Massimiliano Allegri ready to unleash rejuventated Milan on Tottenham

When Silvio Berlusconi thinks about appointing a new manager at Milan, there tends to be one fundamental requirement. Are the Rossoneri in his blood? Since the president broke the mould in 1987 with the appointment of Arrigo Sacchi, a former shoe salesman who never played football professionally, he has gone, almost every time, for a former club favourite. True, he has brought in coaches from outside the family but only men of high standing. Fatih Terim, Alberto Zaccheroni and Oscar Tabárez had impressive résumés, even if the first and last would survive only a few months in the job. Massimiliano Allegri is different. His appointment as Leonardo's successor at San Siro last summer was greeted by raised eyebrows. The sum total of his top-flight managerial experience was two Serie A campaigns with Cagliari, in which the Sardinians finished in mid-table both times. In 2007-08 Allegri worked in Italian football's third tier, leading Sassuolo to promotion. Allegri's playing career was unremarkable and his links to Milan went no further than a brief trial in the summer of 1994. He was an attacking midfielder at Cagliari when the Milan manager, Fabio Capello, invited him on a pre-season tour of the US. It did not work out for Allegri, known as 'the anchovy' because of his wafer-thin frame. But his coaching work at Cagliari advertised him as the coming force. He was voted by his peers as Serie A's manager of the year for his excellence on a tight budget and, happily for him, he found that Berlusconi and the Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani were in the mood for a change. It has worked. Allegri has Milan, 4-0 winners against Parma on Saturday, sitting atop Serie A and looking forward to the Champions League last 16 first-leg tie against Tottenham on Tuesday. Regular Milan watchers see the parallel between Berlusconi's appointment of Allegri and that of Sacchi three decades ago. Berlusconi gave Sacchi his big break after two successful seasons at Parma who were then in the lower divisions. Sacchi's Parma had beaten Milan in the Coppa Italia. When Sacchi faced the inevitable questions about his qualifications for the job, he coined the immortal phrase: "I never realised that to become a jockey, you have first to have been a horse." He would become one of the greats, and is still the last man to coach a team to successive European Cup triumphs. It was clear that Berlusconi and Galliani felt Milan needed fresh ideas and impetus – a rebuild – after eight years of Carlo Ancelotti and one more under Leonardo, who was promoted from the role of technical director and, as such, brought a degree of continuity. It was decided, after much debate, that the club must look outside the Milan family. Allegri was chosen, in part, because of his desire to play attractive, attacking football, which was instilled in him by his mentor Giovanni Galeone, under whom he played at Pescara in the early 90s. Galeone, with Sacchi, was seen as one of the most innovative Italian coaches of that era. Allegri has used a 4-3-1-2 formation, in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been partnered by Robinho or, more recently, Pato, with Robinho dropping to the creative role in behind. But Allegri's outlook has changed since his playing days, when his thoughts were only creative and a maverick streak ran through him (he broke off his first engagement a matter of hours before the wedding). Allegri has evolved from a 4-3-3 at the start of the season, balancing the team with industry in midfield. He sees no room, for example, for Clarence Seedorf in the midfield trio, using the Dutchman further forward. Allegri, 43, has come to prize defensive solidity. He has brought a more tactical approach, increased physical preparation and greater discipline, as illustrated by his treatment of Ronaldinho. On Allegri's first day in charge, Berlusconi descended upon Milan's training ground, Milanello, to declare that Ronaldinho was the best player of all time and one that he intended to keep at the club. The message to Allegri was clear: find a way to accommodate him. Yet Allegri could not tolerate the Brazilian's reluctance to work hard. He phased him out of his plans and, last month, sold him to Flamengo. Allegri showed that he was no yes man and even Berlusconi admitted that the decision to move Ronaldinho was right. Confronted by plenty of dressing-room egos, Allegri has simply tried to treat everyone in the same way. He is polite yet firm, a mixture of Ancelotti and Capello. He demands focus and commitment. So far, so good.