A.C. Milan Finally Confirm Massimiliano Allegri as Coach for Next Season

It was starting to look like another Galliani calamity. Before the season ended, it was already known that Leonardo would leave the club. Yet, only late last week did Milan confirm Massimiliano Allegri as the new coach for next season.

Really, any serious club would have secured a top manager with a much shorter time period. Furthermore, the deal with Allegri was only able to be confirmed once Cagliari president Cellino gave the green light for Allegri to leave. Had Cellino not be so merciful, Milan could have been made to look, once again, like a joke.

But, now Allegri’s position as manager of Milan has all but been confirmed. Now, the club need to take the next step and start making some smart moves in the transfer market to help Allegri build a competitive Milan side that can compete on all fronts next season. Because for a club like Milan, it is top honours that should be the objective every season.

Unfortunately, it seems the board do not feel the same way these days.

Given what we have seen from Galliani over the last few years, I have absolutely no faith in his ability to pull some smart moves in the transfer market this summer. Yet, I have to remain hopeful because we all know that Milan do not have the financial clout as in days gone by yet we have a squad that needs some serious investment made.

So there is no choice for Galliani over the next few months, he simply has to make the right moves in the transfer market and make a few of them too. If he does not, then Milan will be in serious trouble next season and Galliani should be fired.

Back to Allegri. Whilst he is a young and promising tactician, one who employs an attractive style of play and is able to get the best out of seemingly modest players, he does not fill one with great confidence. Why? Because he has never coached a top-tier team before and despite his achievements with Cagliari, he still has not won anything before as manager. For this reason, I do not think he was the right choice.

The signing of Allegri as the new Milan coach shows the lack of ambition of the club’s top brass. Given they are not in the business of signing big players any longer, then perhaps Allegri is a good choice because he is good with young players and is able to build competitive teams with modest squads. Both these qualities are usually ideal for clubs in the lower end of the Serie A table, not for a club like Milan.

But, whether Allegri is a good manager or not will be irrelevant if Milan do not make the necessary reinforcements the current squad so desperately needs.

One year on from Leonardo’s excellent first and last season with the Rossoneri, players like Pirlo, Gattuso, Zambrotta, and Ambrosini are all a year older and getting no better. Off these four players that form the crux of the current Milan team, only Pirlo should be given any playing time next season. Gattuso should be sold as soon as possible whilst Zambrotta and Ambrosini should only be considered back-up players.

Ideally, Milan need to sign at least one full back, two central midfielders, and an attacking midfielder/winger. Unless such signings are made, Allegri will find himself in the same position as did Leonardo last season.

Then there is the issue of Ronaldinho. Allegri prefers to play a 4-3-1-2 system, a system that does not suit our Brazilian talisman. Despite his phenomenal talents, Ronaldinho is only effective when deployed in his favoured position on the left of an attacking three. Such a position does not exist in the system Allegri prefers to play and thus there becomes a problem as to where to play the one player who last year was our central point of our attack.

If Allegri decides to stick with his favoured 4-3-1-2 system, then Ronaldinho should be sold. But a replacement is an absolute must.

It has been a nervous offseason for Milan fans so far and it will continue to be so until the board announce a signing or two that can help quell our nerves. This is assuming that the board will make any such announcements for the one thing that is making Milan fans like myself most anxious is whether the club will actually sign a player of note at all.