A caress went to Vanoni (“an extraordinary woman and supporter of AC Milan”), a hug to Franco Baresi (“we are waiting for him at Milanello”) and an assist given to Rino Gattuso, Italy’s coach in the balance of the World Cup (“if we need to stop the championship, we will do it”). And if there are pitfalls to avoid (the possible arrival of Thiago Silva in January as defensive reinforcements), he is well prepared. “The club takes care of the market,” he answered dryly without forgetting the two wonderful years spent with the Brazilian champions. This was definitely a derby atmosphere: for once Max Allegri indulged every question and curiosity, more than a press conference, this was almost like a session on a psychoanalyst’s couch. Because it quickly reopens the brackets of history
on past professional choices. «In one night I had to choose between returning to Juve, going to Madrid from Real or to Inter» he recalled when talking about his relationship with Beppe Marotta, who went through a storm during the famous Italian Cup match but officially recovered (“I worked very well with him in Turin”). And even the Inter president’s assessment of him as “cynical and concrete” did not sway him. «To win, you have to be concrete rather than play nice» is Max’s philosophy. The odds were not in his favor and even this news didn’t seem to bother him. «We still start from 0 to 0» his comment was seraphic although he did not forget some important data that justifies Inter being the super favorites. «They have scored 28 goals and conceded 7, won 11 of the last 12 games, they fielded the best four strikers, they have good shooters from outside the box, they rarely concede and are first in shots on goal» is the list of Inter qualities displayed one after another.
So how do you scale Inter? Max focuses on individual duels. “At Parma, we have achieved few wins and are at risk of losing,” he warned. And maybe also his performance with Napoli
(in ten for a big stretch). «We have to stay in the game for 95 minutes and defend when the storm hits» advice that takes into account Chivu’s clear match plan, starting from his back. And the permanent absence of a centre-forward is certainly not a concern (only Gimenez and Athekame are absent). «Leao and Pulisic will play together for the first time, in the past I played without a centre-forward, in the Ibra era there was Boateng or Nocerino acting as a number 9» memories that perhaps account for Leao’s latest conversion (“he understands that his career is measured by goals”).
For this reason he rallied the support of AC Milan fans, teasing Fofana (“he has great potential but must be more careful”) and Pavlovic (“he must be more present inside the penalty area”) and announcing from the first minute the presence of Rabiot “who has matured a lot this season”. All he needs to do is win this derby which “will guarantee a restful week” he explains, while forgetting the effects of Viagra it will cause.
