In an extraordinary news conference on the first day of pre-season training, the Italian prime minister and Milan owner fielded every question and left former Cagliari coach Allegri and several team members to sit there in total silence.
Berlusconi reeled off a succession of gags but he was far from joking when he told the new coach what tactics he should use after falling out with last term's coach Leonardo as Milan again ended the campaign without a trophy.
"We don't want to see just one forward up front. To win you have to score. To have chances you've got to have forwards close to the goal," Berlusconi told a packed room on Tuesday, adding he had not gone to the San Siro at times last year because he was so angry with the tactics.
"I appreciated Leonardo a lot but I disagreed with him in how he fielded the team. Ronaldinho must play on the shoulder of the strikers even if he has a tendency to drift left."
"He is the No. 1 attraction at Milan," he said, "Ronaldinho does not want to leave. I'm sure he is happy to stay."
"I would be happy for Gattuso to stay but we are not against people saying they want to leave," Berlusconi added. "We can't exclude (the sale of Huntelaar) even if we are convinced of his qualities as a main striker."
"I don't know how well he'd fit into the Milan dressing room," he said of the former Inter Milan player.
The tycoon reckoned the squad could compete with any other but accepted spending had been reined in because of the global economic crisis and said he would not be making "fantasy buys" even if the financial picture was improving.
Floating Milan on the stock market was ruled out, however.
