Amorim: ‘If I fail, I want to fail big, but don’t know if I’ll have time at Milan’

Amorim: ‘If I fail, I want to fail big, but don’t know if I’ll have time at Milan’ Ruben Amorim compares Milan difficulties to Manchester United, admitting he would rather ‘fail big’ than limp to victory, even if he isn’t sure he’ll ‘have the time’ to enact his vision. The Europa League starts tonight against Benfica, kicking off at San Siro at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST). You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog. TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan looks on before the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) This is the opener in the Europa League first phase, followed by fixtures against RB Salzburg, Bournemouth, Ferencvaros, Olympiacos, Sunderland, Levski-Sofia and Ararat-Armenia. All the results go into one big table, a similar format to the Champions League, and which had been first introduced last season. Amorim still trying to find his Milan MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 28: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan, reacts during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Venezia FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 28, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Luka Modric was taken off at half-time in the 2-2 draw with Lazio, and is dropped this evening, so is the Croatia international becoming a problem? “That was a game, it was a game the team didn’t play well in the first half. That is normal, we need patience especially a player who is 40 years old, but when we have three games in a week, we need everyone,” Amorim told Sky Sport Italia. “We need to win every game. For my experience, it is impossible to be fresh playing three games in a week. I don’t see some players so much better than the others, we need everyone and to pick the best line-up for every match.” JAKARTA, INDONESIA – AUGUST 08: Head coach Ruben Amorim of AC Milan looks on during the pre-season friendly between Chelsea FC and AC Milan at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on August 08, 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Photo by Peksi Cahyo/Getty Images) Paolo Di Canio in the Sky Sport Italia studio put it to Amorim that he was facing a similar problem to his time at Manchester United, where he needed players willing to press, run hard and fight in order to make his style of football work, and he didn’t have many players suited to that vision. “I think you are a little bit right. I know at Manchester United and Milan, two big clubs with the pressure to win, people expect everything in just a few months, and I feel the same pressure here,” replied Amorim. Ruben Amorim smiles at his first Milan press conference (acmilan.com) “I think this team is a little bit different, they are more accustomed to working with three defenders, they are a little bit faster, a little bit stronger. Of course, I don’t have the clear characteristics that are perfect at this moment, but it is impossible when you take on a new team to have those perfect characteristics right away. “I know it will take time, but I also know that there is big pressure at this club, yet I prefer this kind of job because if I need to fail one day, I want to fail big. I have a lot of passion for this club, I want to help this club to be better, I don’t know if I will have the time, but I look at my players and I think they are listening to everything that I say in training, and that gives me hope we can solve these problems.” PERTH, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 05: AC Milan head coach Ruben Amorim looks on during the pre-season match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Optus Stadium on August 05, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images) Amorim has rotated the squad for this Europa League fixture, bringing in Omari Hutchinson for his first start, Filippo Terracciano in defence, plus Ardon Jashari and Yunus Musah in midfield. Benfica have won their last seven competitive games in a row, but they have a massive showdown against FC Porto coming up on Sunday, so their rotation is a little more understandable.