Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Ruben Amorim insisted his new AC Milan team are quickly adapting to his tactical demands after playing their first game under his stewardship against Celtic on Saturday.
The first look at Amorim’s Milan came at Parkhead, with the Rossoneri coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Scottish Premiership champions.
Milan found themselves 2-0 down at the break after costly errors from Strahinja Pavlovic and Samuele Ricci were punished by Camilo Duran and James Forrest.
However, the Serie A giants hit back two minutes after the restart through substitute Francesco Camarda, who scored a penalty after he was fouled by Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Camarda completed the comeback in the 52nd minute when he headed in Samuel Chukwueze’s teasing cross to the back post, with neither side able to find the winning goal.
Amorim, like he did during his time at Sporting CP and Manchester United, adopted a three-man defence, with Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Pavlovic in the backline.
It was something Massimiliano Allegri implemented at Milan in 2025-26, and Amorim is confident that his players will begin to understand his ideas quickly.
“We tried to keep the ball. We struggled a bit because we pressed high all over the pitch,” Amorim conceded.
“We need to build that in and improve it. We’ll be sharper physically and read the game better. The team hasn’t taken that idea on board yet, but it is coming.
“The lads tried to do the work. It wasn’t easy. We should have done better in certain moments, like when we conceded, but that’s normal after two weeks of training.”
Our first run-out of pre-season finishes all square pic.twitter.com/2BgzgVEihY
— AC Milan (@acmilan) July 25, 2026
Milan fashioned the better opportunities against Celtic, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 1.8 from their 10 shots to their opponents’ 1.1 from their seven attempts.
But their comeback was led by Camarda, who finished with team-high totals for shots (four), while only Chukwueze (six) had more touches in the opposition box than his four.
Camarda spent the 2025-26 season on loan with Lecce and scored one goal and provided one assist across 23 appearances in all competitions.
Lecce activated the 18-year-old’s buy option from Milan ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, only for the Rossoneri to exercise their buy-back clause and sign the talented teenager to a contract running until 2031.
And Amorim revealed that the striker was a part of his plans for the upcoming campaign.
“Camarda has to stay with us. I believe a lot in him and in the young players working with us,” Amorim said of the Milan striker.
“I don’t want to talk about individuals, but what I can say is that Camarda will stay with us this season.”
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