GdS: ‘The battle starts again’ – Allegri and Conte ready to renew duel after 11 years

By: Oliver Fisher

Massimiliano Allegri remains ahead, with six Scudetti won, but Antonio Conte can now dream of catching up.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, Allegri starts first with the official start of training today for Milan, then Conte will resume work with Napoli in eight days. Among the Serie A coaches starting in just over a month and a half, none have their list of league titles.

Allegri, who must rebuild Milan ‘working and doing things calmly’ (as he often repeats), will have as his primary objective that of achieving a return to the Champions League. Without Europe, it is inevitable for him to dream of being the coach who wins the second star and to tie Trapattoni on seven Scudetti.

Conte is aiming for an encore again, having won three Scudetti in a row at Juve. He wants to enter the history of Napoli, who never defended their title as the champion of Italy, not even with Maradona on the pitch.

With Inter and Juventus starting late due to the holidays following the Club World Cup, the two active Italian coaches with the most league titles under their belt want to come out strong from the starting blocks.

Common destiny

Allegri and Conte have not faced each other since the 2013-14 season, when Max was sacked in mid-January after the defeat at Sassuolo and Antonio won his third consecutive title.

Their head-to-head for the Scudetto in 2011-12 was memorable and conditioned by Juve’s draw at Milan, a 1-1 that went down in history for Muntari’s goal that wasn’t given. It would have allowed the Rossoneri to go 2-0 up and would have complicated the comeback.

In the following seasons, Max had fewer weapons to compete with his colleague because in the summer of 2012 Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva were sold, while the Old Lady gradually strengthened its squad.

When he decided to leave Turin, Conte was three league titles to one ahead of his Livorno colleague who replaced him at Juventus. Then, with five consecutive Scudetti won, Allegri took off and overtook (6-3).

He did it also because Antonio was not among his rivals: first coach of Italy and then leader of Chelsea which he led to success in the Premier League. When the Lecce native returned to Italy, for an adventure at Inter, Juve decided to interrupt the Allegri era by sacking him in favour of Maurizio Sarri.

Conte closed the gap, bringing the score to 6-4, thanks to the Nerazzurri title of 2020-21, but then gave up when former Inter president Zhang launched the downsizing of the project. When Allegri began his second spell at Juve, Antonio was first unemployed and then overseas (with Spurs).

Last season, however, after being sacked in May 2024 at Juve, it was Max who was a spectator at Conte’s triumph under Vesuvius.

Together at the start

After 12 years, therefore, from August 23 the two coaches will meet again at the starting line of the Serie A season. Napoli has a more tested squad and have already inserted De Bruyne, Marianucci and soon the Lang-Beukema duo into the engine.

Antonio will start amid the enthusiasm of the fans even if, compared to last season, he will have more commitments in the Champions League, destined to absorb energy. Max must find harmony again with an environment that he left eleven years ago, but that has already welcomed him back.

Milan and its fans know it was not possible to start again with a more successful coach than him. He will have to revitalise a group depressed by the disappointing 2024-25 and from which Reijnders was removed, sold to Manchester City.

The mercato and not playing in European competitions will give him a hand, but he will have to put a lot of his own work into it, also because Conte will not give anything away. It will be a great challenge between two champions of the bench.

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