Massimiliano Allegri is in Paris! Not to discuss his future on the bench of PSG or another big European club but for the promotion of his book: "Winning is so simple. In 32 coaching rules ”. The Italian coach, at the heart of a long media exercise, received us this Thursday morning in a hotel in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine), a stone's throw from the Parc des Princes.
But count on Allegri for one thing: not to discuss its future, nor to get into the details of the news of the Parisian club. All politely, with a charming smile and exclusively in Italian.
One of the rules set out in your book is about emotional control. Is it the key to achieving big goals?
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI. I wrote the main principles but then there is the practice on the ground. I am not talking about tactics and technique but human resource management by telling my experiences, the difficult moments. What I wrote is not only valid for football, but also for the business world. In football, the coach has to deal with young men who are not really anymore. Sometimes these are real companies that earn and are worth millions of euros. It's not just human management that makes you win or lose. But the coach who best manages this aspect has better results. You can have the best players in the world, but if they are not committed to giving the best of themselves, you cannot achieve big goals.
You also explain that you should treat your top scorer as your occasional replacement. Is it possible to speak to Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo like any other player?
The players are the real players in the game, those who come down to the field. The role of the coach is to put them in the best conditions. Managing great champions like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho is necessarily different from the others. No player equals another. When a coach says that all players are equal, it's impossible
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Football is no longer just a question of tactics…
Over the years, there has been an evolution in methodology, technology, which provides support to the coach, even if it is not decisive. A very simple rule like the back pass ( Editor's note: that the goalkeeper cannot catch by hand ) has changed all the vision that one can have of football. One thing has not changed: the matches, you win if you have good players and a good organization. But you can't think of winning only with tactics and game patterns. You also have to successfully integrate players into the game philosophy that you want to convey.
You have won 6 Italian championships and played in two Champions League finals. What are you most proud of?
These are two different routes. In the championship, it's a daily job. In the Champions League, it's now, in only 13 games. You must arrive at time T with a bit of luck, being strong to be at the top. You have to be psychologically confident and physically strong. In the league, you can miss and catch up the following week. In the Champions League, from the elimination phase, if you miss a match, you are dead.
Did you follow the meetings of the week?
I have seen very few games this season. I don't even have players on the phone, I don't know anything about soccer this season. All I can say is that the Champions League is open to all teams. There is not a big favorite that emerges.
How do you judge the sporting development of PSG for several seasons?
I cannot judge this. I don't want to talk about a team that I haven't led. I'm here to talk about managing a team in general, how a coach should manage his players and his relationship with the club. I am on vacation until June. I am dedicated to my family, my children, my friends, to myself. I ski, I play tennis, basketball ... I go to see matches.
Is it possible to see yourself being trained abroad one day?
I do not know. We will see in June whether foreign or Italian teams are showing interest. It will be time to take into account all the parameters. I will not listen to anyone at that time to make the best decision.
Is it all the same flattering to see your name mentioned everywhere?
For now, everyone is talking for me. We will see in June if there are real proposals, concrete. It's a lot of rumors. It is a pleasure to see his name mentioned. Just as it is a pleasure to stay away from football this year. But I don't want to get too used to the holidays…
Leonardo says of you, in your book, that you are the best coach, especially by your modernity. What is your relationship with the sports director of PSG?
I succeeded him on the bench of AC Milan. But he has had a remarkable career as a club manager and also as a coach. He has a very good image in Italy. He is one of the youngest leaders and has a very good career.
Would you like to work with him in Paris?
( He laughs ) I understand ... But right now, I'm not talking about anything, I'm not talking about that. We will look into the issue ( of its future ) in June. Maybe I would even stay on vacation for another year, you never know…
To talk about something else entirely, in April 2019, you were the coach of Juventus when Blaise Matuidi was the victim of racist cries in Cagliari. What would be the right solution to combat this?
We need a commitment from everyone, from clubs and federations. Most of all, you need a different education. Racism must be combated. It is a social problem, which concerns a minority. As in football, where there is a fringe of fools. It is not a problem to be black or white. It is a problem of education, of respect for people. In Italy, we have the opportunity to fight this scourge. But we must take the appropriate measures.
What should these measures be?
Hard copies. When the stadiums are equipped with cameras, it suffices to identify the perpetrators of racist acts and to exclude them definitively. But I repeat myself: the basics are education and respect that must be taught to the youngest. It should also not be publicized too much because these people hope to make the headlines. It must be fought in depth without the media coverage of slippages.
“Winning is so simple. My coaching secrets in 32 rules ” , Massimiliano Allegri, at Marabout editions. 18.90 euros.