It is becoming increasingly clear that Massimiliano Allegri far from just a simple head coach early in his second spell at AC Milan. Instead, he is acting more like a manager.
It has been over a couple of weeks now since the official website announced on Friday that Allegri would be back for a second stint at the club. He took over from Sergio Conceicao as the head coach, who joined on December 30 but lasted just a few months, launching a new era with Igli Tare.
In a feature later that day we revealed the full background on how Allegri’s return materialised, and it is obvious that a large part of the negotiations between the parties will have centred around how much influence he can have.
Widespread reports speak of Allegri being fired up and ready to show the rest of Serie A that he can revive Milan. To do that, he is throwing himself into the project like he has done with no other to this point, which bodes well for the Rossoneri.
Fuelled by a desire for revenge
The meeting point – which was the mutual attraction between Allegri and Milan – came from a common starting point: the want and the need to put things right.
From the club’s standpoint, 2024-25 was nothing short of a disaster. The Supercoppa Italiana won in Saudi Arabia felt like a distant desert mirage when, by the end of the season, Milan had finished eighth in the league table, lost the Coppa Italia final and were knocked out of the Champions League by Feyenoord.
Simply put, the season the played out on the field was a symptom of the failure of the ‘previous’ management. The decision to gamble on coaches like Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao – for all their merits – backfired massively, and thus a change in course was necessary.
Allegri’s personal honours board speaks for itself: six Scudetti, five Coppa Italia wins and three Supercoppa Italiani. The title of Serie A Coach of the Year four times, and two Champions League final appearances. In other words, Milan went with a known quantity and a safe pair of hands.
From Allegri’s point of view, the desire to avenge is two-fold. Firstly, because of the way things ended with Juventus: his meltdown after the 2024 Coppa Italia victory over Atalanta caused the Bianconeri to sack him two days later, which led to rather predictable anger and frustration.
Secondly, for Max there will also be a want to write more successful chapters in Milan’s history. He won the league title and Supercoppa in 2010-11, but things turned sour as expectations of another glorious era were not met.
Back on 31 December 2013, Allegri told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Of course this is my last Christmas at AC Milan.” He already knew the writing was on the wall, and was sacked not long after a 4-3 defeat to Sassuolo in which Domenico Berardi scored all four for the Neroverdi.
Well, unless there are big surprises, it won’t end up being Allegri’s last Christmas with Milan as he returns 11 years on. Sometimes life gives the opportunity to rewrite unhappy endings and turn them into fairytales.
According to Il Giornale, Milan and Allegri agreed on a Scudetto bonus in the contract, but none for a Champions League place. In other words, his only additional financial motivation is to go out and win the league, not just finish in the top four. That suggests a high level of self-confidence and belief.
Power and centrality
Another aspect regarding the early signs from Allegri’s second term is the voice that he seems to have in the planning for the future, which means 2025-26 but of course beyond, given the desire for a winning multi-year project.
A prime example is the Mike Maignan saga that developed. Until a few days ago, he seemed certain to be going to Chelsea in time to play in the Club World Cup, then the deal fell apart as no agreement over a transfer fee was found.
Throughout the development of the story there was virtually unanimous agreement on one crucial aspect: Allegri wanted Maignan to remain at the club for renewal talks to be started, because of how highly he rates him.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday, he may get his wish because Milan anticipate that, negotiations for the renewal of the former Lille man’s contract will be resumed from the end of the summer window onwards.
Now the directors are convinced that the risk of ‘Magic Mike’ leaving has been practically averted ahead of next season, also because Allegri’s words have ‘made an impression’ on the 29-year-old.
Rafael Leao is another high-profile player that has been linked with a move away, to Bayern Munich above all. Again Allegri made it clear to those higher up that he wishes to build around the Portuguese winger, and sure enough things have now gone cold on the exit front.
It is also being widely reported that the new coach’s input when it comes to potential signings is being very much listened to. For example, has has apparently asked for a striker who will guarantee a goal return in the double figures, with links to Mateo Retegui, Dusan Vlahovic and most recently Moise Kean surfacing.
Max is believed to be a big admirer of Giovanni Leoni having watched Parma up close several times in the past season, and things seem to be accelerating. That is also the case for Luka Modric and Granit Xhaka, while it seems an attempt was even made for Andrea Cambiaso, who Allegri knows and rates highly.
In other words, all signs point to the fact that Allegri knows exactly what he needs in order to build an instantly competitive side and – more importantly – that Igli Tare and co. seem willing to satisfy it. There is even talk that he and the sporting director have asked for extra budget to be made available.
Assembling an elite staff
Another one of the discussions that will have been had between Allegri and Milan before the ink dried on the contracts was regarding the coaching team that he was able to bring with him. It seems, based on reports, that his wishes have been very much granted.
Allegri’s right-hand man is Marco Landucci, who has been with him since his experience in Grosseto and began as a goalkeeping coach. They were also together at Cagliari, Milan and Juventus, becoming his assistant in Turin. Their special relationship will continue at Milanello.
The relationship with the athletic trainer Simone Folletti is just as long, if not longer, and he will join Milan too. Allegri’s teams have rarely disappointed in terms of running, something Folletti (and his own assistants) monitor closely, so that could be another positive.
Claudio Filippi will be the goalkeeping coach, who was in the same role at Juventus from 2010 to 2024. Since last summer, he has been the goalkeeping coordinator of Juve’s youth team but Max convinced him to switch. He has worked with Buffon and Szczesny among others, and is part of the package that will be pitched to try and keep Maignan, because of his excellent reputation.
In terms of on-field work, the collaborators chosen so far also know Allegri well. Aldo Dolcetti has been with him since his Milan years, where he started out leading the Primavera. In 2013-14, he joined the Livorno coach’s staff and followed him in his two experiences at Juve.
Maurizio Trombetta linked up with him in 2014 at Juventus, after having worked in Udine with Guidolin and having led Cluj. The third technical collaborator will be Francesco Magnanelli, who last season coached the Juventus Primavera and who worked with Allegri in 2023-24, the year of the Coppa Italia victory.
In the working group, there will also be the trusted physiotherapist Stefano Grani, who met Allegri when he was still playing for Pistoiese. He has been with him since his experience at SPAL and takes care of the muscles of injured players, something the Diavolo have struggled with a lot.
There are even a couple of Allegri’s trusted scouts who will apparently be part of the staff. The first is Emilio Doveri who was Allegri’s assistant at Aglianese, SPAL and Grosseto. The other is Roberto Bosco, who was Galeone’s assistant at Pescara when Allegri was still a player. He has worked with the coach since 2010 at Milan.
The most recent development might be the most significant: Bernardo Corradi has joined the working group too. The former striker was the coach of the U20 national team but will leave his position in the Federation to join the Rossoneri. It will be his first experience in Serie A, and it feels like a real coup.
So, Allegri has had virtually all of his wishes satisfied when it comes to his supporting cast. If there were any concerns about replicating past glories, it certainly boosts the chances to bring along everyone who created winning environments previously.
A constant presence
Rather than try to paraphrase what is already well written, we will instead relay a passage from Antonio Vitiello’s latest column for MilanNews which speaks about just how hands-on Allegri is in the early summer planning.
“The coach from Livorno, who had been studying the Rossoneri team for months, rolled up his sleeves as soon as he signed the contract with Milan and immediately dived into this Rossoneri reality, different from when he was there eleven years ago. Totally different
“Probably not even Allegri imagined how much work needed to be done at Milan , because going into the depths of this team he realised there are so many things to resolve. Players who have to leave, others who have to arrive. Renewals that have been skipped, others that will have to be done. Loans to redeem, others to interrupt. But above all there is a team spirit that needs to be rebuilt from scratch
“In short, we are seeing an Allegri who is fully operational. Always present at the headquarters in via Aldo Rossi [at Casa Milan], or in the centre of Milan among the various hotels on the market, even already at Milanello, a month before the retreat begins.
“This activism by Allegri is appreciable, because he knows that this Milan must be corrected in many aspects, problems that have accumulated over the past months must be resolved when the management was truly negative.”
Last Thursday, the new boss spent the whole day at Milanello together with his coaching staff and Tare to plan the next season together. The staff also welcomed Bernardo Corradi, former Italy U20 coach, who joins Landucci, Dolcetti, Trombetta, Filippi and Magnanelli.
Allegri is willing to put his neck (and in many ways his reputation) on the line to try and make Act II at Milan work. He wants to be a go-to for everyone at Milanello; to create an atmosphere of togetherness but also competence, controlling what he can control himself.
That is why Allegri is often at Casa Milan to work with the directors on transfers, with the aim being to create a balanced, talented squad with the right personalities. It has been described as a ‘workaholic’ approach so far, though he will have a vacation before the raduno to recharge a bit, which seems wise.
Reports surfaced just a few days into his tenure that the head coach wished to bring forward the ‘raduno’ – which is the start of preseason – to maximise the working time available before the season begins. It has been confirmed – just as nearly all others have – that his request has been granted.
To summarise all of the above, there is currently no absolute certainly that Massimiliano Allegri’s second spell with Milan will be a silverware-laden return. There are zero guarantees it will even last a full season, such is the way that modern football works now.
However, everyone involved is giving it the best chance possible to succeed. The management are facilitating the requests to create conditions similar to his previous eras of success, and Allegri is already working tirelessly to put the right pieces in place.
That alone is a refreshing change of pace for a club that in the past couple of seasons has given the impression of being reactive rather than proactive, of allowing incompetent figures to make the most important calls. Going against the grain in Italy hardly ever works, for some reason, and Max knows that well.
This is a real coach that this team needed, not like that clown conceicao. Now hopefully the management could deliver some good signings and this team will definitely make champions league.
Forza Max!!
Nah I’m not buying it.
First of all, a bit more context needed for his titles. To me, how I remember it is him winning the title for us in 2011 legit, kudos, but in 2012 bottled it even though he had the greatest ever domestic title winner in his team in Ibra. His Scudetti in Juve has asterisks written all over them as almost the whole league was in shambles except Juve at the time (kinda like Inter right after Calciopoli). Us, Inter, Roma etc were not strong and there were many rebuilds going on, not to mention our very own banter era. An average coach could have walked into that team blindfolded and still won the league.
Plus on his return to Juve, that’s when his true level was seen. Top 4 and no title fight during that time. Because he didn’t have a talisman (Ibra, BBC defence) in his team, he didn’t win anything. He requires one to win. But I’m sure management is fine with him as they know he is capable of making top 4 with “decent enough” players like he did in his second Juve stint. That’s what this is all about. We’re building the “decent enough” team as we speak.
I don’t care if he’s “working with more intensity” at Milanello this time around. Who cares? That’s what’s he’s paid to do. Work. Being super active around the club doesn’t mean you’ll win anything or more likely to win. Heck, Fonseca literally lived in the club, look how that turned out.
I know there’s always a sense of excitement when there’s something new or different. A little bit of euphoria if you will. But I don’t share that sentiment. I’m an old head and I’ve witnessed and experienced how bad he had our team playing in terms of style and how boring, dull and overly pragmatic his tactics are. Those moments are still etched in my mind, I dont know for others. We get caught up in our minds that we envision him coming back and it’s the best version of him (whatever that means). I’m not sure ppl are really thinking this one out thoroughly and long term. I don’t think this second coming of Max is going to be any good (and please I wish I’m wrong but it’s been many years now and I’ll be sending the I told you so-s by the end of the season). I think it’s a disaster waiting to happen but again….please prove us wrong Max!
Same here. He was a very promising coach at Cagliari, we were glad to get him at the time and it’s been quite successful until it wasn’t anymore. Now his last moments with Juventus have been bad, tifosi asked for his head for his last two seasons. He lost his temper many times on the sideline, like that time when he removed his jacket to scream at the face of the referee…
He’s been jobless for a year and it doesn’t seem that any top club was enquiring about him. Seems like some easy PR move again. Hopefully he can bounce back but with that management, that environment, it’s very doubtful.
Sounds like match made in heaven – both need revitalizing.
Fonseca worked a lot but he brought problems himself at same time some could because management distance from team and coach. He should be a little careful cause you can’t manage every player in same way, rather than fueling them with energy he put the player’s out without giving them a reason and zero tactics of his decision.
Players will is as important as his tactics and also he doesn’t have good man management skills when it comes to big player’s.
There are many problems in his choice of team which made him seperate from team.
Allegri will be bold and gentle at same time, atleast he will not have same problems as Fonseca, Conceicao and would refuse to bring a player like King Royal atleast.
His success will depend on whether he will upgrade himself or follow his same old style.
In the end Communication would be clear, he will not hesitate to speak with media or would have man management problems anyway we are get ridding of so called ego player’s, most fans on sempremilan are happy with that.
How are you so sure he’s not going to play Lord Royal? You don’t know Allegri by now? He played Montolivo while Locatelli was younger and better than him. This was part of fan’s frustrations the first time around. He also played Lord Bonera repeatedly and over obviously better players than him such as any of our centre backs and pylons.
Agree…
This Allergy should not become AC Milan coach…
Agree….
He’ll definitely do better than Fonseca and Conceicao and that’s already a change for the better.
None of this matters because the operating principle and the management are the same.
Allegri and Tare are a front in case things go sour again and they will be the ones to blame, not management. But if things turn around, those same clowns will be front and center to the credit.
Allegri may very well have a more central/managerial role but the spending principles are the same: Carte Blanche for 20mil purchases and anything over that needs to be incrementally approved by Furlani/Board.
There’s still no project other than buy promising players then sell for gains. The real question is, if Tare and Allegri shield the team from the managerial BS and results improve, will Elliott finally sell? Or does everything still depend on the stadium?
I agree. That is why we couldn’t tempt up and coming coaches like Italiano, Fabregas, or De Zerbi to join. With the bar set low for next season, it would have been an interesting project for all of them to rebuild the team in their own image. However, it seems most people don’t want to work under this ownership/management and the toxic environment they created. Allegri seemed like the only logical hire, a solid reputable coach with nothing to lose. Time will tell how things go but the signs aren’t good. The fact that we don’t know what formation Allegri plans on using and which players are leaving/staying is very worrying.
With this current management which is the same as the previous management, nobody can be successful.
“of allowing incompetent figures to make the most important calls. ” – So what happens to those set of incompetent fools? they get another bite at the apple? Nice one!
While this is all good and everything, this team desperately needs reinforcements and needs multiple departures. Allegri can’t work miracles with no new players.