Ruben Amorim was seconds away from history. Instead, AC Milan’s perfect Serie A start came crashing down in the most painful fashion when Federico Gatti struck a stoppage-time equaliser to earn Juventus a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Stadium.
Milan had taken the lead through Alphadjo Cissè in the second half and looked set to hand Amorim three wins from his opening three Serie A matches.
That would have given the former Manchester United boss a remarkable start and put him on the verge of matching a Milan managerial record dating back to the 1950s.
But Gatti’s late header changed everything.
Rather than celebrate another victory, Amorim was left analysing a performance he admitted did not deserve three points.
The Portuguese coach refused to hide behind the late equaliser, insisting Juventus were worthy of taking something from the contest.
“We didn’t deserve to win, if we are honest, or more like Juventus didn’t deserve to lose.
“We tried to play out game, we were not good with the ball. We had moments when we controlled the game in the first half, but we started losing the ball a lot, we didn’t play well, but again we have been working together for two months. We need to do better, but we need time, it was a tough game for us.”
That admission will be welcomed by Milan supporters who have seen their team make a flying start under Amorim but also show clear areas that still need work.
The biggest concern against Juventus was Milan’s use of the ball.
Amorim believes his players must improve the fundamentals before they can consistently dominate matches.
“We have individual quality, but the simple things are the most important things, the way we receive and pass the ball, the fundamentals of football, today we were not good.”
The draw ended Milan’s winning run, but Amorim is not prepared to abandon his footballing philosophy.
The former United manager believes his team must remain committed to the way he wants them to play, even if that approach produces difficult moments during the transition.
“My feeling is when my team doesn’t have the ball, we struggle,” Amorim told DAZN Italia.”When Juve put a lot of strikers in front, we defended well, but we suffered more when we lost the ball and they had transitions.
“We are not going to change the way we play, because we know that in some games it’ll go well, in others it won’t, but the important thing is that we fight to win. We could’ve won today, but again Juventus didn’t deserve to lose either.”
That final point could prove important as Amorim continues rebuilding Milan.
Two months into his work with the squad, the manager clearly believes improvement will not happen overnight.
The unbeaten start had created early excitement, but the Juventus result offered a reality check. Milan have quality, ambition and a new tactical identity, yet there are still weaknesses that stronger opponents can expose.
For Amorim, patience is therefore not an excuse. It is part of the process.
Milan will have little time to dwell on the dropped points. They travel to Lazio on September 12 before beginning their Europa League campaign against Benfica four days later.
Those matches will provide another test of whether Amorim’s ideas are taking hold.
The winning streak is over. The bigger project, however, has only just begun.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
