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The relationship between Rafael Leao and Massimiliano Allegri is perhaps what AC Milan’s season hinges on, and Sunday was not a positive moment.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Allegri criticised Leao in front of part of the team in the dressing room after the match against Juve, a moment not caught on camera but noted by many. The point of the outburst was clear: Leao must give more on the pitch if he wants to get a starting spot back.
Otherwise, he risks being sidelined, as happened (at times) with Paulo Fonseca, with Sergio Conceiçao, and in the last two games after he has returned from injury.
Allegri’s criticism
The evening in Turin involving Allegri and Leao was a difficult one, and it unfolded in three moments. The first two, documented by Dazn. Before coming on, Allegri, in the heat of the match, says to Leao: “Don’t p*** me off…”
How did it go? Well, let’s just say it could have gone better. The final minutes of Juventus 0-0 Milan bear witness to this. First, Leao unleashed that left-footed shot from a few yards out. Allegri, looking at the bench, asked himself the same question as many fans on the sofa: “How did he miss?”
Then Leao wasted an assist from the usually phenomenal Modric, and Allegri went berserk. He banged his fingers on his head and screamed. He paced nervously. He shouted: “Nobody in the dressing room say anything.”
In the dressing room, Allegro told Leao that the right attitude for playing for Milan can’t be the one he saw in Turin. Easy conclusion: if the Portuguese wants to be a starter for this team, he must raise his intensity on the pitch.
Being clinical in front of goal can’t be learned in two weeks, but the approach can change quickly. It’s no coincidence that among Allegri’s remarks captured by the cameras is a “Rafa, come back!” with some symbolic meaning.
The key now is to understand how Leao’s season and his relationship with Allegri will evolve. The incident in front of the team may not have pleased Leao, but these things happen in many teams and certainly Allegri’s.
Leao returned against Napoli and Juventus after a month and a half out with a right calf problem, so he cannot have been 100%, or even 80%, and it’s unfair to judge him for these matches. However, it feels like a crossroads has still arrived: Leao must step up or be remembered as being inconsistent.
Rafa is currently playing international duty in Lisbon, the city where he grew up. It’s the perfect place to unwind, not dwell too much on the disappointing night at the Allianz Stadium, and move on. In an interview with La Gazzetta, Rabiot said: “Rafa is 26, time flies. I hope he realises he can compete with the best.”
That’s what Pioli and Fonseca thought before him, with mixed successes. Leao began the current season as the team’s star, but in Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation, there’s only room for one forward alongside Pulisic. Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku are his competition, the duo who cost €70m+.
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