Has Ruben Amorim learned from Man Utd failure? Inside new AC Milan boss' mixed start to San Siro life

Amorim's attempt to both rebuild the Rossoneri and his reputation was going rather well when he returned to England last week for a Europa League meeting with Bournemouth. Milan were still unbeaten after seven rounds of Serie A and sitting fourth in the table, just four points behind city rivals and league leaders Inter. And while his team were battered by the Cherries, there were mitigating circumstances, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan stupidly getting himself sent off just 27 minutes into the game at the Vitality Stadium after shoving Tyler Adams in the face.

Milan also responded well to that disappointing defeat, winning away to Udinese last Sunday despite being shorn of several players due to injury. Amorim, thus, became the first Rossoneri coach since 1963 to avoid defeat in his first eight Serie A games in charge.

Granted, Milan were still far from the finished article, but the common consensus was that progress was being made under the new coach. In fact, former striker Hernan Crespo felt Amorim's project was ahead of schedule.

"The Rossoneri are still a bit behind Inter, but they've made considerable progress," the Argentine told Sky Sport Italia. "Progress that I admit – mea culpa – I did not think was possible in such a short space of time.

"Today, Milan look like a compact team. They know what they have to do defensively and offensively. They have good technical players and a fanbase that is learning to support them through the difficult moments. In my opinion, they’re destined to grow even further.

"They’re not at Inter’s level yet, but it’s easy to close the gap. Sometimes, a streak of two or three wins is enough for it to become a turning point. But the game against Bologna on Wednesday will be a test to assess the mental maturity of the Rossoneri side."

Unfortunately for Amorim, his team failed that exam.

Despite recovering from the shock of conceding an early goal to lead 2-1 at San Siro inside the opening half-hour thanks to a well-taken brace from 20-year-old sensation Alphadjo Cisse, Milan capitulated after Davide Bartesaghi's 60th-minute own goal and end up losing 4-2, with Samuel Mbangula completing a historic hat-trick for Bologna.

"It was a bad defeat, because we didn’t expect it, especially after the first half," veteran playmaker Luka Modric told Sky. "We lost so many duels in the second half. The own goal from the set-piece was unfortunate but, from that moment on, we let ourselves down."

While Milan's collapse was shocking, it wasn't entirely surprising, given the patchy nature of their performances under Amorim to date. For example, they very nearly dropped two points in a game against Atalanta that they led 3-0 after an hour because, as midfielder Adrien Rabiot admitted, they suddenly stopped playing.

This issue with consistency was brought up in the DAZN studio immediately after the Bologna game, but a slightly irritated Amorim felt that context was key to understanding the defeat. The injury crisis didn't just mean he'd been missing key players for a number of weeks, the former Sporting CP coach argued, it also prevented him from rotating as much as he would have liked, resulting in damaging levels of fatigue.

"It’s hard for us to press all the time," Amorim argued. "When we stop playing our game, we suffer. A new manager can't make the team play different football in a few months. That is something you should understand, and I think you do understand that.

"If you look at the game, we started by conceding a goal, and while we turned things around, but from the first minute, we felt we didn’t have the energy to play that game, and then, when you talk about mistakes in the studio, you should understand that it's not just a tactical aspect. It's also because we are so tired at times. Don't worry, we'll be ready for the derby, but I'm just stating the facts."

There are those, however, who believe that Milan's tiredness is a direct consequence of Amorim's demanding style of play, which can be something of a double-edged sword.

As former defender Alessandro Costacurta said in a positive early review of Amorim's impact, the Rossoneri are playing with far greater aggression and adventure than they displayed last season under Massimiliano Allegri.

"I like the attitude they're showing on the pitch," the ex-Italy international said on Sky. "What I'm noticing is this offensive drive, not just when they have to recover the ball, but also when they’re trying to build. I believe that this is the biggest difference they've shown so far. They go flat out all the time."

However, that desire to play full-throttle football for 90 minutes has also been cited by the Gazzetta dello Sport, among others, as the reason for the occasionally damaging drops in energy that have characterised Milan's campaign so far. Basically, the very same time intensity that can overwhelm opponents can also overwhelm the players.

The fear is, then, that even when injury issues abate, the Rossoneri won't get where they want to go unless they learn to manage matches more intelligently by taking their foot off the gas on occasion.

The good news, though, is that Amorim hasn't come across anywhere near as stubborn as he was for almost the entirety of his Old Trafford tenure. While his hand has undoubtedly been forced by injuries, Amorim has even switched from a three-man defence to a back four when required, in order to make the best use of the players at his disposal. It also feels significant that the players have, for the most part, reacted enthusiastically to his methods.

"I still think we are going in the right direction," Modric said after the Bologna setback. "The coach has arrived with new ideas, with a new style of play, and we are trying to understand his ideas and what he asks of us. But we'd done well up until tonight, so we must remain optimistic and hope to react on Saturday." Their chances of doing so are not as slim as they would appear, either.

Milan may already be seven points behind their city rivals in the standings, but it's not as if Inter have been wholly convincing themselves so far this season. Coach Christian Chivu admitted after Wednesday's 2-0 win at Venezia, which came courtesy of a couple of late own goals, that he was so unhappy with his players that he wanted to take them all off at half-time. Even more significantly from Milan's perspective, the Romanian also revealed that the reigning champions are suffering from fatigue themselves due to their own European exertions.

In a further boost for Amorim, it appears that both Mario Gila and Diego Moreira will be fit for the Derby della Madonnina. Whether two returnees will be enough to secure a positive result against a clearly superior and far more settled side is debatable, particularly as Milan look worryingly vulnerable to counter-attacks and have yet to get star summer signing Goncalo Ramos firing up front.

However, Amorim is adamant that, with sufficient support and patience, he will eventually close the gap between the two great rivals. "When we have all our players back, we’ll be ready to fight in every game," he said. "Now, sometimes we lose, sometimes we win, but, in the future, we'll be a very strong team. I believe it."

Crucially, Milan owner Gerry Cardinale believes it too. "I have full confidence in Ruben," the American told the Gazzetta ahead of the derby. "Near the end of 'Top Gun' - my movie - there’s a great line: 'I’m not leaving my wingman.' And I’m not leaving Ruben behind.

"He is in no danger whatsoever. I will stand by his side. I won’t repeat the mistakes made in recent years. He is my coach, and we will keep working together until we manage to take that step up in quality.

"You can’t win if you’re constantly jumping from one coach to another. I was the one who chose Amorim. If I had made a mistake, I’d admit it, but I don’t believe I have. He learned a lot from what happened at Manchester United, and I hired him because he explained to me the mistakes that were made there."

Of course, history has a nasty habit of repeating itself, particularly at clubs run as poorly as United and Milan, and Amorim knows better than most managers how things work at the very highest level. "At every big team" he acknowledged last week, "trouble is always just around the corner." And that was before the disturbing defeats by Bournemouth and Bologna!

No matter Cardinale says, then, should Milan also lose the derby this weekend, Amorim will have even more problems to solve at San Siro - but less time to do so.