Defensive Rebuild Under Allegri
Massimiliano Allegri began his Milan tenure by signaling a renewed emphasis on the back line, taking over after Sergio Conceição left at the end of last season and ushering in a new era under the Tuscan coach.
Defensive rebuild: Allegri is renowned for crafting a stubborn, organized defense, and Milan have kept a clean sheet in four of six Serie A games so far this season.
They drew 0-0 with Juventus on Sunday evening at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, extending their run to four clean sheets from six matches. It is a feat rarely seen since the three-point rule took hold (1994-95), last achieved in 2006-07 under Carlo Ancelotti.
Milestones and Perspectives
In Italy, Milan and Roma lead the way for shutouts after six rounds, closely followed by Juventus with three and Inter with two.
Across Europe, Newcastle United lead with five clean sheets (71.4%), with Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain next on four apiece.
Allegri on the Juve–Milan stalemate: "I did not even see how Pulisic took the penalty. Penalties can be missed. We played a balanced first half, but Juventus closed the spaces well, while we moved the ball far too slowly."
He added: "Christian is the primary penalty taker and cannot be moved for a single mistake. We must decide who will take penalties in Christian's absence."
He continued: "In the second half, our physical level improved, we created chances, but when we controlled Juventus, we needed to finish more decisively. The positive is that we did not concede, but we must be more clinical to win games."
Rafael Leão wasted a late chance in the 90th minute—his shot from the left of Juventus’ goal, just outside the six-yard area, went wide. Allegri commented: "Leão has been out for 45 days; he is still regaining rhythm. He returned last week out of necessity and did well. He trained hard this week and we need him back soon. He and Nkounkou are players capable of sealing matches."
He added: "Leão played as a forward at Lille, so that position is not new to him. His movement with Modrić's pass was perfect, but with two chances like this, he has to score. He is brilliant, but he now needs to learn to finish and to become decisive."
Milano's Accounting
Since the start of the current campaign, Milan have played six league games, with only one surprise defeat in the opening round to Cremonese (2-1 at home). Since then, they found balance in fine fashion.
They have not lost in their last five matches: away victories at Lecce (2-0) and Udinese (3-0), and a 0-0 draw with Juventus; at home, wins over Bologna (1-0) and Napoli (2-1). In these six games Milan have scored nine and conceded three, collecting 13 points to sit third, two behind Napoli and Roma, who have 15.
