The Portuguese, thanks to an injury, is behind and it was seen with Juve. It’s up to Max to prod him with his “usual” recipe: screams and caresses. Just as happened to him in the past with his other tops…
Here we go again. Rafa Leao goes into hibernation and Max Allegri finds himself faced with yet another star to put in line… The Portuguese’s ups and downs are now a ritual in his 6 seasons with the Rossoneri. From Pioli onwards the attacker has never shone for consistency and inevitably the team’s fate has been linked to his performance. But this time the situations appear clearer than in the past. In the middle there is the coach from Livorno who in his long career has already had conflicting dialectical relationships with his most prominent attackers.
PRECEDENTS
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Already in his first AC Milan experience he had dueled with Ronaldinho and beyond: always to put the team’s needs before everything. And everyone. Imagine, there were disagreements with Ibra too. History repeated itself at Juventus. In particular with Federico Chiesa and also with Dušan Vlahović, two of his notable students of whom he remained fond, despite the turmoil of the period spent together in Turin. And it is precisely this paradox that allows us to understand why Allegri is so demanding with his attackers, alternating quick and abrupt methods with the necessary caresses in human relationships. The classic mix of carrot and stick to manage the most prominent players. And (also for this reason) those most under pressure.
with Rafa
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That’s exactly what’s happening with Rafa. Of course, the injury on 17 August against Bari affected him quite a bit. At the moment his athletic recovery is struggling to produce the desired effects. Let’s add his absent-minded nature. The result is that half hour at the Stadium with two sensational missed opportunities. Allegri’s shouts on the bench are just the outline of a “rehabilitation” process marked by shouts at Milanello. Yes, because eyewitnesses tell of training sessions in the name of the coach’s exhortations towards his jewel that is being tested. Max asks him to push the accelerator, he doesn’t always live up to expectations. And hence the more or less public lectures that are characterizing this Rossoneri moment. In short, Leão has entered a delicate phase.
new square
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Also because in the meantime the Livorno coach has found a new tactical framework which requires the Portuguese to make a radical change of direction to guarantee himself a starting shirt. With the transition to 3-5-2, in fact, Rafa only has a place as a pure striker, if not exactly a center forward together with Pulisic or Gimenez. Reading the current choices it is difficult to see him again from the first minute on the pitch, also because without other commitments in Europe there is no need even for a turnover. Therefore, Milan expects a sharp turnaround in the player, even in the summer at the center of the transfer market. Will Rafa be able to react quickly? The risk for him is to go off the manager’s radar, but above all to lose the trust of the environment. An unexpected eclipse to be avoided at all costs. To go back to the past, both Chiesa and Vlahović responded in a polemical manner to Allegri on several occasions, especially when they were replaced in a methodical manner or were systematically left on the bench. In these choices of his there is evidently also a psychological key, the desire to test the character of his players.
different movie
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And from this point of view Leao has to deal with a new reality. In previous seasons, for example, he also happened to suffer punitive exclusions. But in the long run he always prevailed. Now it’s a different movie. Allegri has a tactical score to respect and the winning streak of a promising start to the season. And in any case, the Livornese always knows how to mediate, if not actually sway, at the right time. The proof is that in the summer both Vlahovic and Chiesa would have willingly returned under his guidance. There must be a reason.
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