Massimiliano Allegri: A New Hope

Massimiliano Allegri rejoins AC Milan for a second spell as manager, and after a lacklustre season despite winning the Super Cup against Inter, it was a hectic season with two managers first with Paulo Foncesca and then Sergio Conceicao.

Ultimately the season wasn't good enough with the final straw being an 8th place finish missing out on European football and a Coppa Italia final loss to Bologna.

Can Allegri bring his vast, successful experience to AC Milan and guide them to domestic success again?

A Track Record Of Success

Allegri's first taste of success was with Sassuolo during the 2007-08 season, taking them to the Serie C1 title and promotion to Serie B for the first time in the club's history. In 2008, he took the reins at Cagliari in Serie A and took them to an impressive 9th palce finish, one of the highest in the clubs history, just missing out on European football.

Despite not having any physical success, such as trophies with Cagliari, it was the way that he turned them around that caught the eye of giants AC Milan, and in his first season, the Rossoneri proved why they took a chance as Allegri took AC Milan to their first Scudetto since 2004.

This was followed up by leading them to a 6th Supercopa Italiana title the year after.

However, with the large club comes more pressure, and eventually in 2014, he was relieved of his duties at AC Milan and a few months later joined Juventus.

At Juventus, Allegri has found the majority of his success so far, enjoying a run of trophy success between 2014 and 2019, during which he won the Scudetto five consecutive times.

How can Allegri turn Milan around?

AC Milan ultimately wants to put a bad year behind them, which has developed into a painful one for fans who have certainly made their voices heard throughout the season, especially at their last home game against Monza.

Unlike the previous two selections, Allegri is a proven winner and experienced in Serie A, and is someone who knows the club well, a figure with personality and good leadership qualities.

Allegri has signed a two-year contract at the club and, in addition to the new sporting director Igli Tare, will be heavily involved in all decisions regarding players' futures.

The first priority will seemingly be to keep goalkeeper Mike Maignan at the San Siro, with his fantastic performances over the past couple of seasons attracting interest. Filling Donnarumma's shoes was never going to be easy, but Maignan has made a good job of it.

Superstar Rafael Leoa is another high priority; Allegri and Tare will likely look to base a new-look Milan team around their Portuguese winger, who can become a cornerstone of the club.

Other stars however, such as Theo Hernandez, seemingly might not be so lucky, and may well be moved on to raise funds for a rebuild.

Whilst it is a time where there is no clear pair of hands steering Milan in the right direction, Allegri has experienced that previously, and he will be able to take some of the control and responsibility and become a focal figure for the fans.

Whilst it may seem like a strange idea, next season with no European football might favour the team, with fewer games to focus on and just the league and domestic competitions, this summer should provide AC Milan and Allegeri with the perfect opportunity to revitalise the squad.

By bringing in fewer but more high quality and proven players to strengthen the Rossoneri whislt also getting rid of the players that may have hindered the club in the last few seasons, Allegri stands an excellent chance of shaping what is, in part, a talented Milan squad, into winners.

In Allegri's first season with Milan, he led them to the Scudetto, but the Champions League form eventually took a hit as Tottenham knocked them out, and they also exited the Coppa Italia to Palermo.

Now, with fewer games to play, he can focus almost entirely on the league. With that in mind, he can reflect on the last few years since their 19th Scudetto win in 2021 and push to level their city rivals in the aim of adding another star to their badge.