Amorim unconcerned as Milan thrashed 3-0 by Chelsea: “We knew we’d suffer, we’re challenging the players” | OneFootball

Amorim's Milan were well beaten by Chelsea [Getty Images]

Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan are yet to win so far in pre-season, but the Portuguese boss insists the right preparation is being made for the new Serie A campaign.

The Rossoneri were beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in Indonesia on Saturday, with Portuguese stars on both sides. Amorim fielded Rafael Leão in the first half, while new signing Gonçalo Ramos emerged after the interval. For Chelsea, Pedro Neto played 59 minutes, after which he was replaced by countryman Geovany Quenda, while Dário Essugo was an unused substitute.

Neto proved particularly dangerous in Xabi Alonso’s side as a right wing-back, laying on the second of Brazilian forward Joao Pedro’s brace to put Chelsea 2-0 up in the second half. Midfielder Moises Caicedo added a stunning third to consign Milan to a heavy defeat, which follows draws against Celtic (2-2) and Inter (1-1) so far in their friendly fixtures.

Chelsea could have added to their advantage with a host of late opportunities, as a bright cameo from Quenda saw the former Sporting man hit the post as well as create openings for teammates. The extent to which Milan were played through in the latter stages will be a concern for supporters, as Amorim looks to implement his trusted 3-4-2-1 system, but the Portuguese boss believes he is playing the long game.

“We knew that we’d suffer a bit today, but we wanted to challenge the players,” Amorim told reporters.

“They know how to defend as a team, play one-on-one and press high. Against teams like Chelsea, we will never press in this way, but we are here to prepare so that we can win the first official game of the season and give our players some confidence.

“We also had many young players in the squad, so this is a process to get them into the team and be ready to win the first official match of the campaign.”

Milan begin their Italian league season against Torino on Sunday August 23, before which Amorim will complete the warm-up fixtures by facing former club Manchester United in Poland next Saturday. As the new campaign approaches, Amorim admits there will likely be more changes to his squad.

“We will make decisions on our players," he said. "These two weeks of training have been very positive, but we have a large squad, so we must pick some players and we’ll make some choices next week.”

Those words could be particularly relevant to Leão, who continues to be linked with a move away from San Siro.