Agnelli and Allegri hide in Juventus disaster

Massimiliano Allegri insisted that Juventus‘ exit in the Champions League group stage is ‘not a failure,’ while fans ask Andrea Agnelli to make radical choices about the coach, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.

Agnelli’s presidency hit rock bottom following Juventus’ Champions League exit in the group stage on Tuesday night. The Bianconeri had never lost four games in the group phase, and even Allegri had always been able to qualify for the Round of 16 of Europe’s elite competition.

The Old Lady’s boss said at a press conference yesterday that the early elimination in the competition is ‘not a failure’ given that Juventus still have a lot to play for in Serie A and, hopefully, Europa League.

This is clearly too optimistic of the disastrous situation Juventus find themselves in. They are the club with the highest wage bill in Serie A, coached by the best-paid coach in the league. They announced a €250m loss for 2021-22, the highest ever registered in Italy.

They’ve had a €700m cash injection over the last three years and their plan to boost their finances from 2022 to 2025 foresees the minimum target of qualification for the Champions League Round of 16. This alone explains why Juventus’ elimination is not just a failure. It’s a massive one and the worst thing is that there doesn’t seem to be a way out of it.

It is true that the Old Lady has been severely hit by injuries this season with Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa, two of their best players, who have yet to make their debut this season.

However, it is also evident that you don’t need these sorts of players to beat the likes of Sampdoria, Monza or Maccabi Haifa, three of the many teams against whom Juventus failed to win this term.

There are many other issues behind the Old Lady’s crisis, from Allegri’s poor playing style to the lack of commitment of some players who seem more focused on the World Cup than Juventus.

Allegri completed the first trophyless campaign for the Old Lady in 2021-22 but somehow managed to save his job despite his predecessors Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo being sacked after lifting silverware in their first and only season at the club.

Juventus fans are calling Agnelli to make drastic decisions even after he confirmed that Allegri ‘is and will be’ the Juventus coach two weeks ago. The club’s President suggested that he will assess the campaign in the summer, but many fear June will be too late as Juventus are already ten points behind table leaders Napoli and five below fourth-placed Atalanta.

Agnelli didn’t talk to the media after Tuesday night’s loss in Lisbon, an understandable choice given that he is not required to appear in front of cameras after every Juventus loss. That is not his role. However, it is his responsibility to make decisions for the club and the team’s good and, at the moment his decision is to do nothing, at least regarding the coach.

Allegri has signed a €7m-a-year deal until 2025, so it would be highly costly to sack him before the end of his contract, also considering that the Italian tactician did not take a new job after being sacked by Juventus in 2019.

Agnelli expects a reaction from players but, by doing this, it appears that he is just buying time until the end of the season.

The question is: how can the Old Lady get till June in this state? They have big games coming up in Serie A before the World Cup break. After Saturday’s away match at Lecce, they will host Inter at the Allianz Stadium, visit Verona and then face Sarri’s Lazio in Turin in the final match of the year.

Juventus won two successive games in Serie A for the first time this season beating Torino and Empoli, but need to extend their winning streak until the break to keep their Scudetto/fourth-place finish hopes alive.

If they fail to do so, Agnelli may be forced to get out of a defensive position and make a strong choice to save a season that has been a disaster so far, regardless of what Allegri says.