Allegri Urges Milan Awake Post Leao-Pulisic Clash

Massimiliano Allegri has urged his squad to respond after a public spat between Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic. The issue followed Milan’s 1-0 defeat to Lazio last weekend.

Title race and recent form

The loss prevented Milan from exploiting Inter’s draw with Atalanta. Napoli moved up to second after beating Cagliari on Friday.

Milan have lost two of their last four Serie A matches. This came after a 24-match unbeaten run in the league, with 15 wins and nine draws.

If beaten again, Milan would suffer back-to-back league defeats for the first time since February–March 2025. That run in early 2025 included three straight losses, the first against Torino.

Leao-Pulisic incident and Allegri’s message

Reports say Leao reproached Pulisic for not receiving enough passes. The matter had reportedly surfaced before the Lazio match.

Allegri played down internal tension but urged a reaction. He stressed the episode must act as a wake-up call for the whole team.

The coach highlighted injury disruptions affecting the Leao-Pulisic partnership this season. One missed pre-season, the other returned from a long lay-off.

Allegri said Pulisic is physically well and performed solidly in Rome. He added the American needs to regain shooting precision, which should come with time.

Leao has nine goals this season and can reach double figures. Allegri insisted the squad must improve decision-making on the final pass.

Torino outlook

Torino sit 14th in the table. They have a nine-point cushion above the relegation zone.

The Granata aim to record consecutive Serie A wins. They beat Parma in the most recent round.

Players to watch

• AC Milan — Luka Modric: The 39-year-old leads Milan outfielders in minutes with 2,366 this Serie A season. He has not recorded such playing time since 2020-21, when he logged 2,743 minutes.
• Torino — Duvan Zapata: He has scored eight Serie A goals against Milan. Only Sassuolo (10) has conceded more goals from him than Milan.
• Zapata found the net in his last three league meetings with Milan. Those strikes came in May and August 2024, and December 2025.
• Since the three-points era began in 1994-95, only Di Natale, Milito, and Lukaku scored in four consecutive Serie A matches versus Milan.

Head-to-head records and match statistics

Milan remain unbeaten in their last 29 home Serie A matches versus Torino. Those results include 20 wins and nine draws.

Their last home defeat by Torino was in March 1985. Nils Liedholm was the Milan coach at the time.

Only against Hellas Verona has Milan sustained a longer unbeaten home streak in Serie A. That run reached 34 matches between May 1958 and December 2025.

Torino won the last two second-half-season league meetings with Milan. Those two wins equalled their total in the previous 27 such fixtures.

Torino are without an away victory in their last five league trips. They conceded at least two goals in each of those matches, 15 goals in total.

Eleven of Milan’s 17 Serie A wins this season came by a single-goal margin. Among top-five European league teams with at least 17 wins, Milan have scored the fewest goals, with 44.

Filmogaz.com notes that Allegri’s public call to arms must translate into better choices on the pitch. The coach’s demand that players “wake up” follows the Leao-Pulisic clash and the Lazio setback.