Fabio Capello Slams Amorim: “I don’t know if he gets it”

Milan lost 2-0 to Benfica at San Siro in their Europa League debut, and Fabio Capello didn’t mince words with Ruben Amorim. The former Rossoneri coach had also criticized the Portuguese manager before the match for his lineup choices: “I don’t know if he’s realized who’s in charge and who can give him that extra edge. There are key players who, however, aren’t playing tonight.”

“I ask myself: does he know the value of the players he’s coaching? The ones who make a difference? He’s surprising me. I don’t know if he’s figured out the value of his players yet or how to position them on the field. He’s tried a lot of different things. Let’s hope he’s realized the value of our opponents but also the value of his own players and that he puts them in the right positions.”

After the decisive home loss, Don Fabio drove the point home: “If you play without Rabiot and Pulisic but put in Hutchinson and Cisse—who don’t push forward or make deep runs—it’s tough. Amorim talks about pressing and winning the ball back in attack: they were aggressive, but we didn’t see that from Milan tonight. There are also major problems on the defensive end.”

“There are a lot of players who just fiddle around; there’s no elaborate or quick build-up, no switching the play. This is a Milan team that just fiddles around. The only team playing with two forwards is Inter. Have we forgotten that you can play with two forwards?”