Galeone: ‘Allegri has all of Juventus on his shoulders’

Giovanni Galeone, a close friend of Massimiliano Allegri, highlighted the pressures on the Juventus coach and suggested that he take ‘a little trip to England’.

It’s not been an easy season for the Italian coach or the Bianconeri; Juventus’ season started in a miserable fashion, with the team looking far off the mark, and this carried over to their Champions League campaign, where they only managed one win in six group stage outings against Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Maccabi Haifa.

Things went from bad to worse for Juventus after they were handed a 15-point deduction by the FIGC court for falsifying their capital gains. President Andrea Agnelli and the entire board of directors resigned in November, ahead of the ruling, with the Prisma investigation continuing to rumble on in the background.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Galeone first discussed Allegri’s recent stresses and the pressures mounting on the Juventus coach.

“I spoke to him before Fiorentina, but not on the eve of the Europa League. At this point I will call him for Spezia. After the draw with Nantes, I also saw him on television and I was sorry, also because with me he is always serene and calm.

“Getting nervous is not like him, who as a good Livornese is always ironic and has a joke for every situation, but you have to understand him. And how! Do you think it’s easy to handle a situation like that?

“Max has put the whole of Juventus on his shoulders, with great responsibility… Allegri is doing much more than just coaching and after the 15-point penalty he compacted the team and scored points.

“On the pitch they have won 44, the same as second-placed Inter. And on paper the Nerazzurri are the strongest team in Serie A.”

He was then asked who could help Allegri at Juventus and what his friend should do in the near future.

“Marotta. A well-balanced and experienced manager, he knows football and compares himself to the coach. It is no coincidence that Max reached the Champions League final twice with him.

“And along with the Inter CEO we also need a sports director like Giuntoli or Massara. Look at what Giuntoli did in the summer: everyone was crying over the goodbyes of Insigne, Koulibaly and the other big names, and the Napoli director together with Spalletti bought some fantastic players.

“We still haven’t talked about Max’s future. Not only him, but I would also see him doing well abroad, where he could have gone in the past. I would recommend a little trip to England.”