It becomes increasingly difficult for anyone to defend Max Allegri, writes Susy Campanale, as the coach is either trying to disguise the problems at Juventus or worse still doesn’t recognise their existence.
Even those who had been most eager to stand up for the tactician have reached breaking point with the Champions League home defeat to Benfica and his reaction to the debacle.
He always maintained people should focus on the results rather than the performances, treating ‘beautiful football’ like an insult, but when you have neither a good show nor a decent result, you’ve got nothing left.
In his comments to the Corriere della Sera, Allegri seemed so desperate to distance himself from the Arrigo Sacchi approach of organisation that he ended up making the case that his presence was futile and anyone could do his job, which is a curious defence for someone earning €9m per season net.
“Players today don’t think, they obey. They don’t interpret. Football is a summation of individual creativity. Against Benfica, Di Maria came on and in a few minutes sent a player clear on goal with a pass from 30 metres. Can I say it was a planned tactic? No, it’s Di Maria. I have these players, if they are all present, then we are a strong team.”
A coach is meant to provide a framework in which the individual talents can be put into a position to express themselves. Allegri seems to think this is Fantasy Football where he picks the XI and hopes for the best.
One cannot imagine Juventus directors are too happy with Allegri’s confession that Manuel Locatelli is second choice to Adrien Rabiot, a man they tried desperately to sell to Manchester United. As for missing Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba, this is a squad meant to compete all the way in three tournaments, five missing players can’t be this devastating, especially ones who either weren’t here last season or barely played due to injury.
His persistence in urging fans to look at the positives is mystifying, because so few of those have anything to do with the coach. This is a team left to its own devices, that clearly doesn’t know what it is meant to do in possession and relies entirely on individual players picking a pass. The fact he thinks this constitutes “the team playing well” shows just how disconnected from reality he is.
Allegri isn’t even a man-manager, because Juventus are only capable of playing for circa 25 minutes per match. It’s not a fitness issue, but purely psychological, as they either start strong and peter out when trying to defend a lead or need to be slapped into waking up with a 2-0 deficit.
His statements only confirm that when there are positives at Juventus, they have precious little to do with their coach. If that’s not a reason to sack Allegri, I don’t know what is.
PhD Max is not disguising anything. Hiroshima Max, legend and author of Nagasaki atomic bomb coma calcio is a one trick pony and thats it. A fraud who had a ready built team and no competition is well and truly exposed. No wonder he never coached abroad. Real Madrid and the other behemoths around Europe would never for one second put up with zombie ball.
the timing of pioli and spalletti game-plan comments couldn’t be more precise. calcio is not an individual’s game but the result of team chemistry….180-degree on axis to allegri’s drowning delirium.
well done Susy, without any genuflecting i welcome your articles. you’ll get complaints and vitriol, but then again look at the literacy rate
Allegri out
players change but yet its the same slow, dull unimaginative product on the pitch. what does that tell you? the only change is the manager and the only consistency his is inability to give the team a style of play, a personality. put Allegri in charge of Manchester City and you see a decline in its football. Basta!
analysis on par with braindead lord slowpoke)))
Thats right Alessandro. You must be nostalgic for all things Medieval and lighting your home with candles.
It’s over grazie mister now it is time for Thomas Tuchel
Hope we can have a crowdsourced campaign to gather money to sack him. I’d surely put some money. Every player becomes rubbish under him. Look how Conte transformed Kulu and Bentacur.
Suzy, you’re absolutely spot on with this article.
Bring in Zidane