Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao at 'peace' again after dressing room confrontation, says coach Max Allegri

Tensions at AC Milan reached a boiling point following their narrow 1-0 defeat to Lazio in Matchday 29. The friction began on the sidelines when Leao visibly snubbed an embrace from Allegri after being substituted. However, the root of the Portuguese star's frustration was reportedly aimed at teammate Pulisic, who had failed to square the ball for a clear goal-scoring opportunity moments earlier. This on-field disagreement ignited a "more intense than usual" verbal confrontation behind closed doors. Reports suggest the two key forwards engaged in a heated dressing-room argument, demanding tactical clarifications from one another in an exchange that lasted well after the final whistle.

In his pre-match press conference, Allegri was quick to downplay the drama, confirming that the two forwards have reconciled after their heated exchange.

The manager explained: "After an argument, there's always peace. These things happen in football... What did I tell Rafa to calm him down when I substituted him in Rome? 'He didn't see you or he would have given it to you.' In football, to pass the ball, you have to see the player unmarked, and Pulisic didn't give it to him because he didn't see him. It's happened before. The difference in football is the choice in the final pass."

Addressing the inconsistent partnership between Leao and Pulisic, Allegri attributed their struggles to ill-timed injuries but issued a firm challenge to his entire attacking unit. Despite being Milan’s leading scorers this season—with Leao netting nine Serie A goals and Pulisic eight in 22 appearances—they have managed only two combined goals in 595 minutes playing side-by-side.

The coach stated: "They've had injuries. One had a good preparation but then had a problem. The other had an injury with the national team. Now, however, there are two crucial months and it's important that both of them perform well, like Fullkrug and Nkunku. All the forwards need to wake up. They need precision in front of goal and attention in their finishing."

Finally, Allegri touched upon the tactical evolution of Leao, suggesting that the Portuguese star has the attributes to play more centrally if he can maintain his connection with the rest of the team throughout the full 90 minutes.

Allegri concluded: "Rafa is capable of playing both as a first and second striker. Just look at the attacks in depth he made on Sunday and in Cremona to understand that he can be a number 9. When he opens up on the left, he feels comfortable, but if the ball doesn't reach him, he's out of the game."