Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Ruben Amorim said AC Milan’s struggles in the second half of Sunday’s 3-2 win over Atalanta does not change the fact he is seeing improvements across all areas of his team.
Milan’s unbeaten start in Serie A extended to seven matches at San Siro, but the Rossoneri survived a scare in the closing stages as Atalanta threatened an epic comeback.
Goncalo Ramos’ 24th-minute penalty had given Milan the lead, with the in-form Adrien Rabiot doubling the hosts’ tally just before the break to put Amorim’s side in control.
Milan pulled further clear through Mario Gila, who headed in from a corner which came after Marco Carnesecchi had done brilliantly to keep out Ramos’ second penalty.
Gianluca Gaetano came off the bench and scored seven minutes after his arrival, with Nikola Krstovic setting up a grandstand finish when he tucked home in the 81st minute.
However, Milan were able to hold on and claim an important three points, avoiding defeat in their first seven Serie A matches for the first time since 2021-22 (W6 D1).
Milan also ended a six-game winless run against Atalanta in the top flight, and though Amorim conceded the second-half display from his team was far from ideal, he believes that his players are slowly getting to grips with his tactics.
“Of course, the result is the most important thing, but we also have to analyse the performance,” Amorim told DAZN Italia and Sky Sport Italia.
“I said against Sassuolo we were improving as a team, the final minutes don’t change that, they just give us a clear idea that we have a lot of work to do.
“The momentum changed completely, as before the Atalanta goal, we were controlling the game and closer to a fourth goal than conceding a first, but some bad decisions, especially in the build-up, gave them opportunities, and we have to improve that.”
— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 18, 2026
The result also saw Amorim (W4 D3) become only the third Milan manager in Serie A history to remain unbeaten in each of his first seven games in charge, after Hector Puricelli in 1955 (W3 D4) and Luis Carniglia in 1963 (W4 D3).
Rabiot has been key to Milan’s strong start, and he has now been involved in at least one goal in four consecutive matches for the first time in his career while playing across Europe’s top five leagues.
The last midfielder to achieve this for Milan in Serie A was Hakan Calhanoglu in December 2020 (one assist per game against Parma, Genoa and Sassuolo, one goal and two assists against Lazio).
However, when speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Rabiot said he was angry with the way Milan performed in the second half, adding he wanted more from the substitutes.
“Rabiot is a really important player,” Amorim said of Rabiot’s comments. “I felt that after half-time we spoke to him.
“This is a guy who is experienced, he knows he cannot stop every play when he has a yellow.
“He was too important today to change him, but if I felt one more foul would lead to a card, I’d change him. I didn’t feel that today.”
Serie A News
Gasperini had no doubt Roma would bounce back from ‘devastating’ loss to Real Madrid
Serie A News
Kolarov: Inter have nothing to prove to anyone
Serie A News
Spalletti unlikely to start Woltemade and Kolo Muani together for Juve
Serie A News
Sarri thrilled with Atalanta progress ahead of Milan clash
Serie A News
Allegri challenges Napoli to ‘change the trend’ after Venezia defeat
Serie A News
Roma must put things right after Champions League collapse, urges Gasperini
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
