Allegri: ‘Too much talk about Leao’ but Milan ‘can’t be happy’ about Juventus draw

Massimiliano Allegri says Rafael Leao is in ‘good condition’ but hears ‘too much talk’ around the Portuguese star.

Leao is expected to start his first Serie A game this season tomorrow, when his Milan side host Fiorentina at San Siro.

The Portuguese has recently recovered from a calf injury suffered in mid-August and has only made two substitute appearances in league games this term

“This has been a good week; he trained on Monday, and then he had an intense week of training overall. He needed to get back into good shape, and I think he’s ready to be one of the key players again,” Allegri said at a press conference on Friday via Milannews.

“But just as we need him, we need everyone. Everyone has to be ready to help their teammates. I’m happy that he’s in good condition.

“He has extraordinary technical quality, but I think he should also be allowed to express himself. What matters is simple: the pitch. That’s where performances count,” continued Allegri.

“There’s too much talk about Leao. He’s a golden boy, and he wants to do well. Unfortunately, the injury stopped him. He’s now finding an acceptable condition, and I think he’ll do very well from here on. At the end of his career, we’ll see. Over time, Rafa will have been a true champion.”

Leao missed two chances in a 0-0 draw against Juventus before the international break, and Gazzetta reported that Allegri didn’t hide his frustration at the striker after the match. Today, the Rossoneri coach didn’t deny the incident.

“Nothing happened, just something that happens often. You play a game in Turin, have a chance to take three points, and after the final whistle, you can’t be happy,” he said.

“If we want to raise the bar, we have to be angry after those kinds of matches. That applies to everyone, across the whole environment, if we want to reach certain goals. It wasn’t a match where we dominated, but it was a match we could and should have won. When a game can be won, you have to do it. When it can’t be, you must not lose it.”

Allegri confirmed that Christian Pulisic, Pervis Estupinan and Adrien Rabiot will miss the game against Fiorentina, while Christopher Nkunku is in doubt, and Alexis Saelemaekers will be available.

“I can’t make any decision before tomorrow morning. We have players like Athekame, who can play on both wings and Pavlovic, who can be a great left-back,” said the Rossoneri boss.

“It’s important for the team to play as a team, with great humility, unity and respect for Fiorentina. If we do that, we’ll have a great match.

“Statistically, November and March are the most dangerous months [for injuries], but we’ll need to find solutions; there’s always a solution for everything. Football has evolved and become globalised; we absolutely can’t go backwards. I read something a while ago suggesting moving matches from 20:45 (CET) to 20:00. It would allow players to go to bed earlier. An extra three hours of rest could be an additional help for them. That could be a solution.

“All matches are difficult to play and win. Fiorentina have great quality and attacking players capable of scoring goals,” Allegri added.

“They’re well-coached and well-organised. They don’t deserve the few points they have; they should have more. That’s why we’ll need to play a very focused match, as we have in recent games, improving in both phases. We’ve done some good things, but it’s still a long way to May, and we have to take one small step at a time. Tomorrow is definitely one of the steps we have to take.”

Pioli, a former Milan coach, won the Serie A title with the Rossoneri in 2021-22. This season, he has yet to win one Serie A game at Fiorentina, having collected three draws and three defeats so far.

“I have a good relationship with Pioli. He was the last coach to win the Scudetto at Milan, and winning is never easy. I’m sure he’ll do a great job at Fiorentina too,” Allegri concluded.