Ruben Amorim's opening sessions at Milanello have already shown a working method that looks nothing like Massimiliano Allegri's, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
This matters because Milan didn't just change coach, they changed philosophy. Allegri delegated, managed from a distance, and ran a pragmatic 4-3-3. Amorim arrives with a 3-4-2-1 he refuses to abandon and a hands-on style that will reshape how the squad trains day to day. The first sessions are the earliest window into whether the change lands.
The most telling image from Monday afternoon: Amorim standing in the centre circle during the opening session, drifting toward the ball out of instinct and nicking one off Mario Gila. That's his old playing position, and it captures the point. He wants to be inside the group, not watching from the edge.
The staff structure tells the same story. Allegri leaned on a large expanded backroom team that took much of the daily work, with the head coach stepping in at chosen moments. Amorim's staff is smaller and he intervenes personally, often. Language too: Allegri addressed the group in Italian, Amorim speaks English while he picks up Italian, and he spent extended time in conversation with Gila on day one.
His pre-training speech to the squad was short and pointed: "Whatever you need, I'm here, I'm available. I'll defend you in any argument, if you're right." The "if you're right" is the part worth noting. It's an offer of loyalty with a condition attached.
On the pitch, the shape and the principles were already visible. A 3-4-2-1, ball circulation drills, insistence on building from the back, and restarts when a pattern breaks down. In the first tactical exercise, he rotated two teams in and out to keep the tempo up. Pressing triggers, the other pillar of his Sporting sides, will come next.
Two sessions prove nothing about results, but they do prove intent. Amorim is coaching the way he coached in Lisbon, and he isn't softening it for Milan. Whether the squad he's been given can play it is the question the season will answer.