Amorim admits Milan were not ready to play against Ferencváros

Rúben Amorim admitted that Milan were not ready to play against Ferencváros. After his side’s Europa League defeat at San Siro, the Portuguese coach gave Sky Sport 24 a blunt assessment, expressing frustration with a display that, in his view, fell short of what the occasion demanded.

“There is no explanation. There is nothing I can say, especially about the first half. I don’t remember another first half like that,” he said. He then underlined the need for ambition and focus: “It is about ambition, concentration, ambition. We gave away opportunities, we made stupid gifts. We were not prepared to play football tonight.”

Amorim offered little tactical defence of the result. Instead, his comments pointed to shortcomings in his players’ preparation and mentality. He also reminded them of the responsibility that comes with playing for Milan: “If you play for Milan, you have a responsibility; you cannot go out onto the pitch like that. We are not prepared to compete on both fronts, Serie A and Europe; we have to work on how we approach matches.” He added that he had nothing to say in defence of the team and that they had to understand what had happened.

The loss extended a difficult European run: Milan had now suffered their third defeat in four matches in the competition. Ferencváros won 2-0 at San Siro, just days after Milan had beaten Inter 3-1. The opening goal came in the 51st minute, following an error by Lorenzo Torriani. The ball got away from the young goalkeeper in the move, allowing Lenny Joseph to score.

For Amorim, then, the issue went beyond the result: his side had not met the demands of the occasion, and its preparation and approach to matches would need to be reconsidered.