Massimiliano Allegri has grown into an unwanted figure amongst the Juventus faithful following a thoroughly underwhelming season. After Saturday’s lackluster 1-1 home draw with Bologna, Lapo Elkann, heir to the Agnelli family, took to Twitter to express his frustration with Allegri’s uneventful tenure.
Juventus are already out of the Champions League, courtesy of a 4-1 aggregate defeat to Villarreal in the opening knock-out round. Another disappointing European campaign aside, the record-time Italian champions have never been in the Scudetto picture this season.
Not long ago, Juventus harbored some faint hopes of reigniting their Serie A title bid, yet a run of one win from three league matches (D1, L1) quickly doused any ember of optimism. The Bianconeri left it late to peg Bologna back and salvage a futile point as the club supporters look to be running out of patience with Allegri.
Elkann, the sibling of Juventus President Andrea Agnelli and one of the heirs to the family fortune, could not hide his disappointment with Allegri’s scrappy reign.
“We’re not very happy… Allegri,” he wrote on Twitter, joking on the fact that allegri in Italian means “happy”.
Elkann’s post is only the tip of the iceberg. Frustration is boiling over among the Juventus fan base, leading to the supporters’ raising their voices over the sacking of Allegri. Several Bianconeri fans have even gone as far as to call for Antonio Conte’s return to the helm.
Things are not going well for Juventus, but the Allianz Stadium powerbrokers have never cast doubt on Allegri’s future in Turin. Yet, the Italian manager needs to shake his squad up a bit if he is to navigate Juve to an all-important top-four Serie A finish.