A response in three sentences
Ruben Amorim did not want to fan the flames. He shut the whole thing down anyway, in his own way.
Cristian Chivu had suggested that Juventus-Milan did not yet count in the Scudetto race. The new Rossoneri boss was asked about the Inter coach’s comments, and his answer was brief.
“I don’t want to answer Chivu, I have nothing to say. I’m focused on our match. If we win, we’ll go top of the table, and that’s all that matters to me.”
The maths checks out. A win in Turin on Sunday night puts Milan top of Serie A. Hard to hit back any more cleanly at a rival playing down the stakes.
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No need to rank the fixtures
Amorim did acknowledge the size of the game, without agreeing to treat it as something above the rest.
“For the big clubs, these are always important matches, but there are no less important matches,” he explained.
It is the same line the Portuguese coach has been hammering since he arrived in Lombardy. No game to tick off. No game to sacrifice. Fine for a press conference, far trickier to hold to in Italy, where the fixture list piles up fast.
A warning for his own dressing room
The coach did not save his firmness for Inter. He took aim at his own players too.
“I am not happy with the game against Venezia, and we need to do a lot better, especially against Juve.”
The remark stings a little. Goncalo Ramos, the club’s record signing, had opened his account in that game. Amorim is looking at the performance, not the scoresheet.
Kick-off is Sunday at 8:45pm at the Allianz Stadium. Chivu will be watching from home. Amorim will be chasing top spot.
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