Rabiot had warned his team-mates after both the Sassuolo match in Reggio Emilia and the Atalanta game at San Siro: this team have a mentality problem. Last season still weighs on AC Milan. They let their standards slip and dropped out of the Champions League places after spending almost the entire campaign in second or third place. Against a tactically well-prepared side like Bournemouth, even with a completely overhauled line-up, Milan needed a very different performance and level of concentration. Leaders like Maignan needed to step up.

Amorim vs Maignan

The refereeing may have been overly rigid and harsh, and the red card perhaps excessive, but Maignan's moment of madness remains. The French goalkeeper was frustrated as his team surrendered to their opponents, but that cannot justify his blatant gesture against Adams. Amorim agreed after the match: "We have to keep it 11 against 11 on the pitch, especially the more experienced players. But today, I repeat, there was no contest. We have other matches ahead now: we need to recover our

energy and immediately turn our attention to the next one. It's true, we had to work hard and do a lot of running with a man down while trying to press, and it was a poor performance from every point of view and in every respect. But now we turn the page and focus on the league."

Persistence that does not pay off

Among the more experienced players to feature at Bounrmouth, Estupinan and Loftus-Cheek have come under fire, but Amorim has staunchly defended both. The Portuguese manager has been determined to give them opportunities and minutes on the pitch. In return, he has had only below-par performances. Could turning to more reliable players bring a change in mentality and a step up in performance? The next three matches against Udinese, Bologna and Inter will tell us more.