MN: Allegri restores ‘sporting dignity’ to Milan – squad ‘hanging on every word he says’

After all of the uncertainty that surrounded AC Milan last season, especially from a head coach point of view, things have completely changed.

As MilanNews write, the post-Scudetto years – due to on-field issues, management decisions and other factors – have seen the Milan fans gradually become more disenchanted with the club, which they believe to be unrecognisable.

This feeling was amplified by the chaos seen on the pitch, which ultimately led to a crazy season that earned an eighth-place finish in Serie A, two coaches being used and a Coppa Italia final loss to Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna.

Allegri’s turnaround

Not even six months have passed, but on the field Milan look transformed and it is thanks to Allegri and his staff. There are no compromises on the rules: those who represent the team must give it the importance it deserves. There’s no room for ego, because no individual is more important than the team.

There’s order on the pitch, and above all, there’s conviction in doing what the coach says. The team, now lined up with a 3-5-2, feels much more confident in both phases of play. Of course, to achieve all this, a certain type of player is needed.

Photos: Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images

Allegri has long been a firm believer in this: football is played with 11 men, and it’s the strong players who make the decisions. Luka Modric, Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic (while waiting for Rafael Leao) are the technical leaders in this sense.

The others follow suit, able to express themselves in an environment that has seen the black storm clouds disappear in a very short time. However, the Rossoneri need to keep their feet firmly on the ground because only five games have taken place.

It is tough not to get excited by Sunday night’s win at San Siro though, seen by a crowd that has once again seen a team worthy of the ambitions and importance of the shirt they wear. Allegri will continue to shy away from taking credit, but what he has accomplished in such a short time is impressive.

Now the team need to keep going and, as Allegri says, make winning the norm not the exception. Max has all the players on his side, and everyone is ‘hanging on every word he says’.