When Allegri talks about goals, people expect him to refer to the column showing those conceded. Max has always been the standard-bearer of defensive solidity, an advocate of practical football over spectacular play. Yet, on the eve of the trip to Parma, the coach is asking his players to score before worrying about not conceding. Pavlovic’s goal against Roma, “a wonderful striker’s movement,” as Allegri described it, is not enough. He wants goals from the real forwards. "Leao and Nkunku are forwards, each with his own qualities" Max underlined.
They will once again lead Milan’s attack in Emilia. Continuity in personnel, this is the second consecutive match with Rafa and Christo paired, aims to bring continuity in performance. The trend must change through goals. Rafa has stopped after scoring three times between Fiorentina and Pisa. Nkunku has yet to start. His Serie A tally remains at zero, the same reason Gimenez has drawn criticism. Nkunku, though, has had far fewer chances. He arrived in Milan without proper preparation.
After his U.S. summer with Chelsea, one goal in six Club World Cup matches, he returned to London as a backup, training at a reduced pace with players set to leave. Then came a foot injury with the national team. Despite his limited output at Milan, France coach Didier Deschamps still called him up. In mid-October, Nkunku played against Azerbaijan and Iceland, scoring a fine goal. One was enough to equal his Milan total: he had scored once in the Coppa Italia against Lecce, the only Italian team so far to experience his "balloon test." That’s how he celebrates his goals, inflating a balloon he keeps in his socks as a special dedication to his son, whose identity he keeps private. No social media photos, no public name. What’s known is that Nkunku Jr., like Milan fans, would love to see him celebrate again.
Allegri makes it a numbers issue.
"If you concede 50 goals in a season, to finish in the top four you must score 150. Goal difference matters as much as it did 70 years ago. If goals scored and goals conceded are close, it’s hard to finish in the top six. If the gap is wide, you make the top four. We must improve our conversion rate. We can’t score one goal from six chances."
Other numbers help explain the plan. Tare once pointed out that in his career, Nkunku played 72% of his matches as a central striker. Stats also remind that he was Bundesliga top scorer in 2022–23 with 16 goals for Leipzig. Max calls for ruthlessness and confirms his attacking pair to raise output: fast, technical forwards who give no reference points to defenders, but know where to find each other, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport.
An extra note: Rafa and Nkunku often communicate in French, a language Leao knows from his Ligue 1 days.
