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There can be many similarities found in Antonio Conte and the AC Milan head coach, Massimiliano Allegri, for several reasons.
The managerial situation at Milan was a mess last season. From start to finish, the Rossoneri were all over the place, and this had a massive effect on the season. In the summer, Julen Lopetegui was close, and then Paulo Fonseca arrived.
Then, in January, with the experiment failing, Sergio Conceicao was brought in. What ensued were months of suggestions that he would stay and leave. Though in the end, the latter was his fate, and he left.
Conte Allegri parallels
All of this was bad, but the fact that it was chosen instead of Conte was a shock. As were the regular reminders from the management and reasons why the Italian was not appointed.
Now, a year on, Milan are in a better place, it seems, and Pietro Mazzara wrote an editorial for MilanNews about the situations from Conte to Allegri, and how they are similar in some ways.
“I personally think it’s still too early to say whether Milan can compete for the Scudetto, but a year later, several similar elements have characterised the start of the season—that’s objective.
“A year ago, after the first matchday, Antonio Conte detonated in the post-Verona-Napoli 3-0 press conference against the Azzurri’s slow transfer window, and De Laurentiis was forced to open the door, bringing in McTominay and Lukaku.
“A year later, Massimiliano Allegri chose the rooms of Casa Milan to air his grievances about the incomplete squad and the change in formation. The result? A frenetic final few days of transfer window and a very active transfer market, culminating in the arrival of Adrien Rabiot as a crucial piece of the puzzle.
“Winning coaches are like that, they have personality, they’re not afraid to speak their minds and assert themselves—that’s just how they are. Because in sport, there are two paths: competing to win or competing with the idea of winning. It makes all the difference in the world, and Max knows it well.
“Today, Milan, coming off three consecutive victories, is a team that is growing, both in terms of their playing style and their physical fitness.
“They are a humble team, well aware that these nine points aren’t enough to slacken their concentration levels. And here, the work of Allegri and his staff is almost obsessive, because it is in these weeks that they are building a winning mentality, the mentality of a team that knows it is at the beginning of a journey but that must have a very clear direction.
“This also stems from what Antonello Gioia told us from Udine on Saturday night, with Allegri obsessed in the press box because he didn’t want any lapses in concentration after the 0-3 and, above all, he didn’t want to concede. Mission accomplished, but we’re still just getting started.
“The concept of a winning mentality is fundamental, redundant, and daily. Allegri and his staff know how to win, but you can’t win if you have no one on your team who has ever tasted that sweet taste of victory. In this context, Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot are key figures who, along with Christian Pulisic, have the most impressive records in the AC Milan locker room.
“But while the American is now a certainty in terms of performance and example, the other two have occupied the centre stage at the Milanello senate table. Not with slogans, but with example, daily work, and constant support for their teammates, both to help them improve and to encourage them, as they (all) are doing with Santiago Gimenez.
“So, it makes you think that the formula for reaching the top is always the same: hungry youngsters, maturing players who want to win, and those “old hands” with a trophy cabinet and credibility that make themselves understood with just a glance, without the need to raise their voices.
“As was the case during the foundations of the Pioli era with the arrivals of Simon Kjaer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And then, never forget the role of the sporting director who understands the issues on the pitch and acts as the right intermediary between the needs of Milanello and the inner sanctum of Casa Milan.”
English (US) ·