Gerry Cardinale has used derby week to back Ruben Amorim, promise January reinforcements and insist AC Milan can still chase Inter. Milan sit fifth in Serie A with 18 points after nine matches, while Inter are top on 25. The owner's words turn Saturday's AC Milan vs Inter into more than a simple table check.

Cardinale's backing for Amorim

Cardinale was explicit about Amorim's position. Speaking to football-italia.net, he said, "Yes, and I have full faith in him," before adding, "I'm not leaving Ruben." He went further still: "He is in no danger whatsoever. I will stand by his side."

That matters because Milan are not coming into the derby from a clean run. They lost their first Serie A game of the season on Wednesday against Bologna, and the result has made the gap to Inter harder to ignore. Cardinale's answer has been to back the coach publicly rather than leave the week to rumours.

January and the size of the rebuild

The recruitment line was just as direct. Cardinale said Milan will be "aggressive and opportunistic" in the January market and that he will "continue to strengthen our bench". He also admitted the rebuild is not finished, saying it will probably take another couple of transfer windows to complete.

Ruben Amorim has said the same project needs to be handled step by step. In comments translated from Portuguese, he said Milan had already dropped points and needed to correct what went wrong in the last game with the next one in mind. That sits neatly beside Cardinale's own admission that the summer did not allow him to do everything he wanted.

Milan's standing makes the point for him. Five places and seven points off the top after nine league matches is not a gap that invites grand claims, but it is still close enough for belief to survive if the derby goes well.

Cardinale has also spoken about the structure around the club, saying a head of football will arrive but will only be one piece in a larger setup. He has been talking with Markus Krösche and other candidates, though nothing here suggests the job is close to being filled.

Saturday's trip to AC Milan vs Inter gives those words an immediate test. Inter are top, scoring 25 goals and conceding 10 in their first nine league games. Milan can still talk about the Scudetto, but this derby will show whether the backing, the transfer promise and the rebuild talk are starting to add up on the pitch.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →