Are Milan Starting to Look Like a Ruben Amorim Team? | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim’s Milan head into the international break with their heads held high after an emphatic 3-0 win over Lecce.

The beginning of the Portuguese managers tenure has been chaotic. Performances and line-ups have been criticised by the media and fans.

A bizarre pre-match press conference for the Lecce fixture saw Amorim request for a reporter to list what he believed to be Milan’s best XI.

Later, he would go onto state “Nobody here wants to win more games than me, and I am not just thinking about short-term, but also long-term because that is best for the club, not for me. Tomorrow I will pick the best starting XI, thinking if I have to push forward in the second half”.

The XI that would line up against Lecce would differ from the one suggested from the journalist, and it became evident why Amorim was the one making the decisions.

An on-paper formation of 3-4-2-1 included the highly debated midfield of Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot. Christian Pulisic was also in the XI, making his first start of the campaign.

The characteristics of his Sporting Lisbon side were on display from early on. The back three recycle the ball between themselves, the two central midfielders, and the wingbacks.

Luka Modric was the focal point, receiving the ball, taking minimal touches and finding a wingback or one of the inside forwards.

Pulisic operated primarily in the right half-space, dropping deep to receive the ball and simultaneously creating space for Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian was a constant outlet for Modric throughout the match, being found with pinpoint diagonal passes.

The players were aware of their teammate’s positions, the fluidity in possession allowed them to exploit space. Chukwueze hogged the touchline, Goncalo Ramos dropped deep, which created the space for Pulisic to be found from a direct Strahinja Pavlović pass. The American took a beautiful touch and converted to put Milan ahead.

In possession in the final third the shape interchanged between a 3-3-3-1 and a 3-3-4. Pervis Estupiñán would invert into midfield, Alexis Saelemaekers would hog the touchline and would become easier to find with the gap in space created by his wing-back.

On the other side, Pulisic would go centrally, with Chukwueze operating on the right-wing. Ramos’s movement meant the formation fluttered between a front four and one up top with three behind him.

The further inside Chukwueze was, the more space there was to be exploited by Mario Gila, Milan’s “wide” centre back.

Both “wide” centre backs got involved in the attacking action. Milan’s high aggressive press saw Pavlović push forward to win the ball in the transition. He gave it to Pulisic, the Serbian continued his run and was found with a through ball. The attack only resulted in a corner, but it demonstrated how any of the Milan players could be a potential threat.

Even when possession was lost, Milan didn’t look vulnerable. While Rabiot was seen in forward positions, Modric remained at the base of the midfield, giving Milan a strong rest-defence.

Aggressive counter-pressing was in operation, typical of an Amorim side. Lecce were given very little time on the ball centrally. Even when they had a sustained spell of possession, Milan’s compactness led to Lecce failing to create a single big chance.

The Rossoneri’s second goal was Amorim football to a tee. Gila quickly closes down the Lecce left winger and aggressively wins the ball. Modric, again, is the focal point. The Croatian veteran picks out Saelemaekers, who lays it off to a deeply positioned Pulisic.

A Pulisic back-heel finds Rabiot, the USMNT international moves back into the frontline while Rabiot carries the ball before playing it back to Gila. Pulisic drops deep to receive the ball from Gila, Rabiot moves into the void left by Pulisic, the Frenchman is found from a flick on from the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund man.

The ball is then played across to Ramos who gives it straight back to Rabiot — this one-two pins the Lecce centre back to a position that keeps the space in front of Rabiot — and the 31-year-old converts to double the home sides lead.

It wouldn’t take long for a third. Mike Maignan went direct from a goal kick, Lecce struggled to deal with it and the aggressive high press from the Milan forwards saw Diego Moreira steel the ball, carry it towards goal and score minutes after coming on.

Despite the impressive performance, Amorim’s declaration that he is planning for the long-term is an important aspect to remember.  A complex system that includes fluid possession and aggressive pressing will take time to perfect. But, for the first time in the 2026/27 season, Milan looked a well-coached side for an entire 90 minutes.

His time at Manchester United showed he is a coach that will stick to his principles, even if that results in criticism and defeats. The current group of players may not be the perfect personal for his system and the reliance on a 41-year-old Luka Modric could prove costly as the season goes on.

While the quality of the opposition should be factored in, some of the core principals of his ideology were on display against Lecce. As time goes on Amorim will hope the players will become more accustomed to his style of football, and that Milan can return to the Champions League and competing for league titles.