MN: 11 defeats in 20 for Allegri – why the Cagliari loss may have been a blessing for Milan
A report this morning has put forward the notion that it may be a blessing in disguise that AC Milan missed out on the Champions League.
MilanNews write that the club ‘have Cagliari to thank for that May day at San Siro’. It’s paradoxical, following an initial instinctive reaction: how can Milan hosting Ferencvaros be better than facing PSG, Barcelona or Manchester City on a magical Champions League night?
Well, considering how Massimiliano Allegri is doing with Napoli, there is a compelling case that it was necessary pain. The report explained the thesis.
Max in crisis
Allegri’s decline began on 15 March 2026, the day of the 1-0 defeat away against Lazio after he won the derby thanks to Pervis Estupinan’s goal. It takes us to 4 November 2026, the date of Porto 4-1 Napoli, that latest terrible result from the coach.
It seems that bad results constant tension in the dressing room have followed Max in the past few months. In this block of 20 matches between Milan and Napoli, Allegri’s difficulty is evident, with a decidedly negative record of 11 defeats against only six wins and three draws.
Furthermore, 31 goals conceded in 20 matches is enormous for teams historically led by a pragmatic and defensive manager like the Livorno-born manager. Essentially, since that derby won with that surreal goal from Estupinan, ‘Allegrismo’ has only meant disasters.
An indirect blessing
The feeling is that if Milan had celebrated their return to the Champions League they would have kept Allegri, but in the long run they would have wasted another year chasing a style of football and a way of managing the club that no longer seems viable.
Less than 24 hours after the Cagliari game, there was a clear-out of the management as Gerry Cardinale saw fit to launch yet another revolution. It takes time and patience, but perhaps it’s better this way, to feel like something is genuinely being built towards.
Without Giorgio Furlani as CEO, the club will be entrusted to a competent and experienced Head of Football (likely to be Markus Krösche, a director with obvious pedigree). With Ruben Amorim at the helm, we can expect to see a more modern and entertaining style.
There are of course inconsistencies to iron out, and the squad must be improved, but we must question what would have been lost had Cagliari not made history that night at San Siro.
