After the match lost against Milan, the players meet. Max still has two years of a heavy contract left, but the cracks are starting to widen
On 22 July 2022, in the heat of Las Vegas, the first stage of Juventus’ American tour, Massimiliano Allegri opened the ball for the new season by declaring the club’s objectives: “After being without trophies for a year, for the first time in a decade, we have a duty to try to win the Scudetto”. Not even 15 days later, during the speech held in front of the team in the Villar Perosa cemetery, before the traditional August friendly match, John Elkann and Andrea Agnelli reiterated more or less the same concept: “To celebrate 100 years of family ownership we come back here with one or more trophies”. Ten months later, after the Juventus-Milan match, the Juventus coach uttered a sentence that angered the Signora’s fans: “If I had wanted to win, I would have gone to two other parts”. Statements in contrast with the summer ones and with the proclamations of the club: it is inevitable to wonder if Allegri really believed it when he spoke of the Scudetto. The split is now total, at least with the black and white people, who after suffering yet another defeat (there are 17 in the season) are angry with everyone, from the management to the players and the coach. A tough dispute. At the moment, however, Max is still strong in his contract (another two years at 9 million per season, including bonuses), which obviously weighs on the management’s considerations.
Chaos
—
Allegri is currently only one man in command, without a sports director who can back him up (for Cristiano Giuntoli to arrive, the manager chosen by the owners for the new course, we will have to wait for the ok from Napoli) and without a man on the pitch. John Elkann has chosen to give precedence to accounts and legal issues, focusing on the best professionals on the square (the president Gianluca Ferrero and the CEO Maurizio Scanavino) but this has inevitably weakened the sports area. Francesco Calvo, who became Chief football officer after the inhibition of Federico Cherubini, is doing his best, but has been taken on loan from the commercial. Thus Juventus gradually fell apart, between processes and internal conflicts.
The numbers
—
Net of extenuating factors for the “folkloric” season (Max dixit) it’s the numbers that nail Allegri: Juve have one point less than last year and 6 less than Pirlo, who in any case brought home two trophies (Coppa Italia and super cup). He racked up 10 league defeats like in 2010-11, when Delneri was on the bench and the Bianconeri finished seventh, and scored 55 goals like in 2009-10 and 2010-11, a negative record in the last decade. With Max’s return, the points average has slipped below 2 per game (1.89 in 2021-22 and 1.86 this season). The last time a Juventus coach remained on the bench despite two years without trophies was a century ago, i.e. in 1925-26, and we have to go back to the last decade, 2009-10 and 2010-11, to find a Juve that for it remained dry for two years. But this one, unlike those of the time, started from the highest wage bill in Serie A (94.8 million net), with one of the highest paid coaches in the league. And it failed miserably in the Champions League (even out of the group stage, as it hadn’t happened since 2013-14), without reaching the bottom in the Europa League (eliminated in the semifinals) and Coppa Italia (defeated in the semifinals).
The team
—
The scenario is not comforting and in addition Allegri will have to rebuild his relationship with the team. The feeling is at an all-time low: from Di Maria to Paredes, who are at the end of the race and have never immersed themselves in the “cheerful” game, up to Vlahovic and Chiesa, who have had more than one disagreement with the coach and whose future hangs in the balance. It’s no mystery that the group would like to play in a different way, Szczesny and Cuadrado have admitted it publicly, speaking of a too defensive Juve. On Sunday, after the knockout with Milan, there was a confrontation between the players. Bonucci and Danilo have called everyone together to look for reasons in view of the last match in Udine. The captain and deputy reminded the others that in addition to the standings there is also honor and beyond the difficulties we need to bring out the attributes and close in a dignified manner. The boys feel empty, tired and a little left to themselves (no one from the management went to talk to them after -10) but this shouldn’t become an alibi: the attitude of some, who go onto the pitch without wanting to , is not considered acceptable by those who really care about the shirt.
May 30 – 09:28
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED