Milan’s opening weeks have offered promise, interruptions and a familiar demand for patience. Mauro Tassotti, whose 17 seasons in Rossoneri colours brought 583 official appearances, five league titles and three European Cups, believes Ruben Amorim must be given the time to establish a new team and a new set of ideas.
The decision
Tassotti’s message is that Milan should not rush its judgement on a coach still learning the club and a group still adapting to his methods. He sees the uneven early results as part of the necessary adjustment rather than evidence that Amorim’s project has lost direction.
“It is far too early to assess a new manager working with a new side and, above all, new principles,” Tassotti said. “There have been difficult moments, as was foreseeable, but also plenty of encouraging signs, including against Lecce. It is the sort of start one could have anticipated. Amorim now needs the time to understand the environment and his players fully.”
The former defender wants Milan to remain faithful to the proactive intention behind Amorim’s work. He pointed to the response away to Lazio, where the coach found answers after his side went two goals down, as evidence that he can react within difficult matches.
Tassotti also praised Amorim’s public manner, describing him as direct and clear in his explanations, including his reasoning over the use of Luka Modric. Modric, he said, still changes the team’s ability to cover the pitch, but his age means his minutes must be managed carefully. Tassotti stressed that Milan did not retain the Croatian merely as a gesture, while noting that the workload becomes considerable when Modric plays alongside three forwards.
At the back, Tassotti has been impressed by Gila’s early influence. He described the defender as quick, mobile and strong in recovery situations, attributes especially useful for a high defensive line. Gila’s capacity to operate in either a three-man or four-man defence could also give Milan options should the system change.
He believes Gila can complement Pavlovic’s physical presence and De Winter’s more composed reading of the game. Tassotti added that defenders often settle more quickly than attacking players because their individual qualities are less dependent on the collective structure. In his view, Moreira and Ramos require greater support from the overall play before their strengths can emerge consistently.
On the flanks, Tassotti acknowledged that Chukwueze is in his first season working the entire right side. There have been positive contributions, he said, but also occasions when Milan have been left exposed. On the opposite wing, Estupinan’s injury could reopen a place for Bartesaghi, whom Tassotti expected to see more often in any case because of his physical and technical qualities.
Ramos should not be evaluated solely by his presence inside the penalty area, Tassotti argued. He does not view him as a conventional box striker, and suggested that the forward could benefit from playing closer to another attacker. Tassotti highlighted Ramos’s aerial ability and aptitude for creating for teammates, while calling for patience.
The same principle applies to Milan’s summer investment. A sizeable fee, he said, does not automatically deliver 25 goals. Moreira was also expensive, yet that alone cannot mean he must start every match; the coach is best placed to decide when the player is ready and evidently believes further development is needed.
For Tassotti, Champions League qualification has to be Milan’s minimum domestic target. He does not see four or five Italian sides clearly superior to the Rossoneri, although a title challenge would require an outstanding campaign. The European route will carry its own complications too: supposedly easier opponents only look easier before the football begins.
Tassotti also remembered Franco Baresi as an incomparable footballer, recalling his remarkably consistent level on the pitch and saying the affection shown across sport and beyond had brought comfort to Baresi’s family and former team-mates.
Sunday’s picture
Milan began with wins over Torino and Venezia, then drew with Juventus. Setbacks against Lazio and Benfica followed before the side returned to winning ways against Lecce. It is a sequence too short to define the season, but it explains Tassotti’s caution: the early campaign has not yet settled into a clear shape.
The coming league afternoons will therefore test not only Milan’s results but the club’s willingness to allow Amorim’s work to take root. Tassotti’s own career is a reminder that lasting cycles are built over time, rather than decided by the first unsteady weeks.
