Amorim: ‘Who would’ve thought Musah would start and Modric would be the problem?’

ROME, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 12: Luka Modric of AC Milan in action during the warm up before the Serie A match between SS Lazio and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico on September 12, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Ruben Amorim has spoken at length about the performance of Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Luka Modric in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Lazio, but has warned his critics: ‘A week ago, after the Juventus game, everybody said Moreira wasn’t ready. A week later, we’re saying that he’s the hero of Milan. That’s football’. 

Amorim opens up on Modric difficulty against Lazio

Modric came under scrutiny after an uncharacteristically poor performance in Milan’s 2-2 Serie A draw against Lazio, which saw him hooked at half-time with the Rossoneri trailing 2-0. 

Head coach Amorim earned praise for his three half-time substitutions, also replacing Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pervis Estupinan, which helped turn the game on its head and rescue a point for the travelling Rossoneri. 

Amorim has recently explained that in order for Modric to feel at his best, Milan need to dominate possession. 

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Milan’s Europa League opener against Benfica, Amorim expanded further on that point, explaining that if Milan are unable to keep hold of the ball, it turns into a ‘running game’, which has never been Modric’s style, least of all at the age of 41. 

“To make Luka feel comfortable in the game, we need to have long spells of possession,” Amorim explained. “I remember seeing maybe seven misplaced passes without any real pressure, then we lose the ball and it becomes a running game. That’s not the sort of game that Luka plays. 

“Therefore, to field a player like Luka, we have to have someone who is very capable with the ball at their feet. That’s the idea when Luka plays. We want him in certain games and certain situations.

“What I would say, though, is that a week ago after the Juventus game, everybody said that Moreira wasn’t ready, that he played badly and wasn’t able to do anything. A week later, we’re saying that Moreira is the hero of Milan. That’s football. 

“I wouldn’t make any hasty conclusions about Luka’s performance. He’s a Ballon d’Or winner, we know his value. Luka is a great player in our team and will help us throughout the season. I don’t make definitive judgments on players from one week to the next.” 

Speaking about the strength of his squad later on in his press conference, Amorim added: “It’s impossible to think about winning competitions by only counting on 11 or 14 players. As a result, I find it difficult to say that we have one XI. The idea isn’t about having a fixed team, but a system where all players can play and we don’t lose too much quality. 

“Naturally, I have an idea about which players I want in certain matches, but moments can change quickly. Who would have thought that Musah would be the starter and Luka Modric the ‘problem’? Nobody. The situation has changed because that’s what the last few games have shown. It’s difficult to talk about the concept of ‘the XI’ in modern football because I think you really need a whole group, a full squad to win trophies.”

Click here to read Amorim’s pre-Benfica press conference in full.