Milan's 3-0 demolition of Lecce on Sunday has given Ruben Amorim a set of firm building blocks heading into the international break, with the Rossoneri finally showing the outline of a clear identity under their coach.
The emphatic scoreline silenced much of the noise that followed the European defeat to Benfica, a result that had put Amorim under intense early scrutiny. More than simply restoring calm, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the performance handed the Portuguese coach several conclusions he can carry forward with confidence.
Christian Pulisic's first start produced the most straightforward of those conclusions. Milan with Pulisic and Milan without him remain visibly different teams. No other attacking midfielder in the squad replicates the unpredictability he brings to the role, and the opening goal illustrated exactly why. Pulisic peeled into space, controlled a long diagonal from Strahinja Pavlović with an exquisite first touch, and finished past the onrushing Falcone on the bounce. He had gone 266 days without scoring for Milan, yet his goal threat still sits comfortably above anyone else competing for that position. Beyond the goal, his contribution to Adrien Rabiot's strike, a first-time lay-off that set the Frenchman free, underlined how much he offers in phases of play that don't show up on the scoresheet. It is difficult to see Amorim leaving him out when fit.
The tactical picture was just as telling. Amorim, the same coach who once declared in Manchester that he would not abandon his 3-4-2-1 "even if the Pope asked me to," set Milan up with a back four at various points against Lecce. Mario Gila shifted to right-back, Pervis Estupiñan dropped into left-back, and the reshuffle caught Eusebio Di Francesco's side off guard while pushing Samuel Chukwueze higher up the pitch. Whether the same adjustment works against stronger opposition is a fair question, but the willingness to deviate matters. It signals a coach who has absorbed the lessons of his rigid spell at Old Trafford and accepted that a fixed philosophy needs tactical breathing room.
Elsewhere the selection picture is sharpening. Luka Modrić looked at home dictating play in a match Milan controlled, particularly with Rabiot alongside him. The Frenchman's return to central midfield after being tried in a more advanced role paid immediate dividends, with Rabiot scoring his first goal of the season at San Siro. He has shown he can operate across multiple positions, but the middle of the park is where he becomes impossible to drop.
Then there is Diego Moreira, who now has 3 goals in his last 66 minutes of action. All have come from the bench, and Amorim has three weeks during the break to decide whether those numbers warrant a starting berth or whether the impact-substitute role suits the youngster best at this stage.
Amorim arrived with questions hanging over his adaptability. Sunday's performance did not answer all of them, but it gave him something he had lacked until now: a set of choices he can trust.