The two men now speak after every game, either in person or by phone. Victories make those conversations easy and the draws against Juventus and Lazio led to analysis without particular tension, according to Corriere dello Sport.
Wednesday's home defeat to Benfica in AC Milan's Europa League opener changed the tone, and Cardinale spoke to his coach the following day in a longer, more searching exchange.
The Milan owner did not question Amorim's tactical ideas, an area where he prefers to listen to those who work on the training pitch. His concern was with selection, both in the starting line-up and during the match. Milan invested heavily in several players this summer, and the limited use of some of the costliest arrivals against Benfica was one of the subjects raised. Amorim explained the technical reasons behind his decisions.
There is no ultimatum. Corriere dello Sport reports that the club's message is that future performances will count, and that the team must move gradually closer to the identity promised in the summer. Cardinale had already voiced dissatisfaction with the Juventus game and pointed to problems in the first half at Lazio and against Benfica, but he expects improvement to be progressive rather than instant.
Corriere della Sera adds that the summer plan has not changed. Amorim, who signed a contract until 2029 in June worth almost €4 million net a season, remains at the centre of the technical project, and Cardinale is defending him. The paper says the situation is not compromised and the league position is not bad, but a second consecutive failure would open up different scenarios.
The owner's request, it says, is for fewer experiments and more certainties. Amorim has changed his line-up a great deal, too much in the paper's view, tinkering from match to match. That is why several senior players are expected to return to the starting eleven against Eusebio Di Francesco's Lecce on Sunday evening at San Siro.
The Lecce game matters for another reason. It is Milan's last fixture before a break of around two weeks, and no evaluation of Amorim's future is under way, but a fresh setback would make the atmosphere heavier during the pause. Milan won their first two league games, against Torino and Venezia, before drawing with Juventus and Lazio, and the Benfica game marked Milan's return to European competition after a season without it.
Amorim, for his part, has said the plan is a long one. Asked before the Benfica game whether he misses Portugal, he answered: "Of course, but now the project is to stay here for several years, Milan is my second home."
The message from above is simple: he has the owner's support, but it comes with an expectation that Milan will look clearly different at the weekend.