Allegri praised Fullkrug’s impact off the bench against Lecce but reiterated that AC Milan’s priority this season remains securing a top-four finish rather than chasing the Scudetto.
Allegri was full of praise for Niclas Fullkrug after the striker’s match-winning cameo against Lecce, but the AC Milan coach was quick to stress that his side’s ambitions remain firmly centred on a top-four finish, not the Scudetto.
The Rossoneri had struggled again to break down stubborn opposition at San Siro, having already dropped points against Genoa and Fiorentina in recent weeks. It looked set to be another frustrating night until Fullkrug was introduced from the bench and, just three minutes later, glanced home Alexis Saelemaekers’ cross to secure a vital 1-0 win.
That goal underlined Milan’s growing strength in depth, with Allegri noting it was their sixth Serie A goal scored by a substitute this season — more than any other side in the league.
“In modern football, with five substitutions available, changes become decisive,” Allegri told the media. “At certain moments of the match, a player like Fullkrug brings freshness into the box, and that can change everything.”
Asked whether Fullkrug could start alongside Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao, Allegri suggested flexibility was possible but spoke of areas for improvement. He pointed to a lack of precision in the final ball, rushed decision-making in the final third, and repeated failures to beat Lecce’s offside trap as key frustrations.
“Lecce sat deep and worked extremely hard in the first half,” Allegri explained. “We needed more intelligence in our movement, especially with curved runs, but we were too hasty. After the break, their intensity dropped, and we raised both the tempo and the speed of our passing.”
The victory allowed AC Milan to take advantage of slip-ups elsewhere, opening up a three-point cushion over Napoli in second place and staying within touching distance of leaders Inter. However, Allegri was more encouraged by the seven-point gap to fifth-placed Juventus.
“We’re halfway to the objective we set at the start of the season,” he insisted. “The target is the Champions League. When we are mathematically in the top four, then we can think beyond that. Right now, it’s just mathematics — and that’s where our focus stays.”
