Allegri and Stramaccioni: past and present confrontation!

When I saw Massimiliano Allegri walking into the press conference room at Villarreal on Tuesday night, I thought of Andrea Stramaccioni.

According to the "Sports Three" report, Axel Torres wrote in the AAS magazine: In fact, I had to search for his name, because only one concept stuck in my mind; That very young head coach who was given the leadership of Inter's main team one day and was not heard from after that. Of course, I realized later that we were not completely unaware, although his path became fainter day by day. His coaching record includes Inter, Udinese, Panathinaikos, Sparta Prague, Esteghlal in Iran and Al Gharafa in Qatar; A man who has been without a team since 2022.

We love success stories; The story of people who reach the first level of football from non-football jobs and leading regional teams. But we rarely talk about the other side of the coin; About a person who suddenly sits on the head coach of Inter, they reserve a seat for him in the best restaurants in Milan, and ten years later, if he is not on TV, he will be completely forgotten. How many such people are there and who prepares them for such a cruel amusement park and a harsh slap of reality?

Watching Allegri reminded me of Stramaccioni, as in 2012 the young and inexperienced manager managed to win two derbies in a row against the more experienced Max, who had won the Scudetto with AC Milan the year before. After those wins, a future full of success was predicted for him. Now the 50-year-old Stramaccioni works as a pundit on Italian television, often analyzing the tactical thoughts of the man who was once his rival.

But Allegri, with a lowered head and a serious look, was not thinking of Stramaccioni. What does the past matter when the present goes dark?

For a head coach who has won Serie A six times, such honors will not work in a city like Naples; Where being a Juventus legend is usually considered a negative point. Getting 10 points out of 18 possible points in the league and 0 points out of 6 points in the European Champions League is his current record. His tactical system at the La Ceramica stadium was also initially confusing due to inconsistency and asymmetry, and ended up with an over-density of attackers.