It seemed as if Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri’s position was in risk in the weeks leading up to the 2022 World Cup. The Bianconeri had a horrible start to the season, with poor showings in both Serie A and the Champions League. After losing twice to Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as on the road against Maccabi Haifa, Allegri’s team was eliminated from the competition in the group stage. After five defeats and one win at home against the Israeli team, the Italian manager received harsh criticism. However, things did not go well in the domestic league as Juventus dropped a match against newly promoted AC Monza on September 15 at home.
Although Allegri’s firing seemed to be near, the team decided to restore their confidence in the manager. The Bianconeri fell to AC Milan at San Siro on October 8, but they went on to win all eight of their Serie A games without giving up a goal.
However, how can Allegri make things better before Friday’s vital Scudetto match against Serie A leaders Napoli?
One of the most effective Italian coaches for a long time is Allegri. He was called back to the team in the summer of 2021 after a two-year break from coaching because of this. Andrea Agnelli, the club’s president, called in Massimiliano Allegri to oversee a new cycle after Juventus won titles under Maurizio Sarri (one Scudetto) and Andrea Pirlo (one Coppa Italia and one Super Cup). However, the atmosphere at the club had changed. There is no better coach than Allegri who can embrace Juventus’ winning mentality: “Winning isn’t crucial; it’s the only thing that counts.”
The first season was difficult for a number of reasons, including the inability of the squad to replace Cristiano Ronaldo when he left a few days before the transfer market closed. Juventus made it into the Champions League, but with Allegri’s return, expectations for the team’s second campaign have increased.
The 2022–23 campaign got off to a rough start, but after a defeat to AC Milan in October, things took a sharp change. Juventus, which is seven points behind Napoli in the standings, will have the chance to reignite the Scudetto race on Friday. Juventus hasn’t let up a goal in Serie A since the Italian manager switched from a four-man defence to a three-man defence despite having numerous key players out injured.
Although the soccer they play isn’t really pleasant, Allegri is more concerned with the results than anything else. Due to the continued absence of Paul Pogba and Dusan Vlahovic as well as Angel Di Maria’s subpar performance, Allegri depended on the return of Federico Chiesa and other unanticipatedly significant players. The Brazilian defender Danilo, who scored the game-winning goal just before the final whistle in the last Serie A match against Udinese, established himself as a regular starter and captain.
Weston McKennie, an American international, began despite interest from other European clubs, and Allegri utilised him in a number of places, including flank and centre midfield with Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli. During the most challenging stretch since returning Juventus, Allegri relied on the players he knew he could trust. It was successful, too. We’ll learn on Friday whether it was sufficient to qualify us as Scudetto contenders for the 2022–23 campaign.
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