One of the topics addressed in the pre‑match press conference by Ruben Amorim was Luka Modric. About the Croatian midfielder, now 41, the coach replied: “It makes sense, the team must learn to stay a long time with ball possession. When we have possession we can manage it better with Modric on the field. I saw that against Juventus there was less pressing. On one side you lose, on the other you gain, this is the message I want to send to the players: I prefer less pressing and more ball possession. I want a team that can dominate with possession.”

Those words, reread today, the day after Lazio‑Milan, make you reflect. Considering that in the first 45 minutes of the game the Croat appeared in serious difficulty as did the rest of the team. A period in which the Devil had sterile ball possession, without creating real dangers and was at the mercy of the white‑and‑sky blues who could have scored more than the two goals they did.

At halftime Amorim substituted him, putting Musah on the field and Milan evidently increased intensity, certainly losing a lot technically, but the result was decidedly better. The Rossoneri turned up the engine, also helped by the drop of Gattuso’s side, and the former Villarreal player took control of the midfield, where in the first half the hosts had dominated.

The feeling is that at the moment Modric can play at his level only during the course of the match, in the final phases when the tempo drops and the ball needs to be managed well.