The Serbian scored his second goal of the season and celebrated with the ball under his shirt, revealing that he will become a father in the spring. Allegri calls him a “bomber” and smiles: against Juve, Roma, and Napoli, he conceded one goal in 270 minutes.
Massimiliano Allegri says that Pavlovic needs to be imagined in two or three years’ time. He means that this is the length of time it will take Strahinja to complete his maturation—he is now 24—and become reliable in all the facets that make up a defender. In the meantime, however, Max is enjoying him now because his number 31 has made a big impact in Milan’s championship. Three points taken away from a direct competitor for the Champions League and three points kindly offered to a team that, coming off three draws in its previous four games, was putting its foot on the brakes a little too hard. A central defender decided the match, which is good news in many ways. In personal terms for the Serbian, it’s obvious: we are already at his second goal in this championship (the first in the Diavolo’s only defeat, against Cremonese), and in this context, it is even more impressive to see the zero in Gimenez’s box. But above all in overall terms because it is true that this remains a Milan team that is often too holed up in its own half, but when it approaches the opponent’s goal, it is capable of putting the ball at the feet of anyone.

Pavlovic is undoubtedly a 2.0 version of himself because Allegri has transformed him into a cheeky raider. It is no coincidence that Allegri jokingly called him a “striker” after the game. This is clearly thanks to the three-man defense: in a four-man line, such freedom would not be allowed, and so the Serbian seems to be having a great time accompanying the offensive phase. Sometimes he gallops down the wing like a pure winger. Other times, as in this case, he follows the action by moving into the center. He scored a true center forward’s goal, getting into position at the right time and breaking free from his marker. It was a delicate touch with his left foot, which is not exactly his forte: he cleverly slipped the ball under El Aynaoui’s legs, resisting the instinct to use too much force. With these new tactical assignments, Pavlovic is one of Allegri’s most successful creations, who obviously asks him to do what Strahinja does best: stand firm, with a marine’s face, in front of the opposing attackers.

Pavlovic’s signature move—  This is his calling card, while we wait for improvements in other areas. Pavlovic is sometimes out of position, sometimes mistimes his runs, and sometimes misplaces his passes like a third-rate stopper. But then there are much more beautiful goals: “I’m very happy with this goal and the victory. I’m also very happy because I’m going to be a dad.“ In fact, he celebrated by tucking the ball under his shirt. Then he returns to talking about soccer: ”The coach appreciates this type of run, he gives me a lot of instructions. And as I was running, I thought about what he told me: when Leao runs, you have to try to create space and create chances. And that’s what I did.” Pavlovic is a double emblem of this match. In the sense that he is the perfect Allegri symbol: a defender who puts his stamp on the victory and at the same time helps to keep his goal locked. The Diavolo’s last clean sheet was over a month ago, on October 5 at Juve. After the Stadium, there were three games with open goals, with four goals conceded, and in fact Allegri had pointed this out with some concern on the eve of the match. However, his Milan side conceded only one goal against Napoli, Juve, and Roma, and this is a statistic that brings back the smile and erases that concern. Even if there are excellent reasons to have a nervous breakdown when you think that the same team conceded four goals against Cremonese and Pisa. Something still needs to be fixed at the back.