Amorim's clear message to Milan players: "Losing should feel like the end of the world"

After Milan's 2-1 Serie A win away at Genoa, head coach Ruben Amorim urged his players to keep the winning run going and never forget that "losing is the end of the world".

First-half goals from Alphadjo Cisse and Christian Pulisic secured the result for Milan, who climbed to fourth in the table and stay five points behind leaders Lazio. Having failed to get past 22 points in the first 11 matchdays in each of the previous three seasons, the Rossoneri have now reached 24 points, their best league start since the 2022-23 season (26 points).

With three wins and three draws from their first six away league games this season, Amorim's side have gone unbeaten in their opening six away matches for the fourth time in the last seven Serie A seasons.

Reflecting on the game afterwards, Amorim said: "Once again I'm proud of my players. Before the match I said the most important thing was to stay competitive, because if we show that attitude in every game, we get that much closer to winning. There are moments when we take control of the game, when we chase the second balls and when we play different styles of football. Being able to show different variations within the same match is the sign of a big team."

The Portuguese head coach did not hold back from warning his players, however, after the scare caused by Mikael Ellertsson's late goal:

"This is entirely about mentality. If you wear the Milan shirt, you don't get days off. You can't lose your concentration during the week, as we did, and then expect to turn up on Sunday with the same seriousness. You won't get results that way. It isn't a physical issue; it's about feeling the panic of losing. That doesn't mean being afraid of losing; it means feeling that losing is the end of the world. That is exactly the core feeling I want to see in my team."