STARTING XI DIALOGUE BETWEEN RUBEN AMORIM AND JOURNALIST

The tactical discussion that head coach Ruben Amorim had with a journalist at his last press conference became one of the most talked-about events on the sports agenda. When journalist Michael Cuomo asked the Portuguese manager whether he would stop experimenting and field his best starting eleven, cold winds blew in the room. Responding to this critical question, Amorim asked the journalist what his own best eleven was. The journalist listed Maignan in goal, Gila, De Winter or Gabbia, and Pavlovic in defense, Chukwueze, Modric, Rabiot, and Moreira in midfield, and the trio of Cisse, Pulisic, and Ramos in the attack. Hearing this squad preference, Amorim immediately moved on to a tactical interrogation. Asking who he would put in if Chukwueze on the right wing got injured after playing three consecutive matches, Amorim received the answer Saelemaekers from the journalist. The Portuguese coach drew attention to the risks of this choice by questioning the possibility of Saelemaekers being left one-on-one on the right side. The most striking moment of the dialogue occurred while discussing the midfield structure. Upon the journalist stating that he preferred the duo of Rabiot and Modric in the center, Amorim emphasized the hypocrisy of the media. Reminding that the same press made harsh criticisms about Modric's speed and physical decline last week, the successful manager clearly expressed how he defended the Croatian star in the press conference while the journalists criticized him. These harsh and tactical responses awakened a massive echo.

IMAGE: SEMPRE MILAN