Juve, Allegri’s revolution

Five points more in the standings, nine ahead of fifth place, just two behind leaders Inter. All with a younger and “lighter” squad from an economic point of view. Juventus forgets the recent past, enjoys the present and looks to the future with a smile. It is undeniable, in fact, that the first months of 2023-24 marked a decisive step forward compared to a year ago. On and off the pitch. And one of the architects is Massimiliano Allegri, capable of resisting stormy moments last season and ferrying Juve towards peace, by mutual agreement with the club, even with radical choices.

The men

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Allegri found a group similar to that of 2022-23 in the summer. The only real purchase was in fact Timothy Weah from Lille. The other new faces, such as Cambiaso, Nicolussi Caviglia or McKennie, are returning horses (from the loan). Yet the music has changed anyway. Not so much on a tactical level, if we stop at the formation: a year ago we started with the 4-3-1-2, and then soon deviated to the 3-5-2, which is also the form of Juve today. Max, however, now has different principles, thanks also to different rotations. In attack, for example, Federico Chiesa is back at 100%, after a complicated season due to his recovery from the bad injury in January 2022. Fede as a second striker, alongside Vlahovic or Kean, plays the role in an atypical way, widening to the left , performing like the winger he always was. Just as in midfield the frequent use of a midfielder adapted from fifth to the right like McKennie is fully part of the famous “allegrate”. In defense Federico Gatti has definitively won the starting place, displacing Alex Sandro. He is the emblem of a generational change, as is the promotion of Kenan Yildiz and Huijsen to the first team, also favored by the farewells in the summer of a veteran like Cuadrado and a champion at the end of the race like Di Maria.

Thirst for revenge

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The Juve squad has lost in experience and quality, but has perhaps grown in collective consciousness and team spirit. Also and above all for what happened last year. Allegri and his colleagues lived for months with the sword of Damocles of sporting justice hanging over their heads, until the penalty that effectively deprived the Bianconeri of the chance to play the Champions League. Juve was thus left without cups, but the team gained in hunger and desire for revenge. Max himself repeats it practically at every press conference: “The objective is to return to the Champions League, even if in the last championship we finished third on the pitch, let’s not forget that.” In short, this vintage also serves to “get revenge”. And having so many young players on the team who have won little helps: there is a widespread desire to assert themselves.

Giuntoli effect

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If, as mentioned, Allegri hasn’t been able to count on many signings, there is however something new that has immediately given him a big hand. The arrival of Cristiano Giuntoli as technical director has brought a field man back to the club, although he has long been behind the desk. Giuntoli is the manager of Napoli’s championship, but before that he had been a footballer. He knows how to speak in the dressing room, as well as take care of the club’s programming aspects. Max, who after the resignation of the last “Agnellian” board of directors found himself essentially alone, now has a strong shoulder and can thus concentrate exclusively on the dynamics of the pitch. It seems like a small thing, but he isn’t.