Amorim: Milan Derby more similar to Portugal than England; Rabiot, Gila and Moreira ‘ready’

Amorim: Milan Derby more similar to Portugal than England; Rabiot, Gila and Moreira ‘ready’ Milan coach Ruben Amorim says the Derby atmosphere feels more like Portugal than England, and confirms Mario Gila, Adrien Rabiot and Diego Moreira are ‘ready’ to return to the team. Milan face city rivals Inter in the derby della Madonnina on Saturday. The Rossoneri coach Amorim previewed the game at a pre-match press conference today. Milan owner Gerry Cardinale recently confirmed his trust in the coach, and Amorim was glad to hear his words. “I really appreciate Cardinale’s support. We already knew that we couldn’t create strong foundations with these issues over the season,” Amorim said via SempreMilan. UDINE, ITALY – OCTOBER 25: Ruben Amorim, AC Milan manager, looks on during the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Friuli on October 25, 2026 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images) “It will take some time, but at the same time we want to win every game. When we don’t win, we feel it very hard. We need time to build the team and we know that good things take time be in the sweet spot. It doesn’t take away the pain of losing. That is still there.” Gila, Rabiot and Moreira returned to group training earlier this week. “They are ready to go to the team. We need to address in the morning if they can start and what the game plan is. We’ll see tomorrow,” Amorim said. “I think it’s a special match because it’s being played in the same city, and yesterday we saw the plans for the new stadium. It’s a unique rivalry, but there’s also a deep bond: two great teams in the same city sharing a stadium. “I don’t think you can find a context like this anywhere else; it’s truly special. But matches like this… well, if we look at Portuguese culture, the feeling is the same: the sense of responsibility for victory, the enthusiasm of the fans, are very similar. The football culture here is closer to that of Portugal. ITALY – OCTOBER 18: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan, looks on before the Serie A match between AC Milan and Atalanta BC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 18, 2026 in Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) “In England, it’s slightly different: there’s a great battle, but the spirit remains a bit more sporting. Here, you can feel that Latin element that we also experience in Portugal, so I really think it will be a special match. “Everyone knows it’s a special match, a special moment, and when you get to play it, the context doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if you’re tired. You have to go out there and give it your all, and we’ll be there,” Amorim continued. “I said it: I felt it from the first minute of the match against Bologna, watching the game from the bench. We can’t lose a game like that. We can’t afford to concede two goals in two minutes. We can do much better, and there are so many small details that I’ve already discussed with the team. “But since we returned from international duty three weeks ago, there hasn’t been any real time to train. And I’m not saying other teams are in a different position, I’m speaking for ourselves: I feel like there are so many small things we’re missing simply because we don’t have the time to address them in training. “So it’s not just a question of energy, although I’ve noticed that, because with energy you can also mask a lot of shortcomings, but there are so many aspects we need time to work on if we want to become a better team.” Milan have lost three games across all competitions this season, but their first Serie A defeat came in the previous match against Bologna. Cardinale, however, is confident that Milan can still win the Scudetto this season. “You always have to talk about the Scudetto as the main objective when you’re at Milan, but we’ve already dropped points and we need to fix things. We just have to focus on improving the team step by step,” Amorim said. REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – OCTOBER 11: Ruben Amorim Head Coach of AC Milan looks on during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on October 11, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) “What we did wrong in the last match needs to be corrected for the next one. Because if we start thinking too far ahead, about the standings and long-term goals, we risk forgetting what’s really important to us. We want to win consistently, year after year. “We don’t want to win a season just because we had a bit of luck or because we took shortcuts in the foundations of the project, only to find ourselves back where we started the following year. That’s why we have to fix things day by day, addressing both needs in parallel. “But when you’re Milan, the moral obligation is to declare that the objective is to win. And at the same time, we have to be aware that next week we have a match that could allow us to close the gap at the top. “Taking all this into account, we just have to focus on winning the next match, and everything else will calm down. But the objective of the club is always and in any case winning Serie A and that remains our final goal. How long will it take? I don’t know.” VENICE, ITALY – OCTOBER 28: Head coach of FC Internazionale Cristian Chivu looks on during the Serie A match between Venezia FC and FC Internazionale at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on October 28, 2026 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images) A reporter asked Amorim what he envies about Chivu. “I have zero envy for Chivu because I’m already in the right place, that is, at Milan and not at Inter. That’s the way I am, that’s the way I am,” he replied. “I haven’t learned the lesson from my previous experience: I chose more or less the same situation, a club in the midst of rebuilding, which is trying to launch young players like Cisse to build something from scratch. “It’s a challenge that excites me, I like it, and that’s why I chose this project: I’m really happy with my choice. At the same time, however, I’m not naive: I know very well that you have to win games to buy yourself the time necessary to build something lasting. “Everyone chooses their own path, and this is mine. Whether it will work or not, no one can know anything now, but I’m really happy because this reflects exactly who I am and the type of work I want to do. “I understand the questions you ask me: there are days when, in the morning, I think that perhaps I could have had more experience, more calm, a larger squad, fewer injuries. But at the end of the day, I was the one who chose this job, so I’m very happy with it and I’ll go all the way, straight down my path. “You already know: if I embrace an idea, I certainly don’t change my mind. I can change the tactical system, sure, but I won’t change my conviction, and I’ll do everything I can to win and be successful here.” Amorim did talk to Chivu yesterday as both Inter and Milan attended the new stadium unveiling. “He’s very nice. We were complaining a bit about the timing of the presentation because we’d played the night before: he won, so he was happier than me, but we had a match to prepare for, and that was our priority,” Amorim said. “But I think we were all really enthusiastic about the new stadium, I think everyone can say that. Inter, for me, is that team we were talking about: a team that can play with their eyes closed, that rotates, like in the last match in midfield, and continues to express themselves in exactly the same way. “Certain individual characteristics change, but they already know what to do on the pitch even without needing to practice too much. They have an extraordinary ability to read the moments of the game. “You can clearly sense that, even if they find themselves behind late on, they have the maturity to understand that they can win any match: it’s an awareness you gain when you win so many matches and so many titles. “They have a lot of talent in their squad, but we’re there to fight against that too and we’ll be ready for the match. “I think it could be. I think all the problems and difficulties Goncalo Ramos is experiencing are primarily a team issue. I think we need to push forward… We control games well, but we play too far from the opponent’s goal. “We need to raise our centre of gravity and the team on the pitch, spending more time in that area of ​​the pitch to allow Ramos to play his game. He’s playing far from the goal because the team can’t push the opponent in the final thirty metres. I think we need time to correct this aspect as well. “We want to do better and we will improve in this area. But in any match, a player like Goncalo Ramos, who has already shown he can break the deadlock at any moment and score in any situation, can be the man of the match in the next one.”