After the worst start in 70 years, this Milan team has experienced a run of form that seems to have surprised even themselves, to a certain degree. Since November 17th, Milan have only lost one game in Serie A, with 10 wins in 15 league games. All of this while making it to the Coppa Italia Quarterfinals and still playing in the Champions League, including a perfect game against Barcelona. While many have speculated and jumped to conclusions as to how this was possible, I have a few theories of my own.
My friend from Macedonia recently asked me if I thought Allegri deserved the credit for Milan’s turnaround, to which I replied no. If anything, he was responsible for a turnaround needed in the first place. Not only for his insane changes in tactics and lineups, but also because morale seemed to be in a free fall. Just before Berlusconi’s first visit to Milan, he reportedly told the players in training “You’re not all here with your minds and this is why we are losing. … If we carry on like this, we’ll end up in Serie B.” Allegri was also blaming the individual errors of the players for all of the losses. His press conferences had grown increasingly scattered, and it seemed that he put the blame in a different spot each week. Perhaps most telling is a quote from Allegri himself from 2011:“A good coach is one who doesn't make you lose games.”
So it is also interesting that in a reported interview to a foreign magazine in November, one of the players gave his manager’s motivational speeches a 4/10. When asked about his owner’s motivational speeches, he rated Berlusconi 11/10. And not coincidental, I think, that the change in form happened when Berlusconi began making his motivational speeches to the players.
So where do I give the credit for the turnaround? First and foremost to the players. They did what they were asked. They made themselves available for every match. They worked hard, and when they needed to, they worked harder. It didn't matter which formation Allegri fielded, nor how often they got a start, they kept their noses to the grindstone and worked.
They also endured the criticism of the fans and the media. Even Galliani publicly criticized at least Abbiati (vs. Napoli) and Nocerino (vs. Torino.) The players have shown individual and collective strength and optimism as well as a drive to succeed and to help Milan win. So much youth, yet so much talent. This squad are breaking stigmas and records alike and challenging what everyone thought of them over the summer.
Secondly, Luck. Not only have so many of our opponents dropped points and endured runs of poor form, a lot of ref calls have been in our favour If you look at all of the matches listed above, Milan have been awarded 5 penalty kicks, 4 of them decisive in the final score. We were also given 3 own goals by opponents, and a goal that should have been offside (although only one own goal was decisive in that match.) Additionally, our opponents have gone down to 10 men for 40 minutes or more three separate times, giving us the numerical advantage. Call it luck, Karma, referee errors, our opponents’ bad luck, this factor has been decisive in Milan’s incredible run of form this year.
And finally, Allegri. But I still can’t laud him like others do. Had he not coached so poorly for the first three months, Milan likely would never have been in such poor form in the first place. So he looks good by first having made the team look so bad? But to his credit, he has stayed under intense criticism from everyone, especially management. Also to his credit, after going on a lineup changing spree like a woman with her first credit card, he reigned himself in and stuck with the 4-3-3 formation. And while he still continues to struggle with certain parts of the lineup, such as defence the stability he has since provided has allowed our boys to shine. There are other factors, of course, but for me, I would rate these three as the most influential, with management coming in fourth with the same caveat as Allegri – they did some good things, but also affected the team very negatively.
We have a team with heart, a lot of luck all the way around, and a coach and management that are sticking with them, even if they've done a bit of kicking and screaming. The only question that remains is how far will Milan take this revolution? Stay tuned through the end of the season to find out.
