Are Milan starting to look like Ruben Amorim’s team?

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

The beginning of the Portugal manager’s tenure was chaotic. The performance and lineup were criticized by the media and fans.

In a bizarre pre-match press conference for the Lecce game, Amorim asked a reporter to list what he thought was Milan’s best line-up.

Later, he will enter the country”No one here wants to win more games than me and I don’t just think about the short term but the long term because that’s what’s best for the club, not me. Tomorrow I will pick the best starting XI and consider whether to go forward in the second half“.

The starting XI against Lecce will be different to the one suggested by journalists and it’s clear why Amorim is the one to make the decision.

The 3-4-2-1 formation on paper includes controversial midfielders Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot. Christian Pulisic was also in the starting XI, making his first start of the season.

The character of his Sporting Lisbon side was evident from the start. The three defenders circulate the ball between themselves, the two midfielders and the full-backs.

Luka Modric is the focal point, receiving the ball with minimal touches and finding a full-back or an inside forward.

Pulisic mainly operates in the right half, dropping deep to receive the ball while creating space for Samuel Chukwueze. The Nigerian had been Modric’s outlet throughout the game and his pinpoint diagonal passes were found.

Players know where their teammates are and fluidity in possession allows them to exploit space. Chukwueze occupied the touchline and Goncalo Ramos dropped deep, which found space for Pulisic to feed in Strazinja Pavlovich’s direct pass. The American gave Milan the lead with a nice touch.

In the final third of possession, the formations switched between 3-3-3-1 and 3-3-4. Pervis Estupiñán would move into midfield and Alexis Saelemaekers would occupy the sidelines and be easier to spot due to the gaps in space created by the full-backs.

Pulisic, on the other hand, will play as the center forward, while Chukweize will play on the right wing. Ramos’ movement meant the formation oscillated between a four-man front line and a three-man back line.

The further inside Chukweeze is, the more space Milan’s “wide” centre-back Mario Gila can exploit.

Both “wide” central defenders were involved in the attack. Milan’s intense pressing allowed Pavlovich to push forward in transition and win the ball. He passed the ball to Pulisic and the Serb continued his run, eventually finding a through ball. The attack only resulted in a corner kick, but it showed that any Milan player can be a potential threat.

Even when losing possession, Milan didn’t look vulnerable. While Rabiot appears in the forward position, Modric stays at the bottom of the midfield, providing Milan with a strong defense.

The offensive counter-pressing was at work, typical of Amorim. Lecce had very little time to get the ball in the middle. Even with sustained possession, Milan’s compactness prevented Lecce from creating a single good chance.

this RossoneriThe second goal was scored by Amorim Football. Gila quickly pressed Lecce’s left wing and actively grabbed the ball. Modric takes center stage again. The Croatian veteran picked out Sallemaker, who passed the ball to Pulisic who was positioned deeper.

Pulisic back-heeled to Rabiot, and the United States international returned to the front line, where Rabiot dribbled the ball before passing it to Gila. Pulisic dropped deep to receive the ball from Gila, Rabiot moved into the space left by Pulisic and the Frenchman was found by the former Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund player’s flick.

The ball then passed to Ramos, who played the ball directly back to Rabiot – a one-two that pushed the Lecce center back into a position to maintain space in front of Rabiot – and the 31-year-old doubled the home side’s lead.

The third one doesn’t take too long. Mike Maignan received a direct goal kick that Lecce struggled to deal with and the Milan forward’s aggressive high press allowed Diego Moreira to drive the ball towards goal and score just minutes later.

Despite his impressive performance, Amorim’s statement that he is working on long-term plans is worth remembering. A complex system involving smooth ball control and aggressive pressing took time to perfect. However, for the first time in 2026/27, Milan looked like a well-coached team for the entire 90 minutes.

His experience at Manchester United shows that he is a coach who will stick to his principles, even if this leads to criticism and failure. The current group of players may not be a good fit for his system, and reliance on 41-year-old Luka Modric could prove costly as the season progresses.

While the quality of the opponents should be taken into account, some core tenets of his ideology were on display against Lecce. As time goes by, Amorim hopes that the players will become more accustomed to his style of football and that Milan can return to the Champions League and compete for the league title.