AC Milan : An Ode To Allegri ai??i?? Part 2

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The second half of the 2012-13 season was an extraordinary one for Allegri and AC Milan, as they rarely let their foot off the gas. Acquiring the most points, even more than eventual winners Juventus, Milan claimed the third spot in the last 10 minutes of the season from Fiorentina. With the assurance of third place in the league came the certainty of European football. It seemed that at the end, Allegri and Milan were able to make something out of their miserable season. However, the cracks were starting to emerge and rifts between the President and Allegri became an everyday affair at Milanello. Even under intense pressure, Allegri maintained his calm demeanor and promised to see out his contract.

In his three seasons as the head coach of AC Milan, Allegri won the Serie A title along with the Supercoppa Italiana. Yes, his team has not been consistent throughout this tenure, but somehow, Allegri emerged as a better coach. From being a defensive-minded manager in his first season to throwing caution into the wind in his subsequent years, Allegri grew into the job. Results did not come as expected, but for that Allegri cannot be held responsible as the sole point of failure.

Fast forward to 2013 and with rising speculation on his capability to continue in the Milan hot seat, Allegri entered his fourth and final season as Milan coach. All along this time, he had maintained a dignified silence when the President took credit for Milan’s success or blasted him openly in the media. On one occasion, it was reported that the President went as far as saying that “Allegri does not understand anything”, since he left El Shaarawy out of the starting line-up.

The whole of the summer transfer window was spent with headlines like “Berlusconi wants Allegri out” or “Allegri to discuss severance package”. Such instability surely made a laughing stock out of Milan, as Berlusconi adopted a new tactic to push Allegri away ai??i?? by not showing up for scheduled meetings. With both parties at a standstill, a truce was decided upon and Allegri was told to continue his work at Milan.

Even when the pre-season matches were ongoing, the incessant media pressure made it untenable for him to continue his work at peace. Since Milan had finished third the previous season, they had qualified for the play-offs for the Champions League. When Milan finally defeated PSV by a margin of 4-1, Allegri was the first to vent his anger and frustration to the media, claiming that he might resign the day after. Such an outburst was immediately muted by the diplomatic and astute Galliani, who obviously claimed that Allegri was “joking”. But that outburst proved one thing for sure ai??i?? that Allegri will not take any more abuse lying down on the mat.

After suffering their worst start in over 30 years, and Milan were back in the same boat like the previous season. Finger pointing and insults in the media became commonplace once more as speculation rose once more about Allegri’s position at the helm of the club. Bad losses, both at home and on the road only added to the ever-growing pressure and come November, he was very close to being axed. Even Galliani, who had so far supported him now became agitated, more so after their surprising 3-0 loss to Caen.

The fans, who had so far backed the tactician, finally lost it and one fan even put Allegri on sale in eBay for ai??i??1.

For sale: Coach Allegri without ideas or character. We offer you a pointless Coach who doesnai??i??t know how to train, canai??i??t motivate players and only makes absurd substitutions at the 70th minute.

ai???He is specialised only in games against Barcelona. If you pay immediately, youai??i??ll receive Mauro Tassotti for free.

ai???Itai??i??s a real deal!!!! We will not be held responsible for errors in manufacture.

Surely the doors were closing on him, and Allegri himself confirmed the news when he came out saying that he had already spent his last Christmas as a Milan coach. Openly bullish on the choice of his successor, Allegri decided to focus on keeping Milan in Serie A, saying that Milan are now in a “relegation dogfight” before their match against Atalanta. Will Allegri be able to lead Milan to an European berth this time? Although it is not an impossible task, but probably it is one which will not materialize, given the fact that injuries happen as soon as a player steps on the field. Case in point – El Shaarawy’s return from injury and then re-injured minutes into the match.

Like every coach before him, Allegri had lent his unique brand of leadership to Milan and for quite a while, it worked wonders. However, like every good thing that comes to an end, so did his relation with Milan and most importantly, the fans. The crowd can boo him all they want, but for someone to have led Milan to the Serie A title in his very first season after managing such teams as Cagliari and Sassuolo, he deserves every credit for any success that AC Milan have had in the last four years.

Tags: AC Milan Allegri

AC Milan : An Ode To Allegri ai??i?? Part 2

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