The coach firmly believes that he's done a decent job in difficult circumstances in Turin – but both the results and performances have been dire
Massimiliano Allegri had insisted all season long that Juventus' primary goal was Champions League qualification. "It doesn't matter if we seal it with the last minute of the last game," he argued on in March, "the important thing is that we get it."
As it transpired, Juve wouldn't have to rely on any final-day drama to get back in the big time. A top-five finish was sealed on Sunday, and with two rounds remaining, but the manner of the qualification has done absolutely nothing to ease the pressure on Allegri.
The Bianconeri didn't even manage to get over the line themselves; they were inadvertently nudged over it by Atalanta. After Juve had been held to a humiliating 1-1 draw at home by already-relegated Salernitana, who picked up just their 16th point of the season in Turin, the Bergamaschi boosted their own Champions League bid by beating sixth-placed Roma.
However, the very same Atalanta side that did Allegri a massive favour on Sunday night could kill off any lingering hope he has of holding onto his job in Wednesday evening's Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico.
Getty Images'Immense Allegri'
Allegri has lifted the trophy on four previous occasions with Juventus, with whom he's also won five of his six Scudetti. The former AC Milan boss is, quite simply, one of the most successful coaches in Italian football history.
In fact, the last time Juve and Atalanta met, in a league game in Turin on March 10, some ultras unfurled a banner before the game highlighting their coach's unprecedented achievement in surpassing 1000 points in Serie A. "Only you, 1000 and more," it read, "Immense Allegri!"
Not everyone, though, was as keen to pay tribute to the Bianconeri boss. The banner was met by boos from some supporters, who also expressed their dissatisfaction with Juve's brand of football during the game – which was reluctantly tolerated during the first half of the season, when the team was challenging Inter for the Scudetto.
However, the problem with such a limited and defensive style of play is that it becomes indefensible when it's no longer yielding victories. Consequently, Allegri's position is now under intense scrutiny, with Juve having picked up just 15 points from their last 15 games to drop from second to fourth in the Serie A standings. Essentially, the results are now as bad as the performances.
The Coppa Italia, thus, represents a (long) shot at redemption; Allegri's last chance to avoid going three consecutive seasons at Juve without lifting a single trophy, which would be catastrophic for the coach of a club where 'winning isn't important – it's the only thing that counts'.
AdvertisementGetty'Don't tell me how to do my job'
Allegri has always pointed out that one needs a "thick skin" to survive at Juve – but it's been clear that the constant criticism he has come under since the turn of the year has got to him. Indeed, just a week after the Atalanta game, his team were held to another draw, this time by Genoa, and Allegri was enraged by a journalist having the temerity to question his continued faith in his beloved 3-5-2 system.
"Do you know how to be a coach? I do not follow what the public says, I do what is right for the team. I do not dare tell a journalist how to do his job. So don’t tell me how to do mine," Allegri fumed on . "How did we get 46 points in the first 19 rounds? It’s the same answer. If you ask me a more intelligent question, then I will give a more intelligent answer.
"Seeing as I am a coach who works for Juventus, I have a target to achieve. I am disappointed the results aren’t coming at the moment, everyone makes mistakes, but I make choices for the good of the team. I have never followed the public mood. Your job is to ask me questions, then there are those who understand and those who don't."
Getty Mitigating circumstances
It was hardly the first time Allegri has gone after the press. Juve were humbled 3-0 at home in the last 16 of the 2021-22 Champions League, while last season they failed to make it out of their group. On both occasions, Allegri accused those who portrayed the embarrassing exits as "failure" of "intellectual dishonesty".
His argument was – and still is – that he has actually done a decent job in difficult circumstances since returning for a second spell in charge, in 2021. Last season, for example, Juve would have qualified for the Champions League via a top-four finish had they not been docked 10 points as part of an investigation into capital gain violations that pretty much overshadowed their entire campaign, causing no end of uncertainty at the club.
This season, meanwhile, Allegri shockingly lost both Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli to lengthy bans, with the Frenchman failing an anti-doping test, and the Italian found guilty of illegal betting activity. Allegri, thus, feels that his hand was forced; that he essentially had to do whatever was required to get Juve back into the Champions League to ease their mounting financial concerns.
Getty'Can't string three passes together'
The case for his defence is certainly not without merit. But the idea that Allegri has somehow overachieved with the resources at his disposal is ludicrous. We're talking about the team with the biggest wage bill in Serie A (€74.1 million) – yet they're presently battling for third place with Atalanta (€29.3m) and Bologna (€19.3m), who have just qualified for the Champions League for the first time ever. Atalanta's position is also incredibly impressive when one considers that they're still fighting on three fronts, having reached the Europa League final, as well as the Coppa decider.
Allegri, though, has rather bizarrely argued that Juve have been hindered – rather than helped – by not playing in Europe this season, claiming that playing nearly every three days gives a team a greater sense of rhythm, and completely dismissing the effects of fatigue. As a result, he actually believes that Juve's present position is perfectly acceptable.
“When he says Juve ought to finish fourth, it's a laughing stock," former Italy international Antonio Cassano told . "Just look at Bologna, they play marvellous football and spent about €1.50! Juve have 17 internationals and spent €160m on the transfer market, but they play slapdash football. The players can’t seem to string three passes together!"