Amorim: ‘Milan have work to do, but Ramos seems like two strikers’

Ruben Amorim admits Milan have ‘a lot of work to do’ especially with their defenders after a 2-0 win over Venezia, but hails Goncalo Ramos. ‘It looks like two guys, but it’s just him.’

It was turning into another frustrating encounter for the Rossoneri in their first home match of the season, but just like the 2-1 victory at Torino, they needed a spark from the bench.

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MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Ardon Jashari of AC Milan celebrates his team’s second goal with teammates, an own goal scored by Redouane Halhal of Venezia during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

While Adrien Rabiot changed the game in Turin, it was Alexis Saelemaekers who made the difference here, going on the counter-attack and sending Goncalo Ramos through to score with a cheeky disguised pass.

He then sent Ardon Jashari clear with another good pass, this time the finish ending up in the net after a lucky ricochet off Venezia defender Redouane Halhal.

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MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan, reacts during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“It’s easy to understand the game. I already said it would be a very tough match for us, because of the way they play the game,” Amorim told DAZN Italia.

“We know the first game at San Siro, everyone is expecting is to go and get a goal fast, then we leave strong strikers one against one.

“We had more chances to score, but we never had long periods of possession, we never calmed down the game, and that was a little bit what Venezia wanted. We managed some things well, this game shows we have a lot of work to do, but we won and that is important.”

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MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Goncalo Ramos of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Alexis Saelemaekers during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The key to changing the match was the introduction of Saelemaekers and Adrien Rabiot in place of Alphadjo Cisse and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so what inspired Amorim?

“I felt in that position we had space and needed creativity in that movement. My first thinking was to move Loftus-Cheek over to the other side, also because set plays can change the game, but then I felt we needed another change and different creativity near the goal.

“You watch the game, try to put the right players on the pitch, and I made two changes.”

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MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Ruben Amorim, Manager of AC Milan, looks on before the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

This is the first clean sheet for Milan under Amorim in a competitive match, and of course his debut at the legendary San Siro on this bench.

“We need to improve the way we defend crosses in the box, and have to spend time in training on that. When we are attacking, the centre-backs have to think the game is different, it’s about preparing the transitions. Sometimes they are just looking at the play, like spectators waiting to see what happens in front of them.

“We want to push forward, we left our half completely free, we mark man to man, so we have a lot of work to do,” continued Amorim.

“I just want to say also that it is not easy to play in this amazing stadium, we know the fans have lots of memories of great teams, the pressure is big, but we are working really hard. Sometimes the win is not so beautiful, but it is important for our path.”

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MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Goncalo Ramos of Milan shoots past Filip Stankovic of Venezia under pressure from Kike Perez of Venezia during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Ramos was a huge investment from Paris Saint-Germain, with reports the fee could with bonuses eventually come to €80m, and he scored his first goal today after missing several opportunities.

“Of course he’s a striker, we paid a lot of money because he scores goals, but the way he plays, works, connects the game, that means a lot. Sometimes it looks like we have two guys breaking the line, but it’s just Goncalo Ramos,” insisted Amorim.

“The way he didn’t score big opportunities, he was composed for the third one and free to score a goal. That shows he is an experienced player, he’s not thinking about the missed chances, he’s thinking about the next one.”