Massimiliano Allegri May Have Dropped A Hint On His Juventus Future
Written By Onyeka Daniel
It was a game of regret for Juventus coach, Massimiliano Allegri after their 1-1 draw against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico and he admitted that they have ‘some regrets’ about the match and their last few weeks in general, but insists their midfield was over-stretched this season.
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Gleison Bremer rose above the crowd to nod in a corner kick, responding to the opening tap-in from Romelu Lukaku, while both teams rattled the frame of the goal with Rasmus Kristensen and Federico Chiesa. This was the fourth consecutive Serie A stalemate for the Bianconeri, who have now won only two of their last 14 league games.
The manager stormed off down the tunnel at the final whistle, flinging his jacket to the ground, so what angered him so much? “We risked losing a game that we were in a position to win at the start of the second half,” he told DAZN. “It was natural that Roma then came back at us, but in the final minutes our control of the ball was incredibly bad.
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“We really did risk throwing away a valuable result in a head-to-head clash.” The Old Lady hadn’t drawn four on the bounce since March 2012 under Antonio Conte, so are there any regrets? “There are regrets, naturally we could’ve done better during this period, but football is vicious like that, sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. We sort of crumbled after the home defeat to Udinese,” added Allegri.
“Knowing full well that Inter are clearly better, and that we had a 12-14 point lead over the chasing pack, it becomes natural to slow down a bit. “There was also a run of incidents in those games where Milik was sent off, then Vlahovic, Kean and Chiesa were not in good shape, then Rabiot got hurt too, McKennie’s shoulder was dislocated, there were some unfavourable situations.
“It doesn’t take long for you to capitulate, especially at Juventus when everyone is ready to dive in and criticise, but the lads managed to calm down and take it one step at a time. Now we have a good advantage and have the opportunity to seal it on Saturday against Salernitana.
“So yes, there are regrets we didn’t do better, but there were a few situations that slotted together to cause us problems.” A victory at the Stadio Olimpico would’ve guaranteed Champions League qualification tonight, but a point does still give them a buffer. Allegri did not have European commitments this season, playing only in the Coppa Italia, but still thought his squad was over-stretched.
“If you look at the midfielders, Locatelli, Rabiot and McKennie, at a certain point they got hurt, then we lost Paul Pogba and Fagioli to bans, they were players who could certainly help. Even if Paul was not at 100 per cent, his presence for 30 minutes could still frighten the opposition. “I learned as a kid that the midfield is the sector that makes the team tick. It inspires the forwards and protects the defenders.
“As I said, we had to play with the same midfielders all the way through. One quality of this team is that they never hold back and we did a lot of work on improving our limitations.” He further added. Daniele De Rossi said in his post-match interview that Juventus have “exceptional players,” yet Allegri regularly seems to dial down suggestions they ought to be doing better.
Does he think this is a strong team? “The important thing now is to concentrate on the next game, as that is the match ball for the Champions League, then we have the Coppa Italia Final,” replied Allegri. “The club will evaluate at the end of the season, naturally there are some solid foundations for Juventus, but we were missing players like Pogba, Fagioli and of course Chiesa was on and off.
”Chiesa was particularly impressive this evening, almost scoring a stunning goal that bounced off the inside of the far post. Is it because his fitness levels have improved? “This was a game that suited Chiesa, as Roma allowed us space and we should’ve had more cross-field passes to make the most of that width. We started doing that well, then got a bit pig-headed and didn’t put the right balls in.”
Juventus will be back at the Stadio Olimpico for the Coppa Italia Final against Atalanta, but does Allegri think the club directors will have made a decision on his future by then? “I don’t know, you’d have to ask the club. The important thing is for us to focus on the Coppa Italia Final.
“And hopefully we’ll come back here with the Champions League already achieved. “I realise the headlines about ‘Allegri’s future’ are all the rage in these weeks, but there’s not long to go until the end of the season. The only place where nobody asks me if I’m staying next season is when I return home to Livorno,” smiled the coach.
Meanwhile…
Andrea Stramaccioni and Andrea Barzagli are convinced that Allegri admitted to being on the brink of sacking during his post-match interview. Allegri’s Juventus contract expires in June 2025 but multiple sources in Italy report the Serie A giants will sack the Livorno-born tactician at the end of the season.
Although the Bianconeri are close to qualifying for the Champions League and reached the Coppa Italia Final, they have collected just 14 points in the last 14 games and Allegri has been criticised for his excessively defensive playing style. Before the start of Roma-Juventus on Sunday, his ex-defender in Turin Andrea Barzagli, now a DAZN pundit, said:
“I have the feeling that Juventus will change, but who knows, perhaps the Coppa Italia could make them change their mind. I have this feeling, but I haven’t talked to anyone. ”Following the 1-1 draw, Allegri gave a vague reply to a question about his future and Stramaccioni and Barzagli agreed on the message the Old Lady’s boss wanted to send.
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“Let’s turn it around. He’s a coach who is not sure [to stay],” said Stramaccioni, an ex-Inter coach. “The situation is uncertain. From what he says, I understand that he’s the first one to admit that he’s on the brink.” Barzagli agreed: “Otherwise, he’d have said: ‘At the end of the season, we’ll sit down and we’ll see.’” He further added.
Of course, the former AC Milan Coach has already admitted that he would like to stay beyond this season while also receiving support from the club ultras who have begged him to lead them to the FIFA club world Cup set to hold next year, while Bologna manager, Thiago Motta Is the favorite to replace him.
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