AFTER ALL, ONLY BY RUNNING FASTER THAN THE OTHERS CAN THEY ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF CROSSING THE FINISH LINE FIRST. THE CHASE BEGAN AT THE END OF MAY, ONCE THE ROSSONERI HAD FINISHED EIGHTH IN THE PREVIOUS SEASON. WITH A SPRINT FROM MILANELLO TO LUGANO, HOME OF THE SECRET BLITZ, THEY SECURED ALLEGRI WITH A DECISIVE ACCELERATION TO BEAT THE COMPETITION. NOW IT’S UP TO MAX TO REPEAT THE SCHEME: HE WILL RETURN TO THE FIELD WITH HIS NEW PLAYERS ON JULY 7, NEXT MONDAY, AHEAD OF THE REST OF SERIE A.
THE REASON IS SIMPLE: THEY WILL START FIRST TO TRY TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE TO EXPLOIT DURING THE LONG RUN OF THE LEAGUE SEASON. IT WAS ALLEGRI WHO CORRECTED THE CALENDAR: THE START OF THE WORK WAS INITIALLY SCHEDULED FOR JULY 10-11, THE NEW COACH ASKED TO HAVE MORE TIME, AND MORE WORK, AVAILABLE.
EVERYTHING IS AIMED AT A LIGHTNING START. WHEN WILL THE INTERNATIONALS ARRIVE? NO EXTRA DAYS OF REST. THEY ARE EXPECTED AT MILANELLO TOGETHER WITH THE REST OF THE GROUP. EXCEPTIONS EXCLUDED: SANTIAGO GIMENEZ STILL BUSY WITH MEXICO, HE WILL HAVE A FEW DAYS TO RECOVER, AS WELL AS LUKA MODRIC.
ARE THE TEMPERATURES PROHIBITIVE? THE BASIC THING IS TO TRAIN TWICE, POSSIBLY AT COOLER TIMES. THE TRAINING COMPLEX IS A STONE’S THROW FROM HOME FOR MANY PLAYERS, BUT ALLEGRI KNOWS THAT A REAL GROUP IS BUILT IN RETREAT, SO MILANELLO WILL BE THE TRUE HOME FOR EVERYONE FROM THE FIRST MONDAY IN JULY.
NO OBLIGATIONS: WHOEVER WANTS TO RETURN TO THEIR FAMILY WILL BE FREE TO DO SO, BUT EVENTS ADVISE AGAINST IT. MANDATORY BREAKFAST AT MILANELLO, FIRST TRAINING AT HALF PAST NINE. SECOND APPOINTMENT ON THE PITCH AT 6PM, THEN MANDATORY DINNER TO FOLLOW.
ALLEGRI HAS GOTTEN TO KNOW ICONIC PLACES WITHIN MILANELLO – HE WILL SLEEP IN THE FAMOUS ROOM NUMBER FIVE – AND KNOWS THAT IN CERTAIN ROOMS GREAT SUCCESSES CAN BE BUILT: HIS MILAN WILL RESTART FROM HERE. OR RATHER, IT HAS ALREADY STARTED AGAIN FROM MIAMI, THE COSTA SMERALDA OR MYKONOS: FROM RAFA WORKING ON THE PITCH IN FLORIDA TO YOUS FOFANA LIFTING WEIGHTS IN GREECE, THE ROSSONERI CHASE HAS BEGUN.
MAX HAS DICTATED THE PACE BY SPEAKING ON THE PHONE WITH EACH OF THEM. HIS CELL PHONE IS BOILING AND NOT BECAUSE OF THE TORRID HEAT OF LIVORNO, WHERE HE RETURNED TWO DAYS AGO: THE LINE THAT SEES HIM CONSTANTLY CONNECTED TO THE MANAGEMENT IS VERY HOT, PARTICIPATING AND INVOLVED IN EVERY DECISION.
A WEEK AGO, IN THE LAST WEEKEND SPENT IN SARDINIA, HE WAS ABLE TO SILENCE HIS CELL PHONE ONLY BECAUSE IGLI TARE – THE NEW SPORTING DIRECTOR – WAS THERE WITH HIM. A MEETING WAS SCHEDULED TO SHARE, EVEN AT THE SEASIDE, THE PROGRAM OF THE NEW SEASON.
FOR MAX AND HIS MEN, THE START IS FURTHER BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK: IN ADDITION TO ‘ROOM FIVE’, NUMEROUS OTHER ROOMS WILL BE OCCUPIED. THE STAFF IS LARGE, TEN PEOPLE IN ALL, FROM THE HISTORIC ASSISTANT LANDUCCI TO THE NEW ENTRY BERNARDO CORRADI, TECHNICAL COLLABORATOR.
THE RIGHT MOTIVATION
ALLEGRI IS DESCRIBED AS PARTICULARLY MOTIVATED, A CHARGE WITH WHICH HE WILL BE ABLE TO FUEL HIS TEAM FROM THE FIRST TRAINING SESSIONS.
THE CEO GIORGIO FURLANI HAD DESCRIBED IT LIKE THIS: “I WAS STRUCK BY HIS KNOWLEDGE OF MILAN, HIS ENTHUSIASM DESPITE THE FACT THAT NO ACTIVE COACH HAS WON MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS THAN HIM. HE HAS A GREAT DESIRE TO DO.”
THE SPORTING DIRECTOR CONFIRMED IT: “FROM THE FIRST CONTACT I PERCEIVED HOW MUCH HE CARED ABOUT THIS CLUB. HE HAD A VERY DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE TEAM.” SOON HE WILL BE ABLE TO ANALYSE IT CLOSELY WITHOUT CLOSE COMMITMENTS.
MAX WILL START WITH FRIENDLIES AND THE COPPA ITALIA, USEFUL TESTS FOR THE FORMATION OF HIS NEW MILAN. THE ENTIRE WEEK AVAILABLE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP HIM GIVE THE GROUP HIS OWN IMPRINT: IN THE LAST SEASON FIRST FONSECA AND THEN CONCEIÇAO COMPLAINED, BETWEEN ONE MATCH AND ANOTHER, ABOUT A LACK OF TIME.
A SUMMER WITHOUT THE CLUB WORLD CUP CAN BE TECHNICALLY AN ADVANTAGE: MILAN WILL BE ABLE TO ORGANISE THEIR TIME BETTER. IT WILL BE USEFUL TIME ALSO FOR EVALUATIONS, WHICH OTHER TEAMS COMPETING FOR THE TITLE WILL NECESSARILY HAVE TO SPEED UP.
MAX WILL STUDY THE CURRENT SQUAD, HE WILL UNDERSTAND WHICH OF THE CENTRAL PLAYERS IN THE SQUAD CAN BE MORE FUNCTIONAL TO HIS GAME PLAN. HE WILL GIVE A DECISIVE INDICATION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PLAYERS IN THE BALANCE. SAELEMAEKERS AND CHUKWUEZE ARE TWO EXAMPLES MENTIONED.
HE WILL CHECK WITH THE STAFF THE CONDITION OF LOFTUS-CHEEK, JUDGED STRATEGIC IN THE NEW COURSE BUT OFTEN TOO PHYSICALLY FRAGILE. ALLEGRI’S RETURN WAS ANNOUNCED LAST MAY 30: IN A MONTH, EVEN IF ONLY FROM AFAR, HE HAS ALREADY CHANGED EVERYTHING.
