We are not even halfway across the river yet, but one thing is already certain: to pull the entire environment out of the footballing depression it had fallen into at the end of last season, a disastrous one, Milan needed someone like Massimiliano Allegri.
Pioli had run out of energy long before the separation in June 2024. The spark with Fonseca never ignited, and Conceição’s spell burned out almost instantly, lasting no longer than the smoke from a cigar.
The results? Milan eighth, a Coppa Italia final lost, a Champions League exit bordering on the shameful, unacceptable behavior on and off the pitch, and a club hierarchy rightly challenged by the fans, organized and otherwise. Another summer revolution, the sale of what was once an important player like Theo, ongoing disputes over the renewals of Maignan and Pulisic. Uncertainty and irritation everywhere. And yet Milan sit second in the table, with a game in hand, just one point behind leaders Inter. Derbies and head-to-head clashes won, only one league defeat despite the many and repeated absences. Did everything change overnight?
Obviously not. But Allegri, even if his many detractors love to wallow in the mud of fault-finding, is the main architect of this change in direction. First, he knows how to work, coach, and win in Italy. Second, he is credible and respected (there would be plenty to say about how players give “respect” selectively, but this is not the moment). Third, he is well liked by the fans. Fourth, he has the charisma and the broad shoulders needed to emerge unscathed from the meat grinder that is the Milan environment. Fifth, nil: Mayulu. Jokes aside, one of the finest sporting moments of 2025 helps underline an important point: Milan fans need to go back to enjoying their own successes, not the failures of others, or at least not only that. Milan must become relevant again, and to do so they must follow Allegri when he says this is a club where winning is the norm, and losing should be considered the exception.
Those who do not have much sympathy for the head coach will now think, “How boring, yet another sycophantic piece about this manager.” Even if one pretends not to see the concrete, tangible evidence on the pitch, the players in the squad never miss a chance to speak highly of the coach. The latest, in chronological order, was Rabiot yesterday on Sky: “In my opinion, what has changed Milan from last year to this year is not a player, not the team, but the coach and his staff. We all know Allegri: he’s good, and it’s very important for a team to have a coach who is so strong both tactically and humanly. Does he affect our mindset? Yes, a lot. We know football isn’t only about legs, and the coach understood that a long time ago. It’s true, with him there’s a different kind of relationship: he spoke to me a lot straight away, helped me mentally. He understands me, sometimes even without speaking. That doesn’t happen with everyone," as relayed via Milan News.
Allegri and Landucci often return the favor, and in post-match interviews they constantly speak of an available and responsible group. Harmony has finally returned to Milanello and, at least there in Carnago, the ball is once again at the center of everything. How the season will end remains to be seen, but the fracture that seemed unhealable last year has been stitched up and is healing. In six months, Allegri pulled out the first-aid kit and got to work: “Relax, I’ve got this.”
