Allegri reflects current Milan problems rather than glorious past | OneFootball

The imminent return of Max Allegri to Milan says a great deal about the club’s problems, but it is not looking to the past, argues Susy Campanale, rather recognising its current weakness.

It has been known for months that the Rossoneri needed a new director of sport and coach, yet the time dragged on with barely any progress, continuing to limply request people who had evidently better offers with a lot more security. Igli Tare was third or fourth on their wish list of directors, while Allegri was most certainly not at the top of their candidates for coach. In fairness, neither was Milan Allegri’s ideal, as he had been lined up for Napoli in case Antonio Conte walked away.

As the managerial merry-go-round was in full swing, Milan stood there watching, with an ice cream melting in their clammy hands. Vincenzo Italiano preferred to stay at Bologna, Maurizio Sarri was ruled out by his problems with Tare at Lazio, Gian Piero Gasperini is heading to Roma. Ultimately, Allegri fits the bill at San Siro, but not because of what he represented over a decade ago.

Allegri has very different ideas to Italiano

epa12101024 Bologna’s head coach Vincenzo Italiano celebrates with his players after winning the Italian Cup final soccer match between AC Milan and Bologna FC in Rome, Italy, 14 May 2025. EPA-EFE/FEDERICO PROIETTI

Italian football has now split rather significantly between ‘risultatisti and giochisti’ – those who say the result is everything and others who believe good football is the way to reach success. Allegri is very much the former, someone who in his last few months at Juventus broke into an anxious sweat if his players dared to pass the ball into the final third.

He coined the phrase ‘corto muso’ – by a nose – using his love of horse racing to reflect the philosophy that winning 1-0 is the ideal. You can see why Napoli wanted him to be the heir to Conte, another coach who feels sacrifice and determination is more important than quality. The anti-Gasperini.

Allegri can revitalise Rafael Leao

AC Milan’s forward Rafael Leao reacts on the bench ahead of the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Udinese at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 19 Ocrober 2024. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro

Milan need Allegri right now precisely because he embodies everything the current team is not. His focus is entirely on defensive organisation, whereas his idea of attacking is to simply give it to someone creative and they’ll think of something.

That could be catnip to someone like Rafael Leao, who is allergic to being given any tactical responsibility other than ‘run in the general direction of the goal.’ Allegri can continue the long overdue experiment of a three-man defence, freeing up Theo Hernandez to be the wing-back he always aspired to, with none of that pesky responsibility to defend.

It can allow Milan to sell Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City, because we can’t have any creativity in the midfield, that is simply unacceptable for an Allegri figure. It won’t be entertaining, but after several years of awful results, the fans won’t mind too much as long as they get back into the Champions League and potentially the Scudetto race too.

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – AUGUST 23: FC Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri gestures during the TIM Preseason Tournament between US Sassuolo, FC Juventus and AC Milan at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on August 23, 2014 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

So much has changed at San Siro since the coach was last here, the Silvio Berlusconi era is a distant memory and nobody seems to be in charge. That is still evidently the case even with the arrival of Tare, who the announcement statement confirmed would be answering to Giorgio Furlani. He in turn answers to Gerry Cardinale, who gets advice from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This is why there is no clear vision at the club, because nobody has their hand firmly on the steering wheel. Allegri doesn’t particularly need or even like strong figures behind him, so he can at least take some control and be a focal figure for the squad and fans.

Both Tare and Allegri were nowhere near the first choice for Milan, but they might just end up being what the club needs right now. That in itself reflects the club’s current status, sliding down the pecking order of Calcio.