It has been a long time since a Max Allegri team played this well. AC Milan, led by the former Juventus coach, are the surprise package of the early Serie A season (alongside Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma), not so much for their results, which are expected given the quality of the squad, but for the style and quality of football the Rossoneri are producing.
The table shows Milan, Napoli, and Roma all tied at the top with 12 points, with Allegri, Gasperini, and Antonio Conte leading the way. The most surprising one is probably Gasperini, but we will talk about it in the future.
Last weekend at San Siro, Milan faced Napoli. Christian Pulisic and his teammates secured a convincing win, beating Conte’s side without much difficulty (and that is a surprise, isn’t it?).
But the real story lies not in the standings or the scoreline, it’s in the way Milan won the match (and not only this one, actually).. The Rossoneri are playing confident, entertaining football, and the goals scored against Napoli perfectly illustrate how Allegri is maximizing the talent at his disposal.
Modric inspired
This is a strong, well-equipped squad, worth emphasizing again: Luka Modrić, who looks rejuvenated in Serie A and this is something few expected; Pulisic; Alexis Saelemaekers, who proved last season with Roma, and earlier with Bologna, that he is well above the league average; Rafael Leão, from whom the Rossoneri fans expect a lot; Ardon Jashari, signed for a hefty fee; Adrien Rabiot, an undisputed top player; and even Christopher Nkunku, who is seeking to relaunch his career after showing flashes of brilliance in the past.
Many of Allegri’s players share this background: rediscovering themselves, finding new motivation, and starting fresh under a new coach, known for restoring confidence, and in front of new fans. If anyone can revive careers, it’s Max Allegri.
The Tuscan coach is surprising everyone with Milan’s style of play, not merely with their results, which are expected given the quality of the roster. At Juventus, Allegri largely abandoned attacking football in favor of solidity and defensive control (and this choice paid off), to the point where Italian journalists and fans coined the term “Allegrismo”: score once, then protect the lead.
But this Milan is different. They play attractive football, excite the fans, and make life difficult for their opponents. Napoli can attest to that after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat. Saelemaekers opened the scoring with a beautiful team goal, one worth watching again and again, before Pulisic doubled the lead after another sweeping move. Kevin De Bruyne pulled one back from the penalty spot, but Napoli’s hopes ended when Neres struck the post with a long-range effort.
Bitter Napoli setback
For Conte, it was a bitter setback. Tensions ran high on the touchline as he clashed with Kevin De Bruyne, who was furious at being substituted early (again). The Belgian made his frustration very clear, provoking an angry reaction from his coach. “I hope Kevin was angry about the result and not the substitution, otherwise he picked the wrong target”, Conte said after the match.
He doubled down at his press conference the next day: “Once I’ll let it slide. Twice I won’t” Clearly, Conte has problems to resolve. Allegri, on the other hand, is thriving. His Milan are flying high, not just in terms of results but also performances.
And we haven’t seen this version of Allegri, free-flowing, entertaining, and ambitious, since his first spell at Milan, when the Rossoneri delighted their fans during the match itself, not just at the final whistle. Welcome back, Max. He is really enjoying himself and it shows.