Pazzini: Milan must give Amorim time to build the team he wants

Giampaolo Pazzini’s verdict on Ruben Amorim is clear: Milan’s coach needs time to make the team fit his ideas. The former Milan and Atalanta striker says Amorim has been honest about the gap between his current side and the one he wants—and believes the coach can succeed if the club gives him the chance to build it.

“Amorim was honest in admitting that Milan are not what he would like,” Pazzini told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If he is given the time he deserves, he will do well.”

Pazzini points to a summer of disruption and a team still adapting. Some internationals returned late from the World Cup, while Christian Pulisic was injured. Milan have made a positive start in the league, sitting sixth with 12 points from six matches and unbeaten, but Pazzini says their play is not yet as fluent as Amorim wants. He rates the coach’s results positively apart from defeats to Benfica and a draw with Sassuolo.

The benchmark Pazzini has in mind is Amorim’s Sporting side, which he admired for its high press, intensity and quality in possession. Viktor Gyökeres gave that team a focal point in attack. Milan, in Pazzini’s view, need time to develop the collective identity and attacking connections that made that side effective.

That makes Sunday’s meeting with Atalanta a test between two teams still adjusting, rather than a likely spectacle. Pazzini says both clubs changed significantly from last season and are improving, but neither is at its best. Atalanta are 10th on nine points, and their own transition is particularly pronounced: after playing with a back three under Gian Piero Gasperini and Raffaele Palladino, they now use a back four under Maurizio Sarri. Pazzini says changing an established football culture takes patience and work. He also believes Atalanta lack the ideal wide players for Sarri’s approach, which has led the coach to make tactical adjustments.

Pazzini also sees a specific service issue for Milan forward Gonçalo Ramos. He describes Ramos as technically strong and effective in combination play, but says he does not attack space behind the defence. Milan should bring him the ball in the final 25 metres and use combinations in tight areas to create finishing chances. Goals for his national team and Salzburg in the Europa League may ease pressure, Pazzini says, though the Milan shirt carries weight even for a player who has won the last two Champions Leagues.

For Atalanta, he hopes Gianluca Scamacca can put his injury problems behind him. Alternating Scamacca with Nikola Krstović, whom Pazzini praises for his intensity and attitude, could help Scamacca return to the pitch in top condition. Pazzini considers the Conference League a realistic target for Atalanta and wants them back in the fight for European qualification domestically. Milan and Atalanta meet at San Siro on Sunday, 18 October, at 18:00 CEST.