GdS: ‘What the devil’ – how Allegri got the better of Gasperini on a poignant night

Massimiliano Allegri’s AC Milan secured a huge win over Roma on Sunday night, on the day of the passing of his mentor Giovanni Galeone.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report this morning, Galeone has always been proud of his pupil, who has become a fine coach. He must have been proud of him again yesterday, watching on as Allegri’s side won with the ‘corto muso’ again to go level with second place.

It was a victory snatched with heart and a competitive spirit that Roma couldn’t match. In the first half, Allegri wasn’t shy about giving the ball to the opposition, waiting for Rafael Leao’s counter-attack to light things up.

A mental step forward

In the second half, having grown under the guidance of the usual excellent Luka Modric, Milan earned the three points with a handful of scoring opportunities. San Siro can celebrate: second place, the imminent return of Rabiot and Pulisic, and the privilege of weeks without Europe open up bright prospects.

After beating Napoli at the same stadium they also defeated Roma, another league leader, and did not lose against Juve at the Stadium. These kind of results in the six-point games must raise awareness and self-belief, as Allegri himself said.

Can Milan stay at the top while being under pressure like in Bergamo and in the first half last night? The recovery of their best players could help them grow, even in terms of their play. Roma, having started excellently, once again paid the price for their attacking weakness.

They know how to play, but they don’t know how to shoot. Dybala’s missed penalty is the symbol of everything Roma wasted at San Siro. Gasperini has educated their play and mentality, but the goals must be scored by the forwards or additions must arrive.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Roma wasteful

After 15 minutes, Roma already had 71% possession and three shots on target, while Milan hadn’t done anything. Gasperini immediately took control and the ball. Allegri, as is his wont, gave it to them without any worry. He set Milan up in a low block, and was happy to see what happens.

Cristante pressed the beacon Modric, while everyone else jumped ahead of their respective players. The Rossoneri never get going because they had no escape route: Nkunku is not the strongest with his back to goal, and Leao couldn’t hold it up either, but both were very isolated.

This explains the Giallorossi’s initial dominance, with Mancini and Hermoso also regularly advancing to gain superiority in the attacking midfield. The occupation succeeds, but here too, a physical focal point like Dovbyk was missing.

Cristante was used as an attacking midfielder, behind Soulé and Dybala, who moved a lot but lacked magic. El Aynaoui had a couple of tame efforts, Ndicka headed wide and Dybala curled one just past the far post.

It’s Gasperini’s flaw: his Roma play very well and dominate, but can’t take the decisive moments. So the dominance remains sterile and the embarrassments of the young Bartesaghi – who misplaced a couple of passes and looked shaky – went unpunished.

It’s the sacred law of football: he who wastes, pays for it. In minute 39, they did: Roma poured forward again but coughed it up. Ricci’s lightning-quick pass helped Milan get out, Leao went into turbo mode and got all the way to the byline, where Pavlovic was waiting to fire in from close range.

Magic Mike

The ruthlessness that Roma lacked in the first half, Milan tried to add at the start of the second. They returned to the pitch fiercely, determined to close out the game. Fofana missed two big chances either side of the half, then Nkunku hit the post, and Leao was denied when he looked to be through.

After Pavlovic’s goal, Roma disappeared. Gasperini revived them with attacking midfielder Pellegrini, who pushed Cristante back, and with Bailey in place of the lacklustre Soulé. Then, he threw on a true No.9 (Dovbyk) and used a more aggressive formation (4-2-3-1).

The shake-up seemed to be paying off, but it came at a high price. In the 23rd minute of the second half, Milan had a huge chance: Ricci was denied, then Leao – with the goalkeeper out of the picture and almost a full net to aim at – shot straight at Hermoso on the line.

This time, it’s the Diavolo who risk paying the aforementioned price. Fofana gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box and then a penalty in what was an awful evening for him. Dybala took it, injuring himself like De Bruyne on the spot, except this time Maignan was there to save.

The San Siro roared with joy at the full-time whistle. Milan joined Inter and Roma, just a point behind Napoli. Galeone sees Gasp and Max, his pupils, on the same level. He’ll be pleased.