[han2503]

All CL talk for the new season here

[X-Offender]

Allegri starting line-up in 2015: Buffon; Litchsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba, Vidal; Tevez, Morata.

Allegri starting line-up in 2017: Buffon; Dani Alves, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Mandzukic, Dybala, Cuadrado; Higuain.

Man, it must be so tough for a coach to win the league with such a poor selection of players.

Seriously, get real, Danny. Allegri has been steamrolling in Italy with the best team in the league, having either big-time chokers like Napoli or Roma as contenders, while Milan and Inter continue to delve into mediocrity.

His big achievement was the 2015 CL final. This time around he got dealt the easy hand, facing Porto, Monaco and a Barça side at the end of their cycle.

I will give him one thing, though. He has clearly changed mentality, as in he always wants to win regardless of the circumstances. That's a big plus for me. During his Milan days the guy was terrible in this aspect. Remember when Zlatan was about to assault him when he said in the dressing room that "the important thing is that we passed" after we had lost 3-0 to Arsenal? One of his many, many flaws back then.

[Jack Sparrow]

I will give him one thing, though. He has clearly changed mentality, as in he always wants to win regardless of the circumstances. That's a big plus for me. During his Milan days the guy was terrible in this aspect. Remember when Zlatan was about to assault him when he said in the dressing room that "the important thing is that we passed" after we had lost 3-0 to Arsenal? One of his many, many flaws back then.

I think that's the point Danny and I are making. The same way players improve, so do coaches. And Allegri has really gone up leaps and bounds since his days at Milan. I hate to say it, but the Milan experience and disappointments has actually made him a better coach. He's gotten better at handling egos, dealing with tactics, getting flexible etc. He's not a colourful personality but he's a damn good coach.


FWIW, I think Montella will only get better too. What we have to do is ensure to give him the kind of support so he can constantly innovate and do better. The amount of games he's got under his belt as coach for his age is really good. Not too often you get young coaches with a lot of experience.