AC Milan legend Franco Baresi backs Massimiliano Allegri to make Rossoneri competitive again
AC Milan legend Franco Baresi believes players carry the responsibility to be ambassadors for their clubs on overseas tours. PHOTO: AC Milan via Getty Images
SINGAPORE – After recording their worst league finish in 10 seasons, AC Milan are in dire need of a restart, one that is set to begin in Singapore.
The Rossoneri, who sacked coach Sergio Conceicao after missing out on European football next term with an eighth-placed league finish in the recently concluded season, will have a familiar face at the helm when they embark on their pre-season tour in the Republic in July.
Veteran coach Massimiliano Allegri, 57, has returned to the club and the Italian's first assignment will be a friendly against Arsenal at the National Stadium on July 23.
It is part of the Singapore Festival of Football, which will also feature an Arsenal-Newcastle United friendly at the same venue on July 27.
The return of Allegri, who guided the Rossoneri to the Serie A title in 2011 before winning the league and Coppa Italia five times apiece and reaching the Champions League final twice with Juventus, has sparked optimism among the Milan faithful, including legend Franco Baresi.
In a phone interview with Singapore media on June 4, the former defender told The Straits Times that the Festival of Football will be 'a great opportunity to restart with great enthusiasm'.
'Allegri is a coach with fantastic experience, so he will be able to work well with the team, with the players, to give them the kind of serenity and conviction to get back, to be competitive again,' said the 65-year-old Italian via a translator.
Their past season has been marked with instability, despite beating arch-rivals Inter Milan 3-2 in January's Italian Super Cup final.
Stefano Pioli, who guided Milan to the Scudetto in 2022, was dismissed last summer. He was replaced by Paulo Fonseca, who lasted six months, before Conceicao got the sack after just five months.
While he declined to assess the recent season, Baresi, who is also Milan's honorary vice-president, said: 'With the new coach, there will be a lot of willingness to get back on our feet and start the new season in the best way.
'These are games that are very useful... for the players to get to know the coach, for the coach to get to know the players, and for everybody to get to know any new players who might arrive in the summer.
'So, this game is very important to start to play well together and understand what the ideas of the new coach will be... and to get ready for the new season in terms of finding good team morale and teamwork on the pitch , and also to be physically ready.'
Changes are afoot in the Milan camp, with players being linked with moves.
Several media outlets, including the BBC, reported on June 4 that their Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has agreed terms with Manchester City ahead of €55 million (S$80.9 million) move. Meanwhile, Real Madrid icon Luka Modric will reportedly join Milan after the June 14-July 13 Club World Cup.
While Baresi stopped short of confirming the 39-year-old Croat's arrival, he did pick out players from the current side whom he admires and hopes will set the National Stadium alight on their first visit here.
'I like players of great technical ability and quality. When I think of children who go to the San Siro and watch the team play , the ones who would probably excite them most are Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic, who can really thrill with their skills and velocity ,' said the one-club man, who played 719 games for Milan across 20 seasons.
The model pro, who also has 81 caps and was part of Italy's World Cup-winning side in 1982, also chimed in on the responsibility of players to represent their club and country well while on overseas duty, after two Manchester United players were seen flashing middle fingers during the club's post-season tour of Asia.
He said: 'We always need to prove that we are professionals at the end of the day, because we have a huge responsibility towards our millions and millions of fans across the globe. So the most important thing is to represent the club with our best.'
Tickets for the Singapore Festival of Football start from $108 and are available on Ticketek.
David Lee is senior sports correspondent at The Straits Times focusing on aquatics, badminton, basketball, cue sports, football and table tennis.
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