2 weeks ago
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Massimiliano Allegri’s AC Milan welcome Stefano Pioli’s Fiorentina to San Siro on Sunday, in the battle of the ‘Scudetto coaches’.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) talk about a ‘Scudetto relay race’ in which Milan are now aiming for a second star, which they will get after their next title. Allegri got Milan closer to the finish line, then Pioli took them one title away, and now the former is back to try complete the mission.
They were the coaches of the 18th and 19th Scudetti in the club’s history. Max’s title win dates back to 2010-11, with a team brimming with talent and champions, including Ibrahimovic, Robinho, Cassano, Nesta and Thiago Silva, which was then decimated in the following years, partly due to budget reasons.
After years of bleak management and unfortunate management, Milan entrusted Pioli with the coaching reboot. Taking over from Giampaolo, the coach overcame many obstacles (the most daunting being the Covid emergency and the team coaching only remotely) to beat Inter and lift the title.
Pioli and the star
Milan were also firsthand witnesses to the victory that gave Inter the city’s first second star: it came in the derby in April 2024, with the Rossoneri defeated 2-1 in their home game. It was also a sixth straight loss in the derby.
In the summer, the leadership chose to rely on Allegri, who is a Scudetto expert. He is the current Italian manager with the most Serie A title wins: six. In addition to his Rossoneri one, he also won five with Juventus, a record in itself.
No one besides Max has won five Serie A titles in a row (which he did from 2014 to 2019 with Juve). Overall, only Giovanni Trapattoni has a richer trophy cabinet of Italian successes: seven league wins between Juve (six) and Inter. Antonio Conte, Capello and Lippi follow with five.
A guarantee
Milan needed a coach like this, a guarantee of success. Pioli had been followed by unsuccessful foreign experiments: first Paulo Fonseca and then Sergio Conceiçao, in the season that ended with a modest eighth-place finish.
With no European revenue and no enthusiasm, the club needed an adrenaline boost. Only Allegri – who knows Milanello, the Rossoneri fans, and above all the path to victory – could provide it. Thus, Max was announced on May 30th, coming back to rekindle confidence and ambition.
After the initial shock following the home defeat against Cremonese, Allegri’s side have once again demonstrated solidity and consistency. There is a unity and togetherness on display, symbolised with a vastly improved defensive record and results like the win over Napoli.
It is a different Milan from the one that had won the title under Pioli, who were younger and more inexperienced despite having leaders like Kjaer and Giroud, just as the final triumph had been surprising as many considered Inter to be stronger.
Among Pioli’s merits is having made Leao the key player in the Scudetto and the league’s best player. This is something that Allegri is yet to achieve, but Sunday will provide another chance.
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