Giovanni Galeone, the mentor of Massimiliano Allegri, has spoken ahead of Udinese’s hosting of AC Milan this weekend.
This weekend’s game is a difficult one. Milan came back from the international break with a win against Bologna, and a strong one at that. However, they will now face the challenge of winning a third successive game.
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Last season, that was only accomplished once, at the end of the season with nothing to play for. So, Massimiliano Allegri will be looking to continue his fine run of form since returning to the Rossoneri bench.
Galeone’s preview
There is a big caveat to this, though. Allegri will have to watch the game from the stands after his suspension from the Bologna game. Whilst he will still be able to communicate with the team, this is a significant loss.
He will also not be able to call upon Mike Maignan or Rafael Leao for the game, both of whom will be absent with injuries. So, today, Galeone offered his view on how Milan could fare to Il Messaggero Veneto, as MilanPress relays.
“Max’s Milan are a podium finisher, and Udinese are the most physical and well-prepared team in Italy, extremely difficult for anyone to beat. I expect a balanced match, a draw. I think Milan will try to play against a tough team, very different from Bologna, and I think the result will depend on set pieces, where Udinese are very strong in the opposition’s penalty area.
“Let’s just say that as long as Udinese make their presence felt in attack, then they’ll have a good chance.
Without Allegri and Leao…
“I’d say a lot, because his presence is always very impactful. Along with Gasperini, he’s the best at reading the game, so he knows perfectly how and where to intervene to make the opponent suffer.
“Of course, now there are cell phones and assistants who immediately pass on orders to the second on the bench, but that’s not the same for direct communication on the pitch with the team, so I think it will be a significant absence even if not a decisive one.”
“With him [Leao], it will be a different Milan in attack, especially if the Portuguese is moved to the centre of the attacking line like Max tried in Australia.
“With Leao at the centre, it will be a less predictable Milan and full of solutions, because Modric can also play a little further forward alongside Loftus-Cheek. Modric is perfect for this Milan.”
Chances this season…
“Given that I would have seen Allegri as a good fit last year in place of Fonseca, I’d say that with the arrival of Rabiot, they’re the strongest midfield, along with Napoli’s. Fofana, Loftus-Cheek, and Modric are reliable, while I have some doubts about the defence, even though they were compact in the second half against Bologna and didn’t repeat the mistakes they made against Cremonese.
“Let’s just say that I really like them from the waist up.”
Fofana and RLC? This is supposed to be Allegri’s mentor? Was he high during this interview? Modric is more than reliable and the other two are uhh warm bodies to be sure but they’re broken clocks, right twice a day. Rabiot coming in has changed everything and Ricci playing more is what will make our midfield on par with Napoli. RLC and Fofana are subs at best and with that set up then yes they are fantastic bench players. But if we needed to depend on those two then I think it’s literally the difference between a top 4 spot or not.
Well said. Although I would argue that Fofana and RLC (mostly the latter) do add value in counter attack. Ricci is just better at everything else. So when we play against low blocks, Ricci should always be preferred over both Fofana and RLC. No brainer. I’m just getting the feeling that Allegri consistently banks on getting through the first 60 minutes without a goal conceded. If it’s 1-0, good, he’ll play it out. If it’s 0-0, then the creativity is needed and that’s Ricci’s niche. In any other system he would be a starter, but under these circumstances he is regrettably an impact sub.