Milan used the international break to look inward at Milanello, drawing 1-1 with Padova in a closed-door joint training session that was less about the score than the options it placed before Ruben Amorim. With 15 first-team players away on national-team duty, the Portuguese coach turned to several members of Milan Futuro and tested combinations that may carry relevance when Serie A resumes.
Padova, currently positioned in the middle of the Serie B table, provided opposition for an experimental Milan side. The visitors struck late through Sgarbi, but Milan had earlier gone ahead when Lorenzo Ossola finished an assist from Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Ossola, one of the more highly regarded prospects in the Milan Futuro group, was among the younger players called upon to make up the numbers during a depleted week at the training ground.
The principal indication came from the shape chosen by Amorim. Milan began in a 4-2-3-1, reinforcing the sense that the system is a credible alternative to the 3-4-2-1 more closely associated with his work. There had already been signs of that possibility in the recent meeting with Lecce; the session against Padova gave the idea a more deliberate examination.
Pietro Terracciano started in goal behind a back four of Fikayo Tomori, Gila, Matteo Gabbia and Diawara. Loftus-Cheek and Comotto formed the central pairing, while Filippo Terracciano, Idrissi and Hutchinson supported Christian Pulisic. Ossola, Pereira and Vos entered after the interval.
Pulisic was used as the central forward, a solution Amorim had already floated in recent weeks, although the American did not leave a decisive mark in the role. Loftus-Cheek operated from central midfield, while Tomori and Diawara were given useful minutes in what resembled proper match conditions. Hutchinson was among the livelier figures, repeatedly finding threatening positions.
A useful rehearsal before Sassuolo
The result itself carried limited weight, as both clubs framed the meeting as a training exercise rather than a conventional friendly. For Milan, its value lay in restoring rhythm to players who needed it, strengthening the connection between the senior squad and Milan Futuro, and allowing Amorim to inspect a different structure without the pressure of a league afternoon.
The next visit to Reggio Emilia, against Sassuolo, should offer a clearer answer on whether the 4-2-3-1 remains simply one route available to Milan or becomes the preferred road for the next stage of their season.
