Allegri explains new Milan tactics, unsure on Nkunku, Gimenez and Musah | OneFootball

Max Allegri explains his tactical changes as Milan beat Lecce 2-0, but admits he is still unsure how to use Christopher Nkunku, and ‘didn’t want to know’ about Santiago Gimenez and Yunus Musah transfers.

The coach stormed off down the tunnel at the final whistle, as he was increasingly tense at the Stadio Via del Mare.

His team had seen two goals disallowed, Matteo Gabbia’s header for a push and Gimenez for offside, before Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic sealed the 2-0 result.

“It was important for us to win, it is always difficult to play at Lecce. We allowed them three or four situations where we ran risks, but we should’ve done better when defending, so that is something we must continue working on,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“The victory was needed to move up the table, but also to cancel out the defeat to Cremonese, where we paid a heavy price for our mistakes. You have to earn points on the pitch, we don’t win just because we are wearing the Milan jersey. The team showed humility, respect and patience this evening, as there are moments when they have the ball and we mustn’t open up too much.”

Allegri unclear on future of Milan players

MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri gestures during the Serie A match between AC Milan and US Cremonese at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Nkunku was purchased today from Chelsea for €37m plus €5m in hard to achieve bonuses, but Allegri fully admits he doesn’t yet have a plan to fit him in tactically.

“I don’t know how I can use Nkunku, but he certainly has a lot of quality. We have players in attack with quality, the important thing is to find balance in the team.”

Allegri changed his tactical system to a 3-5-2 this evening, although with Alexis Saelemaekers dropping deeper to protect Pervis Estupinan, it was almost more of a 3-6-1.

“Instead of two players upfront, I preferred to put an extra body in midfield. This way, we have more balance, and above all cover the pitch better. We must try to find some confidence, and we can only do that if we keep a series of clean sheets,” added the coach.

EMPOLI, ITALY – FEBRUARY 8: Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between Empoli and AC Milan at Stadio Carlo Castellani on February 8, 2025 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Milan are undoubtedly a work in progress, as in Week 2 of the Serie A season they started two players who director of sport Igli Tare confirmed before kick-off might not necessarily still be part of the team tomorrow.

Atalanta have an agreement for Musah, which was put on hold after Ardon Jashari’s injury, while Gimenez could go to Roma in an exchange of loans with Artem Dovbyk.

“I did not discuss the Gimenez or Musah issues, because we had a very important match to focus on. I don’t want to know anything about the transfer market in that situation, it already caused a bit of trouble last week, so it was best for the team to focus on the game,” insisted Allegri

“The club will make its decisions tomorrow in the best possible way to ensure Milan become competitive again. These players are working well together and we need more of these performances.”