Milan head coach Ruben Amorim did not hide his disappointment after the heavy 0:3 defeat by Bournemouth in the third round of the main phase of the Europa League. The Portuguese specialist pointed to early mistakes and Mike Menghan's red card as the main reasons for the loss, admitting that his team must learn the necessary lessons from what happened at the “Vitality“ stadium.
“It wasn't Milan's best game; the result was clear after the first 20 minutes. With ten men, we defended well, tried to develop our attack and even took some risks towards the end, but the penalty completely killed the intrigue. Now we have to recover and think about the next game. We need to learn from what happened and prevent a similar situation from happening again. Now we will focus on Serie A and then we will try to win the next match in the Europa League“, said Amorim, quoted by the official UEFA website.
The Italian giants were left with a man less in the 28th minute, which seriously complicated their task against the English Premier League representative. The coach stressed that the penalty and the sending-off had a decisive influence on the development of the match.
“The penalty after the corner and the red card changed absolutely everything. After that, the match was simply over. We had no time to react after the first goal. We tried to push towards the end, but the third goal made our task even more complicated“, commented the Portuguese.
Asked whether the changes made to the starting lineup after the convincing 4:1 victory over RB Salzburg had affected the performance, Amorim rejected such a thesis. According to him, the main problem was not related to the rhythm of the game, but to unacceptable individual mistakes.
“There was no match. Here the issue is not in the rhythm of the game or in the previous match. Allowing such a penalty from a corner kick and sending off in such a situation are completely unacceptable“, the specialist was categorical.
Amorim paid special attention to the situations in the static positions, which led to serious troubles for the “Rossoneri“. He stressed that the players must show significantly greater discipline, especially in the penalty area.
„It is true that we cannot afford such actions. It is mandatory to complete the matches with a full squad. However, now we must recover quickly and concentrate on the next challenge. Playing with one less man requires a lot of running and pressing at the right moments, so tonight was completely negative for us“, added the coach.
Despite the numerical imbalance, the coach did not give up his preferred scheme with three central defenders. In defensive actions, Milan switched to a line of five, instead of using the traditional 4-4-1 formation.
„The players know this system very well in defensive terms. We tried not to take excessive risks for most of the match and to look for something in the last minutes. I try to put the players in the most comfortable positions for them and influence them through substitutions“, explained Amorim.
The Portuguese also revealed that immediately after the final whistle he was unable to have a conversation with the sent-off Mike Mengian. He specified that the situation would be discussed after the team's return to Italy.
“No, I didn't have time. We have to go back to Milan immediately and start preparing for the championship match against Udinese. We will discuss what happened after we get home“, said the coach.
The defeat deepened the hesitation of Milan, who have already suffered two losses in their first three Europa League matches. “The Rossoneri“ They lost 0-2 to Benfica in the first round, and their defensive problems were also evident in the 3-2 win over Atalanta in Serie A, when the team almost squandered a three-goal lead.
Against the backdrop of the difficult period, Amorim also commented on his first 100 days at the helm of the Italian giants, as well as the statements of the legendary Fabio Capello regarding the history and traditions of the club.
„This is part of the process. If we look at the history of Milan, today we are at a completely different stage. I understand Capello's words about the club's past, but we have to be realistic. I appreciate the dedication and fight of the boys tonight. We need to learn the necessary lessons from these difficult moments and accept the reality of football“, concluded Amorim.
After the third round, Bournemouth occupy third place in the overall Europa League standings with a full asset of nine points, while Milan are in 24th position with three. The “red and black“ have three Serie A matches ahead of them against Udinese, Bologna and the derby with Inter, after which the team will once again turn their attention to the European tournament with a match against Ferencváros..