Allegri Revives AC Milan's Fighting Mentality

By sacrificing beautiful play, Massimiliano Allegri has revived the fighting spirit and winning mentality within the AC Milan squad. The solidity that had long been absent in "I Rossoneri" was reborn when they defeated the defending champions, Napoli, 2-1, in the Italian League match on Monday (29/9/2025) early morning WIB.

Milan's victory felt like an anomaly. The hosts were actually outclassed in terms of quality. They lacked a sharp striker and even had to field Christian Pulisic alongside young striker Santiago Gimenez up front. Pulisic is, after all, a midfielder or winger.

Not only that, Milan had to play with ten men from the 57th minute after Pervis Estupinan was sent off by the referee. The red card shown to the left-back indicates the inexperience of the Milan squad, which has an average player age of 26.5 years. This average age is significantly younger compared to Napoli (28.2 years) and Inter Milan (28.5 years), the two top contenders for the Serie A title this season.

However, these shortcomings were offset by the solid mentality and play of Allegri, a champion coach with six Scudettos (Serie A titles). "What we did today was amazing. The coach (Allegri) was able to maximize the players' potential. We have quality, and it showed on the pitch," said Pulisic, who scored one goal and assisted one in the match.

This victory was certainly due to the influence of Allegri, the coach who led Milan to the Scudetto in the 2010-2011 season. The first thing he overhauled upon his return was the defense. He transformed Milan's playing system, which for almost a decade had been focused on possession.

The formation pattern of three central defenders and two wing-backs, which was successfully employed at Juventus a decade ago, has been implemented at Milan. Although they suffered a defeat in the opening match of the season, losing 1-2 to Cremonese, the players of Milan were able to adapt quickly. Following that, they have won five consecutive matches across various competitions, including against Napoli.

His (Modric's) presence in front of the defense adds quality to our game. He's more about winning the ball back with interceptions, rather than being aggressive. This is where he's invaluable. - Massimiliano Allegri -

Of this string of wins, their defensive performance is the most striking. Milan have kept three clean sheets, namely against Lecce, Bologna, and Udinese. Throughout this season, they have conceded only three goals, or an average of 0.5 goals per game. This defensive performance is significantly better, for example, than last season, when they conceded 1.1 goals per game in Serie A.

Milan's defensive performance, so far, is the second best in Serie A. Only AS Roma, coached by the new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, has conceded fewer goals, with just one goal in five matches. "We have made many sacrifices, especially in defense after the red card (in the match against Napoli)," Pulisic revealed the secret behind Milan's current solidity.

Thanks to that solidarity, in addition to defeating Napoli, Milan has seized the top position in the temporary standings. They lead Serie A for the 2025-2026 season with 12 points, ahead on goal difference from Napoli and Roma, who are in second and third place, respectively. "The kids played well. But, this is just the beginning," said Allegri, tempering championship expectations as quoted by Football-Italia.

Although Allegri is reluctant to talk about the Scudetto, history favors Milan if they can maintain their consistency. They can focus on Serie A, as they won't be competing in European competition. This could then mirror Napoli's success, which won the title last season under Antonio Conte. They also missed out on European club competition at that time.

In addition, history records that Serie A champions are more often determined by defensive quality rather than attacking prowess. In the last five seasons of Serie A, four of them were won by teams with the best defenses. This was experienced by Milan, coached by Stefano Pioli, during the 2021-2022 season. At that time, Milan was the team with the best defense, alongside Napoli. Their goal conceded only 31 goals from 38 matches.

The question then arises, why has Milan's defensive performance improved drastically this season? In fact, they hardly have standout center-backs, wing-backs, or goalkeepers. This season, they have not even added significant reinforcements in the defensive sector. In that area, the only notable transfer is Estupinan from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Thus, the question was answered in the midfield. This is the sector that has undergone drastic changes with the presence of two stars rich in experience, Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot. The two veteran players appeared dominant and were the key figures behind Milan's victory over Napoli.

Modric, despite being nearly 40 years old, played a vital role, especially in Milan's defense. Fotmob noted that the playmaker made the most interceptions, with five, in the match against Napoli. He also recorded seven ball recoveries. This figure is on par with Rabiot, the defensive midfielder brought in from Marseille.

"Milan has the best midfield. Modric and Rabiot, when in possession of the ball, always know what to do," said Arrigo Sacchi, the former Milan coach, praising the two veteran players.

It is not surprising that Milan was able to win despite having inferior game statistics compared to Napoli. They managed to contain Napoli's aggression, even though they lost possession with 64 percent to 36 percent. Milan's defense remained steadfast despite facing 19 shots from the opponent, 7 of which were on target. Their only conceded goal in that match came from a penalty executed by Kevin De Bruyne.

"His presence (Modric) in front of the defense enhances our quality. He recovers the ball more through interceptions rather than aggression. This is where he is very valuable," Allegri praised Modric's willingness to play a more defensive role.

Milan's consistency will next be tested by Juventus in the match on Sunday (5/10/2025). This match will also serve as a reunion for Allegri, who left Juve in 2024. (AP)