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Milan look further ahead than expected under Amorim, while Cisse never eased off in the way Leao often has.

The reaction after AC Milan’s away win over Torino on the opening day of Serie A.

I liked Milan, at times very much. Even in the first half, despite creating only a few genuine chances, they already looked like a team with clear ideas, even on matchday one. I did not expect them to be this advanced from a tactical point of view.

Any assessment still needs to be made with a degree of caution, but Amorim is already beginning to see the benefits of his work.

The plan was to keep the ball, control possession, move it quickly and press high. But they still need to be more ruthless, take more shots and find Goncalo Ramos more often, because he received very few playable balls.

For Milan, starting well also mattered for confidence. Confidence from outside and, above all, within the dressing room. For the players, it is important to see that the work done in recent weeks is already producing results.

Cisse’s story is a wonderful fairytale, a player who at one point in the transfer window seemed destined to join Torino. The club did well to keep him, and Amorim did well to trust him. That naturally leads to a reflection and a comparison with Rafa Leao, given that they play in the same area of the pitch. Nobody felt the absence of the Portuguese player, and that alone is already a sign.

I am not saying Cisse is better than the number 10 today, but yesterday he was involved from start to finish, without any pauses, something that instead happened almost every time with Leao.

This team can still be improved. Milan need a decisive Ramos, with Gimenez very likely to leave. And if Moreira is mainly going to play on the right, as Amorim appeared to suggest, then on the left, with Bartesaghi and Estupinan, the standard is not among the best.

Then there is the defence. As long as Gila stayed on the pitch, AC Milan held firm. Once the Spaniard went off, perhaps also because of a physical drop, the team suffered too much. I think that should make the club reflect on the need to sign a strong centre-back who can give security to the back line and to the whole team. It is one of the clearest indications the match against Torino gave us.