GdS: ‘Operation top player’ – Allegri’s ‘architectural project’ to get Leao to 20 goals

By: Oliver Fisher

From the footage that has emerged after the first two days of preseason, it appears Rafael Leao and Massmiliano Allegri have started on the right foot.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, both of his two previous coaches Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao had different ideas about how to get the best out of Leao, and now it is time for Allegri to try.

We start from a premise: the new manager likes Leao and you can tell by the little things he does, by how he looks at him and what he says. Milan started training two days ago, but you can see an architectural project taking shape.

What is that? Building a bridge to take Rafa Leao to the next level, on the mountain inhabited by players who make the difference. So far, Leao has shown himself to be good but inconsistent, talented but not incisive, entertaining but almost disinterested. Allegri is the foreman.

Photos by Octavio Passos/Getty Images and Marco Rosi/Getty Images

Pioli and the 20-goal mision

Fonseca and Conceiçao took a hard line with Leao, making it clear they didn’t like some of his behaviour, and most importantly, they benched him. Partly to punish him, partly to make room for other teammates (who thought of Joao Felix?). It didn’t work.

Allegri’s call marks a return to a different approach, closer to the one Stefano Pioli used. Dialogue, complicity, reminders, but also a lot of attention and public declarations of affection.  Milan’s dream is for Leao to score 20 league goals, and today that seems too high. In four months, let’s see.

Allegri had no banal words in his presentation press conference: “Leao is extraordinary, he’ll definitely have a great season. He’s coming of age. Usually, the most important years in a career are between 26 and 30 [Rafa just turned 26, ed.]. I think he’s more responsible; I met him and spoke to him. I think he has all the ingredients to do well.”

Then another quote that made Rafa think: “Football is art, people come to the stadium to see technical moves.” Leao isn’t particularly technical, but he’s the AC Milan player who, due to his athleticism, impresses fans the most.

Christian Pulisic has had the most impact, but Leao was one of the two artistic players in the squad in the last year (and the other, in case you hadn’t noticed, now plays in Manchester). It’s no coincidence that the best-selling shirt since Tonali’s departure is Rafa’s.

The clues and life without Theo

The first training session at Milanello added further details. Allegri spoke with Leao on the driveway leading to the pitch, and even stopped for a face-to-face meeting during the session.

In the middle of a drill, he repeatedly asked him to stay wide – “Open up, Rafa!” – and more than the what, it’s the how that matters. A playful affection is evident, which could lead to complicity. This could be the key to pushing Leao to give his best, and Pioli certainly did the same.

He prodded Rafa but at the same time cuddled him, forgiving him for any defects and sending him on the pitch anyway, confident he would get a response. The dressing room appreciated it and from January 2022 and May 2023, Leao gave it all back.

In five months he was the best player in Serie A and pushed Milan to the Scudetto. The following spring, he carried the team to the Champions League semi-finals. He certainly had some help from his wing-mate too, who will not be there next season: Theo Hernandez.

Indeed, Rafa will no longer have his good friend Theo on the left, and who knows if that’s a bad thing or a good thing. Last season, the Portuguese scored eight goals, which isn’t enough. In 2022-23, he reached 15, which is a bit more like it.

The fans have always thought he could reach 20, and for that, he needs the consistency he’s never had in his career. Rafa showed up with long braids à la Gullit, his direct ancestor in AC Milan history in terms of physique and explosive running.

Now it’s just a matter of finding his impact on the game and his consistency. Allegri will try. If you need one last clue, answer this question: who is Leao’s back-up, over there on the left? He’s not there, he needs to be bought, but no one at Milan is talking about it.

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