It’s fair to say that things are not looking too hot in Turin currently and they’ll only get worse the longer Juventus stick by coach Massimiliano Allegri, argues Apollo Heyes.
The Bianconeri have sluggishly trundled through their opening seven Serie A games of the season, picking up 10 points from two wins and four draws, and they’ve failed to get off the ground in the Champions League, losing their first two group games against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica.
Injuries have severely hurt Juventus’ start to the season but that’s not the only thing hampering their progress. Whilst it’s incredibly easy to point the finger of blame to the coach, it’s also true that Allegri has looked more like Brachiosaurus than Tyrannosaurus rex, and now seems like the right time to say goodbye to the 55-year-old Italian.
1 – The Results
Juventus are a club that pride themselves on being serial winners, possessing that ‘fino alla fine’ spirit, but since Allegri’s return, they’ve not shown even a glimpse of this hunger. From his return to now, the Bianconeri have averaged 1.77 points per match. This is lower than Allegri’s average at Sassuolo (1.83), Milan (1.81) and far off his initial five-year spell (2.27).
The team barely scraped a fourth-place finish in Serie A last campaign and despite topping a Champions League group that contained Chelsea, Zenit St. Petersburg and Malmo, they fell at the first hurdle in the knockout stages, losing 4-1 on aggregate to Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the Round of 16.
It’s hard to give much weight to specific defeats, but looking at them together, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture – last season they lost to Empoli 1-0, Hellas Verona 2-1 and Genoa 2-1. This weekend’s 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Monza, their first ever topflight victory, can now be added to this list.
2 – The People
Despite decent work in the summer transfer window, things are likely to tense in the Juventus dressing room, and Allegri’s recent ‘chat’ with Corriere della Sera journalist Mario Sconcerti will have done nothing to help this. He essentially called for individuals to perform, something that other top clubs like Manchester City or Liverpool have stopped doing in favour of a clear system.
Allegri sent a confusing message to his squad, neither being a hard motivator like Jose Mourinho nor a rousing man manager like Stefano Pioli. His statements to the media often leave something to be desired and he looks as if he’s starting to lose control of things in Turin, becoming more fatigued by the game.
Despite CEO Maurizio Arrivabene’s suggestion that it would be “crazy” to dismiss Allegri at this stage, the conversations behind closed doors most likely take on a different flavour, one of frustration and bewilderment.
3 – The Slip
One thing that Milan and Inter fans know far too well is the infamous ‘banter era’ – a period when a top club underperforms to such an extent that poor results are almost wished for in a bid to herald in change. The wrong players are signed and the threat of the team seems to dry up completely, making them a shadow of their former selves.
It’s too early to suggest that Juventus are in this period yet, but the slope is slippery and time will start to run out if the club’s management doesn’t consider their options fast.
Roberto De Zerbi, one of the most exciting Italian coaches currently, was available for months before signing for Brighton yesterday, and he could’ve been the right choice. Igor Tudor may have also been a good fit but he took the Olympique Marseille job in the summer.
Looking abroad, the Old Lady could try to woe Thomas Tuchel, fresh off his experience in West London with Chelsea, but it won’t be long until he finds work as well. Club legend Zizou Zidane and former PSG and Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino are two other names the Bianconeri fans would like to see in the dug-out in place of Allegri.
The world of football moves fast and Juventus risk being left behind if they don’t enact changes soon, so a managerial change before the end of the World Cup break seems a must if the team want to start fighting at the top once again.
Don’t agree with this? Check out why Juventus SHOULD NOT SACK Allegri.
Solo un allenatore dei citati mi convince,De Zerbi,ma è occupato.Opterei x Sottil o Gasperini…
Zizou
Solo GASPERINI !!!
Show PhD Hiroshima some respect. After all I heard from the deluded mascots before the season started was the 2 CL silver medals and 5 scudetti’s, 6 if you include Milan. Different era. The team was decent, built for him on a platter and there was no competition. The 7/9 never thrive when the league is strong. That is why they cannot even fluke it Europe. Bigger fish in the ocean.
Show PhD Hiroshima some respect. After all I heard from the deluded mascots before the season started was the 2 CL silver medals and 5 scudetti’s, 6 if you include Milan. Different era. The team was decent, built for him on a platter and there was no competition. The 7/9 never thrive when the league is strong. That is why they cannot even fluke it in Europe. Bigger fish in the ocean.