Massimiliano Allegri is no different to anyone and he has a few favourites at AC Milan. Perhaps it may be clear already, but the seven have been revealed.
It is nothing new for managers to have favourites. Whether it is reliability, personality or a mix of other things, it is rather common for people to have a set group they can trust. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though.
In fact, the group is probably shared across the fanbase.
Allegri’s favourites
The majority of his ‘favourites’, as Gazzetta dello Sport write, are in the defensive structure. For Allegri, this is not too shocking! Each player brings a bit of something and the Italian appreciates each.
Mike Maignan and Matteo Gabbia are reliable heads who add personality to the group and act as reference points for those around them. Strahinja Pavlovic has been a personal project of the coach, which has been immensely successful.
Davide Bartesaghi and Alexis Saelemaekers represent different things, but each is heartfelt. For the former, it is a sign of the synergy between the youth teams and the first team, which Allegri is keen on. With the Belgian, it is his ability to bring balance to the team.
Finally, there are his two French midfielders. Youssouf Fofana, despite shaky moments, has always been Allegri’s go-to. He is the preferred ‘counterweight’ in the midfield three. Then, there is the obvious, Adrien Rabiot.
A friend from Juventus and a ‘pure Allegri player’. Little more needs to be said.
Modric is the definition of a pillar for us this season
Yes. He holds the ball and slows the game to give the other team a chance to go ahead…
The only pillars in this team have been Rabiot and Modric .Everyone else has been inconsistent. Rabiot is a mainstay but Modric is not a certainty, firstly because he needs guarantees to stay and secondly because he has maybe one more year in him max.
So Milan needs to plan around that. Is it going to be Jashari and we’re going to wait to see how that plays out? And who is the second “Rabiot”?
Fofana was brought in as an upgrade two seasons ago, now there’s talk of selling him too. Not surprising considering this management – because even on Fofana they can make a capital gain. But with a competent management, he’d stay in rotation and we would bring in an upgrade to his position.