talked about that at half-time,” he said. “We had started better after the break, but then we conceded a second goal, so they dropped back near the box and waited for us to go on the transition.”

Adaptability amid mounting pressure

Despite the setback, Amorim affirmed his willingness to adjust tactics as needed. He emphasized that the current 3-4-2-1 system remains a work in progress, shaped by just two months of preparation. “I change all the time, we need to start with a base,” he stated. “We lost tonight, but we will find the solutions to adapt to these games, because we need to create an idea, but we also need to win, so of course we can adapt.”