GdS: Allegri’s ‘first mission’ at Milan to get Gimenez firing – the work he must do

Massimiliano Allegri is getting closer to being the next head coach of AC Milan, and one of his missions will be to work on Santiago Gimenez.

As this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes, there are similarities between Gimenez and Dusan Vlahovic. Both are left-footed, both are known for operating as lone strikers and both attack the space in behind.

Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!

Allegri at Milan would find a striker with characteristics similar to Vlahovic, but the two at Juventus didn’t work out together. Whether the problem was mainly tactical is debatable, because the Serbian had pubalgia pain and various other issues.

In Allegri’s last year in Turin, however, the ex-Fiorentina man finished with 18 goals in 38 games, including the decisive goal in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta, on the very night of the coach’s farewell to the Bianconeri.

A very respectable haul, better than the one without Max in the season just ended (15 goals in 41 official games), just to be clear. The question of questions: can Gimenez replicate those numbers at Milan, under the guidance of the Livorno-born coach?

Working on confidence

Allegri will first have to work on Santi’s mind. His adaptation with Serie A was not the easiest, but to paraphrase Sergio Conceiçao, it was normal for the Mexican to encounter difficulties. Serie A is not the Eredivisie, with all due respect.

“When I arrived here as a footballer, they immediately called me a loser,” the Portuguese coach joked (up to a certain point) in a press conference. The first few months in Italy were tough, but will they have helped ‘El Bebote’ to understand the level of Italian defences and adapt?

Milan certainly expect the former Feyenoord man to improve on the six goals in 17 games in 2025. Gimenez is not the type to get down, however. He loves studying the game and his performances to correct and improve himself, as he recently explained in an interview.

His desire to be a Rossoneri player has certainly not diminished at the first difficulties, as he said on social media: “I’m living a dream I’ve had since I was a child… This story has just begun, see you soon, with more strength and more hunger. Forza Milan.”

A good fit under Allegri?

That social media post was his last message directed to the Rossoneri fans before saying goodbye to the season. Here, Allegri has always appreciated players with a strong will, and the Mexican seems to have it in abundance.

It should not be forgotten that Allegri has always been a very flexible coach. In his career he has changed formations and ways of playing, adapting to the characteristics of the players at his disposal.

He is not a fundamentalist and, if he were to return to the Rossoneri bench, he would study how to put his star centre-forward at ease. At Feyenoord and Milan, Gimenez almost always played as a lone striker with two wingers on either side.

Yet, in the recent matches with Mexico, for example, he was often and willingly paired with another pure striker like Raul Jimenez. Who knows, then, Allegri might invent something just for him.