Galeone states Allegri wants to win Champions League before considering Italy

AC Milan may have been given a huge boost in their ambitions recently, after some words from Massimiliano Allegri’s mentor.

There have certainly been a few interesting statements from Giovanni Galeone in the past few months. In March, he stated that Allegri had told him that Milan had a great squad, only to say ‘he won’t go’ less than 26 hours later.

As time passed, the statements continued to get a little speculative, as he did a complete 180 turn on things a few days later, asking ‘what club’ the Rossoneri had become. Then, he said that Allegri had waited for Inter.

An interesting run of comments. Either way, here we are, with Allegri at the helm of the Rossoneri, very much proving that he wouldn’t go.

Allegri’s past, present and future

Today, he has provided some comments to La Repubblica (via Calciomercato.com) about the Diavolo’s upcoming clash with Bologna, as well as a few remarks on Allegri’s career and future.

“Allegri and Italiano are coaches with opposing ideas. I have a lot of respect for Italiano, and I absolutely love Bologna’s play in the final 30 meters. He implements what was my obsession: pushing hard into the attacking zone and creating a pinball machine in the attacking midfield, unleashing the creativity of talented players and making them take risks.

Photos by Valerio Pennicino/Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

“Gasperini also told me this when he had Ilicic and Papu there: let them run free and sooner or later the defender will fall for it. Italiano pushes a lot with the full-backs and builds from the defence; Allegri has almost never attacked with the full-backs, and woe betide anyone who does so with the centre-backs; he prefers the insertions of the central midfielders, and that’s why Milan signed Rabiot.

“He learned it in Pescara. I demanded a lot of goals from the midfielders, and with me, Max scored 12.”

Allegri’s past and future…

“I expected them to sign him at Milan after Fonseca; it would be a big mistake not to. In this Milan, which is well-built from midfield upwards, it’s precisely the defence that doesn’t convince me, both as a unit and as individuals: there, Max needs time and perhaps manpower.

“I told him, take Xhaka, and he replied, ‘He’s going too slowly.’ I’ve never forgiven Max for turning down Arsenal; it was a great project. He even turned down PSG; he confided in me that winning in France was too easy for him; he saw it as a championship for bachelors and married men.

“Petrucci had already been talking to me about it when he was at CONI, but before the national team, Max had one thing on his mind: the Champions League.”