GdS: ‘The post-Riyadh discussion’ – Milan back on track after Allegri’s stern words

AC Milan’s resurgence began at the end of May with the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri as coach, but they had a second one too.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) recall, the hiring of Allegri was strongly supported by sporting director Igli Tare. The coach came in and instantly started building, from the first days of the summer training camp at Milanello, and the results were positive to begin the new campaign.

Bumps in the road

After elimination from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Lazio and the defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Napoli in Riyadh, there was a new turning point. Before Christmas, the Rossoneri found themselves on a run of three games with two goals conceded.

At that point Allegri looked the team in the eye, demanding a swift turnaround. It happened on Monday 22 December, when the group met at Milanello and the former Juventus coach made some demands.

He asked his players the same concentration when out of possession and the attention to detail that he had seen lacking in the three matches against Torino, Sassuolo and Napoli. Faced with Max’s pressure and the risk of ruining an excellent first half of the season, the team subsequently rallied.

The Rossoneri obtained three points without conceding in both the final match of 2025 (Milan 3-0 Verona) and the first of 2026 (Cagliari 0-1 Milan). Allegri’s words, in short, were understood and absorbed.

Milan have returned to fighting for every ball on the pitch, maintaining high concentration throughout the match and staying solid as a unit. This has been the case against the bottom-half teams, who several points had been dropped against.

Against Hellas Verona and Cagliari, however, there were no slip-ups. The result: Milan were once again launched into the Scudetto discussion alongside Napoli, Inter and the others.