Amorim at a Loss After Milan Thrashed by Ferencvaros: We Weren't Ready to Play

Milan again showed worrying inconsistency after falling 0-2 to Ferencvaros in the Europa League at San Siro in the early hours of Friday (8/11/2024) WIB. The defeat was their third in four opening matches of the competition, proving that the 3-1 win over Inter Milan in last weekend's derby was merely an illusion of revival.

Coach Ruben Amorim could not hide his disappointment. In an interview with Sky Sport Italia, he admitted he had no explanation for his team's poor performance, especially in the first half. "There is no explanation. There is nothing I can say, especially about the first half," he said with a disappointed look. "I don't remember us ever playing like that in the first half. It is about ambition and concentration. We gave away chances, made stupid mistakes. We were not ready to play football tonight."

Both Ferencvaros goals came from mistakes in the back line and by young goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, who started in place of Mike Maignan (suspended) and Pietro Terracciano (injured). Lenny Joseph took advantage of the lapse to score a brace and silence San Siro. Amorim stressed that the defeat was not solely due to the absence of key players, but a matter of mentality and the team's readiness.

Amorim highlighted the stark difference between his team's performance against Inter and against Ferencvaros. "It is hard to explain. We were not ready to switch from the derby to this competition. When you wear the Milan jersey, there is responsibility, and you cannot play like this," he said. He also admitted there may have been mistakes in the preparation over the last two days. "Maybe I made mistakes, but I see the team having similar problems last season. We have to find a solution. We were not ready tonight, we did not show courage."

The defeat also exposed Milan's weakness in coping with a congested schedule. Amorim judged his team not yet ready to compete in two competitions at once. "We are not ready to be competitive on two fronts. We have to work on our approach and the way we view football. There is no excuse tonight," he said. Nevertheless, he stressed he would not give up on the Europa League as long as a mathematical chance remained. "I have to think about Serie A, but we also need to do well in the Europa League. We can and must win even with rotation. We have to be ready, and right now we are not ready to play and win every three days."

The absence of Strahinja Pavlovic, rested for the first time after playing almost every full match this season, also affected the stability of the back line. Amorim praised the Serbian defender's work ethic. "Everyone should train like Pavlovic. He is ready to die in training, he sets a good example. Sometimes players struggle when they are not starters, but there is no excuse, we should have won with those who played as well," he said.

With three defeats from four matches, Milan's chances of continuing their Europa League run after January are growing slim. Focus now shifts to Serie A, where Milan must bounce back quickly to hold their place in the upper table. The question is whether Amorim can fix the mentality of a team that looks fragile before the season truly gets far along.