With so many big name players, a mammoth stadium often full of adoring fans and a history that dazzles amongst the leading lights of European soccer, surely it’s easy to manage a club like AC Milan.
Think again.
So often the biggest jobs in European soccer become a poisoned chalice and after Massimiliano Allegri was sacked on Monday, following a 4-3 defeat to his former club Sassuolo, the soccer elite have yet another victim.
The dismissal brings an end to his time in charge at Milan, as Allegri was given a fair crack of the whip with four seasons in charge but in the end a lack of investment and not culling some of his aging squad proved to be his downfall. Right now AC sit 11th in Serie A and only six points clear of the relegation zone however they are still in the UEFA Champions League and face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 next month.
(MORE: Latest Serie A Standings)
Allegri had often struggled in the UCL compared to the Italian top-flight, as he won the Scuddeto in his first season in charge but that seems like a distant memory now as the Rossoneri stormed to the title back in 2010-11 and came second in 2011-12. One other trophy, the Italian Suppercoppa, followed but that has been it for one of European soccer’s most successful clubs.
One other thing that spelled the end for the 46-year-old was the return of long-time AC Milan President and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who once again became the sole club President in 2012. Since 1986 Berlusconi has been juggling his leadership of Milan and the Italian nation and in that time he’s now had 17 managers in charge at the San Siro, with only Carlo Ancelotti lasting longer than five years when he took charge between 2001-2009.
In that respect Allegri is the third longest-serving boss under the Berlusconi era, but of late the league form has been atrocious and something needed to be done to rectify that. Stars players such as Kaka, Robinho, Mario Balotelli and Stephen El Shaarway should not have steered Milan into mid-table obscurity in Serie A. But they have. Some of the big names haven’t stood up to be counted with the side struggling and that confounded Allegri’s worst fears, as even the likes of Kaka looks a shade of his former self after Milan brought him back to the San Siro on a free transfer. With only two league wins in their last 11 games since October 27, the writing has been on the wall for Allegri.
This season defending has been the main problem for AC as they’ve let in 30 goals in 19 games, which may not sound like that many but when you’re used to staunch defensive displays and you play in Serie A... that’s a lot of goals being leaked.
However Milan struggling to perform in Serie A isn’t something new as last season they had a terrible start to the campaign and had just eight points form their first seven games. But Allegri turned that around and guided Milan to third place and a Champions League berth after AC had been languishing towards the relegation zone during the first half of the 2012-13 season.
(MORE: Clarence Seedorf to become AC Milan’s new manager)
He wasn’t given time to do that this season, and before Christmas he’d already signified his intent to move on from the San Siro after this campaign and his contract was up, stating “this will be my last Christmas at AC Milan.” Turns out the end came sooner than Allegri thought it would, but it needed to happen after his early promise as head coach declined rapidly. Strange comments in 2012 also marred Allegri’s future as when he signed a new deal in January of that year, as the former Cagliari boss declared that he would only by a manager for another 10 seasons as the stress was too much to handle.
Now Milan have appointed former legend Clarence Seedorf as their new manager, it seems as though Berlusconi will be more involved than ever to help the young coach succeed and turns things around. Allegri got that help last season, but he wasn’t going to get it again this year.
Many weren’t surprised he was shown the door, but will he get another chance to manage on the biggest stage? With a top three finish in every single full season as AC Milan manager, he didn’t do any awful job but progress wasn’t being made as fast as Berlusconi and the other executives would’ve liked. Allegri finishes his time in charge at Milan with 91 wins from 178 games, with a win percentage of 51.12 percent.
Not bad for someone who’s been under pressure since the very start. Even if he didn’t quite live up to expectations, Allegri should get a crack at another top job in Italy relatively soon.