Juventus coach Max Allegri admitted he should have brought on ‘more defensive players’ in the 1-1 draw with Milan and Italian media speculate if there’s an issue between the tactician and winger Federico Chiesa.

The Old Lady has lost seven points from leading situations in 2021-22 this season, as they have failed to win the opening first rounds for the first time in 60 years.

Allegri returned to the Bianconeri ahead of the new season, replacing Andrea Pirlo at the helm after a difficult season both domestically and in Europe.

After another game without a win, the coach stressed he made a mistake when he brought on Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski and Moise Kean.

Serie A Highlights: Juventus 1-1 Milan

“I will admit that I made mistakes on the substitutions, I got it wrong,” Allegri told DAZN after the game. “I should’ve put more defensive players on and put the 1-0 lead under lock and key, so I take responsibility for that.”

The coach, who rushed into the dressing room after the full-time whistle, pointed at the last 15 minutes of the game.

La Gazzetta dello Sport highlight he was visibly unhappy when Chiesa chased Pierre Kalulu on the wing without profit and Wojciech Szczesny did well to stop the Milan full-back from scoring the winner.

“He entered in a difficult moment of the game, and I needed him to bring the ball to the opponent’s half,” Allegri said when asked about Chiesa.

“He must grow and become aware of what he can do, because we are at Juventus.”

With Chiesa and Kalulu in mind, other phrases by the coach highlight his thoughts after the draw against the Diavolo and the work rate of the attackers.

“Fortunately, the referee blew the final whistle, because we frankly risked defeat here. If you don’t realise that you must put all personal issues aside, work as a full-back even if you’re a striker, then you won’t bring these results home. All we’ll remember is that we threw away two points.”

The newspaper claims there might be trouble in the relationship between the coach and one of the biggest investments of Juventus in recent years.

Chiesa has shown his quality at Juventus and with Italy during the European Championship. But the tests keep coming and Allegri doesn’t seem convinced.

29 thought on “What’s behind Allegri’s words on Chiesa”
  1. Allegri messing with one the best players in his generation
    chiesa will get fed and a proper team who respects his talent will have him and then he is possibly win the Balon Dor
    Sorry Juve you ruin all
    The best players and don’t appreciate those talent

  2. Allegri’s statement or admission of a ‘mistake’ is the root of the problem. The problem is not that he brought on offensive players but that he did not have the courage to close the game out. Scoring so early was their downfall because they mainly played to defend the lead. Just like England against Italy in the Euros. And that rarely pays off. Remember what Lippi did in 2006 against Germany, putting on Del Piero in extra time? And Locatelli is wasted playing in front of the defense.

  3. What on earth is Allegri up to? He is acting like a saboteur right now. Swapping and changing his systems and line-ups, constantly playing his players in different positions – Rabiot CM/LM, Chiesa Forward, RM, LM…. Allegri is setting his players up to fail and then berates them, when he is the one who’s creating confusion and killing continuity. He is all over the place and has no clear plan. As an Italy fan, I do not want to see Allegri destroying the confidence and progression of arguably our most gifted player.

  4. Lord Allegri the great Jedi master tactician does not like players like Chiesa who can run forward and beat his man at pace. He prefers players like Bentancur who cannot run, pass and trips over the ball. The fact that he wanted 1mph Pjanic back sums up his footballing philosophy. Move the ball slowly and try to get the 1-0 and park the bus. This deluded management should have tried to get Mancini. At least he had the balls to work abroad and see the intensity of modern PL football. He actually gives youngsters a chance and they play dynamic football. Inter have a good youth academy think Bastoni and Di Marco. When was the last time a home grown player ever came through the ranks at Juve in the last decade.

  5. U shure he was talkin for chiesa and not Kean???I mean after Kean subbed Morata juventus attac become non existent, andkulu in for dybala ??? Kulu rly he is as bad as Kean ist like juventus got 2 red cards whit kean and kulu been subbed in juve lost 2 best players(morata dybala ) and got 2 worst players Kean Kulushevski.

  6. So he preferred Kean more than Chiesa….Allegri will destroy the talent of chiesa,I think he’s on a revenge mission for the initial unfair sacking

  7. Typical crap from the rags of Italian media. This article is not mere speculation, it basically is fiction. So now Allegri has doubts about Chiesa? Sure, this bullshit sells papers, gets hits on the web site. It is utter noncsense.

  8. Been saying this loooong before. Even if this is just some media BS, believe me, this would happen. That’s why I hope Chiesa and Locatelli move on to a better club because we need him in the World Cup.

    I will say it again, Allegri will destroy these kids.

  9. This guy hasn’t learnt any new skills in the last 3 yrs hasent he realised there are new breed of managers in Seria A, who dont just just sit back and let Juve walk all over them like they did in the past they are aggressive and attack and go for the win ,
    DINASOUR get rid

  10. What is happening to Juventus right now is the consequence of a bad team contruction and planification. Buying players like Ramsey, Kulusevski, Rabiot, Arthur, Bernardeschi; or keep on going with players like Sandro, Dybala and Morata; and not reniewing the team and aloud Chiellini, Bonucci and Buffon getting old and not searching for proper replacements in thier positions are some of a lot of problems that Juve are facing right now.

    Allegri putting in doubt Chiesa’s perfromance only shows his frustration and incompetence to handle the team.

    It was not Ronaldo! The problem is the administration! A bad team architect!

  11. Chiesa would have been a leader in milan under Pioli. And way better climate with youngsters like Brahim Diaz, Leao, Saelemakers, Tonali, Caliabria and others.
    Now he can have fun in Juve since he went for that move instead.

  12. I think this isn’t just clickbait, media BS, I think there’s definitely something to it. Chiesa is one of the best, if not THE best, young wingers in world football, but Allegri’s wingers have always been about defending, not getting forward, first and foremost. He insisted on Mandzu as LW even when we spent 100 million on Douggie and Fede for this reason. Wingers in Allegri’s teams have never scored more than 5 goals in a season. I had a feeling Chiesa would suffer due to this aspect of his team set-up, but it seems to be worse than I feared. All of his comments about “Chiesa being a striker” seem to prove this. The unfortunate thing is, Chiesa is NOT a striker. But unfortunately in deluded Allegri’s mind, he doesn’t fall into the category of winger because he isn’t essentially a fullback. So I expect Chiesa’s role this season will be Dybala’s back up (and with how key Dybala seems to be in Allegri’s Juve 2.0. I expect we’ll see very little of him). Sorry Italy fans, us Juve fans are even more upset. Allegri is going to ruin Chiesa. At this point (it sounds crazy) but I truly hope he leaves to Bayern, EPL, Real Madrid, any normal club that will actually play him as he should be played. #AllegriOUT

  13. Chiesa was literally playing as a fullback in this game. He had three tackles in 18 minutes- the second most in the team- and was always staying back. What more does he have to do for f*cks sake?

  14. @Rossoneri He would have been a leader/ key player at Juventus under any other manager besides this out-dated dinosaur. Where were you last season- did you not see Chiesa being a vital player, first name on the team sheet kind of guy? He made the jump from young talent to Juventus regular, with the “Juventus DNA” on full display pretty much immediately- the Milan 3-1 game (which you surely remember) being the definitive catalyst. It’s not a problem of being at Juventus, it’s a problem of being stuck with Allegri as a coach! Although I assume deep down you knew that.

  15. Nedved: There nothing wrong with Chiesa.
    Juve is the problem. He chose a team full of free players and oldies on heavy contracts instead of a young promising team that plays positiv football.
    Chiesa is not lucky to be in juve, juve are lucky to have him.
    Neither Sarri or Pirlo could do anything with your team. Your are missing ronaldos 20+ goals thats why you are buttom of the table.
    You a heading for a long and hard rebuliding that will take time, and chiesa need to take his stuff and leave fast.

  16. @Chris: name the last striker that came out of Inter‘s youth Academy ? wsan’t it Destro ? long time ago right ! If De Ligt is on the bench you think Dragusin will start ? it’s the right thing to let him out on loan…….we got that useless Ramsey we can”t get rid of so did you expect Fagioli to stay ? once again it’s the right thing to let him out on loan…….but we have Kean back – it’s a start

  17. @Rossoneri What are you talking about? When did I say there is something wrong with Chiesa? “Juve is the problem.” Huh??? I literally just said he was a guaranteed starter under Pirlo- last season was individually fantastic for Chiesa. He was a big success! It’s Allegri that’s the problem- as I literally just said.
    “He chose a team full of free players and oldies on heavy contracts ” What does that have to do with anything, he was still a guaranteed starter and bonafide star last season! That is irrelevant. Why are you pretending like that didn’t happen! And for the record, Juve have plenty of promising/already great young players. De Ligt, Kulu, Arthur, Locatelli, Jorge, Kean. It’s down to genius Allegri if he refuses to play them and Chiesa. Hence my comment that he is the problem.
    “Neither Sarri or Pirlo could do anything with your team. Your are missing ronaldos 20+ goals thats why you are buttom of the table.” WTH, why are you bringing this up? We’re talking about Chiesa here, not Juventus‘ woeful results. I’m trying to explain that Chiesa didn’t make a bad choice by going to Juve because he was an instant success in his first season, and that this new coach is the problem because he sees all young players as dirt, and you’re bringing up Ronaldo??? Lol. Stay on topic!
    And yes I’m well aware Juve need a rebuild. And if you read my earlier comment, you’ll know I already said Chiesa should leave if he’s not gonna be played by Allegri (although I said to a top club, so therefore not AC Milan).
    Cheers!

  18. What on earth is going on in Juve management?!Bringing these types of old fashioned coaches wont save Juventus.They need to invest in a high profile coach who can manage this crisis wisely!The team’s current situation wont be ready for any further chaos such as coach-player relationships.Allegri should never mess up with our most gifted talent,never,not now,we cant afford that!

  19. The fans and ultra needs to riot outside Juventus stadium. This management needs to hear that Dybala and Chiesa are your best players and should start every game. If the coach can’t handle this, he can leave and bring somebody who does understand this.

  20. best thing juve should do now is focus on training and not listen to the media. szczney is a big part of the reason why juve are where they are now. many people missed it but just before the milan equaliser, the gk moved rabiot and put him by inside goalpost. he is not a very confident gk right now

  21. This old fart coach spent 2 years away in a cave and came back thinking Chieas is a problem. I swear things will even get worst under his management, never liked him.

  22. Look Juve, if you guys dont want Chiesa, we’d gladly take him. (if you accept loan with option to buy though, considering that’s how we roll right now lmao)

  23. It’s terrible .. disgusting!!
    Totally agree with @Donato @Bruno @Nedved and many others here. Also I think Chiesa post match talking and smiling with Pioli has irked Allegri. It’s pathetic from Allegri .. if an opponent Coach talks post match .. under whom Chiesa I think has played .. it’s a respectful gesture, nothing wrong. In the Euros, when there was a break in play, Spain coach had a good word with Chiesa at the sidelines. Chiesa is a cheerful, positive, non envious, simple boy .. gives his all for the team .. and Juve’s troubles have nothing to do with him .. don’t attack and ruin the wonderful talented, humble boy!! Even Locatelli is being wasted playing in front of defence .. he should be used as Mezzella!!

  24. Get Zidane in Juve now…Allegri should never have return…i am saying it now…If Juve doesnt get Zidane before matchday 10…they shud forget abt the league…

  25. To be fair @Cris, Kulusevski, Rabiot, Arthur, Bernardeschi all looked to be promising signings at the time. Berna was very impressive for the Viola, Kulusevski was outstanding at Parma. Meanwhile Arthur and Rabiot had shown enough to take a punt on them. The only one I quizzed was Ramsey. Gifted yes, but extremely injury prone and a ridiculous salary. I believe that those other signings can still become strong players; under an attack-minded coach that is.

  26. @Charles Juve are not flush with cash right now. Allegri is on a large salary, and so to sack him and then bring in Zidane would cost a fortune. The have stitiched themselves up. Big time. They really should have kept faith with Pirlo. You cannot hire a novice and expect miracles. Gievn the circumstances, Pirlo did well (two trophies, brought Chiesa on considerably), and had he stayed, I’m certain that Juve would be in a better place (not difficult granted) and the players would have been in much greater spirits.

  27. this appears like a left over Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence from his time @ Juve: this notion that players just don’t track back for the team, they play like they feel they will do their best – even if the coach demands otherwise … Chiesa needs to react now moving forward and play for the team like the coach wants him to. Ronaldo has moved to Man U and won’t track back and he’s basically playing where he did while at Juve – because it’s him, nobody argues – but it became a problem at Juve and it will do the same at Man U … Allegri has a 3 year contract, they need to be professionals, honour the shirt and do as the gaffer says …

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