Ruben Amorim admitted his AC Milan side "looked tired from the first minute" in their 4-2 loss to Bologna on Wednesday, though he refused to use fatigue as an excuse.
Amorim: Milan were 'tired from the first minute' in Bologna loss
AC Milan suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday as Samuel Mbangula's hat-trick propelled Bologna to a 4-2 victory.
An injury-hit Milan side were undone by a brilliant hat-trick from Samuel Mbangula, who inspired Bologna to come from behind and claim victory at San Siro.
Alphadjo Cisse's double cancelled out Mbangula's early opener, putting Amorim's side in control in the first half, but they could not maintain their momentum, allowing Bologna to rally after the break.
Mbangula then completed his hat-trick either side of a Davide Bartesaghi own goal, handing Milan their first Serie A loss of the season.
"Many games, many players out. It was hard for us," Amorim said.
"I felt from the first minute that the team was a little bit tired and without much energy.
"We conceded two goals quickly; we tried to come back, and we had a great opportunity with [Francesco] Camarda. This amount of games was hard for us.
"It's not just injuries. I didn't say we lost because of injuries. I said lack of energy because we can't make the same rotations.
"It's hard for us to press all the time; when we stop playing our game, we suffer.
"A new manager can't make the team play different football in a few months. That is something [everyone] should understand.
"It's also because we are so tired at times, but that's not an excuse. But don't worry. We must be ready for the derby [versus Inter on Saturday]; I'm just showing the facts."
Bologna have now won away to Milan in Serie A for just the fourth time in the last 60 years, following victories in January 2005 (1-0), August 2008 (2-1) and January 2016 (1-0).
Milan, meanwhile, have suffered five home league defeats in a calendar year for only the fifth time in the last 50 years, having previously done so in 1997 (five), 2012 (six), 2017 (seven) and 2021 (seven).
Mbangula, meanwhile, became just the second player to score a hat-trick away to Milan in Serie A, and the first since Gabriel Batistuta did so for Fiorentina in September 1998.
