Massimiliano Allegri is not looking for redemption at Napoli despite still being troubled by the end of his second spell in charge of AC Milan.
Allegri was fired by Milan in May after what the club’s owners deemed “an unequivocal failure” of a season. The 58-year-old was hired by Napoli at the start of July on a three-year contract.
Allegri's Milan spent much of last season in the top two positions and fighting for the Serie A title before a run of only two wins in the last eight matches dropped it to fifth on the last day of the season and saw the Rossoneri miss out on the lucrative Champions League.
“It’s not a question of redemption; sometimes seasons just end a certain way. I’m disappointed by how things turned out last season,” Allegri said on Tuesday in his first press conference as Napoli coach. “We (Milan) were in the top three from Matchday 2 through Matchday 37; we only dropped out on the first and last matchdays, and the last one is the one that counts.
“I’m disappointed because, in all my time coaching — at Juventus and Milan — this was the first time I’ve finished outside the top four. And I won’t deny that it’s weighed on me.”
Allegri has a tough act to follow at Napoli as he replaces Antonio Conte, who left the southern club in May after two years in charge, during which his team finished first and second in the Italian league.
Allegri has replaced Conte before, when he became Juventus coach in 2014 after Conte steered the Bianconeri to three Serie A titles. Allegri went on to win five straight at Juventus as well as guiding the team to four Italian Cup titles and two Champions League finals.
“I am inheriting a squad that is certainly accustomed to hard work,” Allegri said about Napoli. “Conte has proven his worth throughout his career. I’m lucky, this is actually the second time I’ve inherited Antonio’s team — let’s hope it’s a good omen.
“It will be important to work with seriousness and professionalism, and above all to lay the groundwork for reaching March — as I always say that’s when seasons are decided — still in contention for all our objectives: Serie A, the Champions League, the Italian Cup.”
Milan replaced Allegri with Ruben Amorim, and at the Portuguese coach’s presentation team owner Gerry Cardinale referred to him as a coach who plays to win, rather than playing not to lose.
“I absolutely do not comment on the ownership’s words,” Allegri said. “I can only thank those who supported me all season. Then, unfortunately, we are sorry for the missed objectives.
"But another year begins, beautiful to experience, we have three competitions and we start with great enthusiasm.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Pickleball Read morePickleball
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Safeway, Target, Whole Foods, Amazon all deliver
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.