Massimiliano Allegri and Adrien Rabiot together again. The two reunite at Milan after building mutual trust and understanding at Juventus. It doesn’t take many training sessions to revive Allegri’s old principles. Two, at most three, and the French international is already ready to start from the first minute in the new red and black shirt: Adrien will be the left-sided midfielder next to Luka Modric against Bologna.
Allegri and his "wanderer" friend
Yesterday afternoon, inside the Milanello gym, Allegri greeted Rabiot warmly with a playful: "Oh vagabond". The two then hugged and exchanged a few words. The moment, captured by Milan TV cameras, showed the coach first checking if Adrien had already found a house and then thanking him for his decision in the transfer market. Rabiot was Allegri’s only true request, and the coach intends to build the team around the Frenchman. For a “vagabond,” Milan might finally offer something close to a permanent home.
New options
In fact, Adrien Rabiot’s arrival gives Allegri fresh tactical solutions. The Frenchman can play as a left winger in a 3-4-3, in addition to his natural role as a central midfielder. In Allegri’s mind, he could also be the emergency fix: with Adrien in midfield, Loftus-Cheek would likely be used as a second striker behind Gimenez, allowing Allegri to keep another card to play during the match. And what a card, considering it would be someone like Pulisic, as pointed out by Calcio Mercato.
Rabiot's target? 8 goals with AC Milan
Goals in football vary season by season, month by month. Allegri makes an exception for his protégé Rabiot: matching the 8 goals of his best Serie A season with Juventus in 2022/23. That is only one fewer than what Adrien achieved with Marseille, where he scored 9 times.
