GdS: Attacking flair and defensive solidity – what Allegri has fixed and his big mission

Massimiliano Allegri has changed AC Milan in a short time, but the coach too has also altered his ways slightly too.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Milan’s progress under Allegri is there for all to see with the unbeaten run and the clean sheets being racked up, but also the attacking play. Opponents are becoming intrigued and secretly worried about the Rossoneri’s progress.

It’s worth making a preliminary point: the RedBird ownership desperately needs results. Last season, the harvest was a Supercoppa Italiana, complete with a social media-friendly dance and a cigar from Sergio Conceiçao. A lot of smoke, little fire.

A season without European football followed, which for a club accustomed to the biggest stage is unacceptable. They needed a so-called ‘results-driven’ manager, so who better than Allegri? So far, it has worked almost perfectly.

Style and substance

Allegri – aided by splendid soloists like Modric, Rabiot, and Pulisic – has assembled a splendid orchestra. He takes advantage of such a wealth of talent and uses it to catch everyone off guard, perhaps even his own management.

The current Milan are an entertaining team, never monotonous, capable of following different scores over the course of 90 minutes. They are two points behind leaders Napoli and Roma, but have a lead over Juventus and Inter of one point.

Add to that the four clean sheets in six games – a feat not seen since 2006-07 – and there is a nice alchemy. These are signs of concreteness and solidity: a good foundation, typical of Allegri’s style. But certain numbers only partially explain why Milan have once again become a machine that puts on a show.

Photos: Jonathan Moscrop + Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images

Leaders and champions

Milan have a rate of 88% for successful passes, 55% for successful long balls, and 82% for passes in the opposition’s half are completed, 28% of which are forward and 16% backward. The numbers often seem stark, but in this specific case, they demonstrate the playing style.

Here, Allegri’s influence is evident: let’s face it, who hasn’t been touched by the fear that his post-Juventus sabbatical had made him lose his edge, energy, and capacity for innovation? There’s still a long way to go, but in any case, Max’s resurgence is impressive in both work rate and quality.

The beauty lies in even complaining about a draw at Juventus because more was deserved. Rabiot’s role looks tailor-made, Modric’s contagious enthusiasm is beautiful to see and Pulisic has never been so decisive.

The remaining mission

Allegri is enjoying his second spell at Milan, inventing new solutions since he doesn’t have a pure centre-forward. He insists on Gimenez, more inclined towards combination play than standing in the box like a typical No.9, but for now he’s making do.

The most intriguing situation concerns Leao. So far, Max has been doing well without the Portuguese superstar but he needs him in form. On Sunday, before throwing him into the fray, Max smiled and gave him a nudge: “Rafa, don’t p*** me off…”

Uncorking the number 10 is the Livorno coach’s next challenge, something that will be made easier with minutes in the legs. For now, though, the machine seems to be running pretty well regardless.