Allegri: ‘Milan can’t ruin 95 minutes of work for one moment of laziness’

Massimiliano Allegri believes that Milan are in for a tough test against Pisa in Serie A on Friday evening, and has identified one area where his side need to improve despite sitting at the top of the league table after seven matches: ‘You can’t ruin 95 minutes for one moment of laziness at the end’. 

The Rossoneri rose to the top of the Serie A standings with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in San Siro on Sunday, and now have an opportunity to temporarily extend their lead at the top to four points with a victory over Pisa on Friday. 

Allegri insists that the newly-promoted side will not be an easy task for the Rossoneri, and has implored his players to ‘do a bit better than we did the last time we played a newly-promoted team’, in reference to his side’s surprise 2-1 defeat against Cremonese in the opening round of 2025-26 fixtures. 

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Allegri insists that sitting at the top of the table is not the only ‘pressure’ that Milan are currently facing. 

“There’s more than pressure, there’s a complicated game as well. Pisa, aside from against Bologna, have always played battling matches, scoring and have played well against teams like Napoli and Roma. We will have to go about it in the right way. 

“There’s a bit of a taboo to dispel as well, as we have to do a bit better than we did the last time we played a newly-promoted team.” 

Allegri was asked if he is ‘surprised’ to see his Milan side at the top of the standings so early on in his tenure. 

“It’s not that I expected to be first, but I knew that I inherited a team with great players and that we would work hard every day,” he replied. “We are only at the beginning, though. We have to face tomorrow’s game with the greatest respect.”

And when asked about the fact that he has always gone on to win the Serie A title after picking up 16 points from his first seven matches of a season, Allegri said: “Forget about that. The teams are different. The important thing is to finish well, work hard with a low profile, stay quiet. What matters is winning matches.” 

Allegri maintains that qualifying for the Champions League is Milan’s main goal this season, and has set a minimum points target in order to achieve that feat/ 

“Winning is never easy. We want to take another step forwards and slowly head towards the tally that qualifies us for the Champions League. That is our goal. We need a minimum of 74 points. We’re not thinking about Napoli or Inter, we are thinking about tomorrow. We have to keep our feet on the ground.” 

Allegri went on to give an update on his potential selections against Pisa, including the latest injury news on Christopher Nkunku and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. 

“Nkunku will be on the bench. We’ll see about Loftus-Cheek today.”

And on Rafael Leao playing as a centre-forward, he added: “He scored from a central area against Fiorentina. I haven’t ‘transformed’ Leao, I think he can play as a first or a second striker. The more central he is on the pitch, the better. Rafa can do really well as a second striker, and can link up with Gimenez, Pulisic or Nkunku.” 

On Santiago Gimenez, Allegri said: “He’s trained well the last few days. He came back late this summer, on August 5, but he’s in good physical condition and I’m seeing him looking more and more settled and calm. He has great technical qualities, He’s growing, the goal will come.” 

On Koni De Winter, Allegri hinted that: “Tomorrow, he could have a chance.” 

And on Strahinja Pavlovic, he said: “He’s already played a lot for Milan, but he still has room to grow. You have to imagine him in four or five years. He still has to improve in the defensive phase.”

And on Luka Modric, Allegri said: “He rarely makes mistakes because he’s an extraordinary champion. His passing and vision are at a different speed to all the others, he’s very comfortable in that role, and he’s having a lot of fun.” 

When asked if he thinks this Milan side have any flaws, Allegri said: “We need to improve. For example, we were not in the best position in the box for the final moment against Juventus in Turin after playing a really good game. You can’t ruin 95 minutes for one moment of laziness at the end. 

“It also happened against Fiorentina, but Ricci and Bartesaghi had been very good. Every ball could decide the season for Milan.”