Will Massimiliano Allegri still be on the Juventus bench next season? Recent events suggest that the call hasn’t been made yet. The pendulum swings back and forth depending on where the chatter originates from.
Since their recent slump is starting to jeopardize their Champions League berth a little, and they still have a trophy, the Coppa Italia, on the line, the Bianconeri can’t undermine the coach publicly by announcing they’d move on early. Some European powerhouses had no trouble doing that to appease the locker room and quiet the chatter, but it has rarely ever happened in Italy.
The Different Camps
On the other hand, the decision should have already been made internally, and the gaffer should have been informed of it. Instead, it appears he and his agent are openly campaigning for him to stay, either directly, with interviews to foreign publications to declare that a season that started with so much promise and will end with a whimper would still be a success with a top-four finish and that his mandate was fulfilled, or with murmured veiled threats about what he would do if he were sacked, enjoy his large salary without rescinding his contract early, which he did for two years the last time he was ousted. The economic element shouldn’t be the driving factor behind such an important decision. Still, everything matters, and they might have entered an era where they count their pennies.
Allegri is often touted for his attachment to Juventus. If that’s true, he should do the team and negotiate his way out rather than hurting the team financially. His increased nervousness, partially justified by the fact that he hasn’t found a solution to the problems on the pitch, implies he’s indeed fighting for his job and that the alternative landing spots don’t abound.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with going to bat for your own sake and gaming the system a little. The biggest responsibilities for the ongoing mess fall on the shoulders of the brass. The whispers indicate that the Bianconeri are a house divided behind the scenes. After all, Cristiano Giuntoli joined solo. That will change in the summer, hopefully contributing to muting the behind-the-scenes drama. The ownership is reportedly very involved in the key decisions, which is understandable but only adds to the confusion. They should get out of the way and let him cook.
The Inexplicable Question Marks
At this stage, Juventus should know even too well who Allegri is and what he can and can’t do, and the choice should be just result-based. The only scenario that could have perhaps justified the indecisiveness is whether they wanted to axe him last summer but didn’t due to a series of factors that made keeping him on the bench a savvier decision, and he earned a new contract thanks to a stellar season. That could have been the case in previous months, where he got the best out of a squad that wasn’t at the same level as Inter, but not anymore.
A regression to the mean was to be expected. Still, it has happened so violently and in such a prolonged fashion that one has to wonder whether he still has the pulse of the locker room. Coming out so flat versus Genoa after a pre-game retreat was utterly discouraging. Their recent faux-pas haven’t all come to be in the same way despite the usual discourse around the gaffer. Sometimes, they have indeed been too conservative, while in other instances, they ramped up their aggressiveness but at the expense of their defensive phase, giving up silly goals. Multiple and untimely injuries have contributed, but it’s stunning that they haven’t found the right balance so late in the season.
Some suggested that Allegri would be willing to stay put at Juventus even without a contract extension. That would be baffling, especially considering that the next campaign will end past the current June 30th expiration date, considering the FIFA Club World Cup schedule. It has never occurred in the Old Lady’s recent history. He’d be hoping to earn an in-season renewal in such a scenario. In reality, it’d only make a firing more likely.
The Most Likely Allegri Successors on the Juventus Bench
At this point, he feels like one of the last relics of a previous regime. The Bianconeri, for all sorts of reasons, tactical, stylistic, economic, and even more intangible ones, need a new coach to really turn the page and head into the future with brighter prospects. Despite Antonio Conte’s lore and track record, he wouldn’t be a new coat of paint and would come in with some baggage. If, as a few journos imply, they really have a shot at hiring Thiago Motta, the real crown jewel of the next coaching carousel, there should be no hesitation. While not as enticing, there are some other other up-and-comers who would bring a much-needed breath of fresh air.
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