Allegri: ‘Milan defenders less frenetic, Leao falls asleep on the left’ | OneFootball

Max Allegri feels Rafael Leao works better as a centre-forward because he’s less likely to ‘fall asleep’ and sees defenders being ‘less frenetic’ in their 1-0 win away to Cagliari.

It was a reshuffled squad, with Christian Pulisic, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic only fit for the bench, so Davide Bartesaghi dropped into the three-man defence.

The first half was poor and filled with errors, but they broke through with Rafael Leao meeting the Adrien Rabiot roll across straight after the restart.

Allegri sees Milan progress

CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 02: Rafael Leao of Milan attempts a goal during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Sant’Elia on January 02, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

“When Leao plays on the left, he can occasionally fall asleep and drop out of the game,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“He has the characteristics to do well in the centre, but he wasn’t 100 per cent fit today and didn’t attack the space in the right way during the first half. Nonetheless, he’s scored six Serie A goals this season, despite missing quite a few games through injury.”

CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 02: Massimiliano Allegri, coach of Milan, reacts during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Sant’Elia on January 02, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

For the 12th time this season, Milan scored with their first shot on target, confirming their clinical nature.

“In the first half we allowed three shots on target in the first couple of minutes, so I was worried, but as time wore on we got into the game,” continued Allegri.

“We were also slipping and sliding a lot out there, the passes were misplaced, but in the second half Cagliari lost intensity and we stepped up a gear. We had more chances to score a second where we absolutely should’ve done better.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Cagliari 0-1 Milan

Milan have largely struggled against the so-called smaller teams this season, but with back-to-back wins over Hellas Verona and Cagliari, they seem to have turned a corner.

CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 02: Matteo Prati of Cagliari and Youssouf Fofana of Milan battle for the ball during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Sant’Elia on January 02, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

The absence of their first-choice defenders had previously caused a panic, but Allegri’s work with the younger players is paying off.

“Playing for Milan is not easy, so De Winter, Bartesaghi, Estupinan, Tomori and others are getting better in terms of fitness and individual performance. They are starting to learn to defend in a different way, without moving so much, they read the situations better and are not so frenetic. De Winter cleared a couple of dangerous balls with his head very well this evening.”

Niclas Fullkrug made his debut just hours after completing the loan move from West Ham United, playing the final 20 minutes and sending Pulisic through to force a save from Elia Caprile.

CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 02: Rafael Leao of AC Milan leaves the pitch during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and AC Milan at Stadio Sant’Elia on January 02, 2026 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

This result puts Milan temporarily on top of the Serie A table, leapfrogging rivals Inter, and they have nine clean sheets in 17 rounds.

“It’s too early to say anything, there are five teams in three or four points. A win today was very important, so was a clean sheet, as we were coming off a run of games where we conceded repeatedly,” noted Allegri.

“We must continue working, we know it is very difficult to go all the way, but the team spirit is good and even when there are errors, we play as a unit.”

Unlike Inter and Napoli, the Rossoneri do not have the Champions League or Coppa Italia commitments in January.

“We have a lot of games too, so I don’t think it will make that big a difference. When they tell us to play, we play, it’s not a big issue, we just try to do our best. Now we’ve got another coming up on Thursday against Genoa, who are a tough opponent, and we’ll keep working with great enthusiasm,” concluded Allegri.