Capello pulls apart Allegri's AC Milan after Cremonese shock

In his second spell with the Rossonero, Allegri saw his team stunned at home by the Serie A new-boys on Saturday.

Reflecting on the result, former Milan coach Capello told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "All the problems that were already there last season have emerged: slow pace, poor positioning when losing the ball, and, most importantly, a lack of personality. Allegri spoke of 'struggling to perceive danger'? He's right, but it all stems from attitude and positioning.

"When Milan lose the ball, they're always off balance, and their opponents can exploit space and timing, because they counterattack with four or five completely free men. (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek, for example, struggles to get back, and Fofana pushes forward a lot: the signs of this were already there against Bari in the Coppa Italia.

"Doesn't Allegri neglect the defensive phase? Of course, that's undeniable. And I'm sure Max will work on it, because tactically, it's the first obvious flaw. Then there are the individual flaws: at Milan, you don't mark by 'feeling' the attacker, you just look at the ball.

"Allegri will have to fix a lot of things, but the players need to be available. Every now and then on Saturday night, I saw someone jog back, without the right amount of determination. To give a counter-example, at Napoli, if they lose the ball, all eleven players do their best to recover it or at least get back into position quickly. We didn't see this at Milan last year, and we didn't see it against Cremonese either."