Opinion
Established in Turin 125 years ago, Juventus have asserted their dominance in Italian football over the decades with their incredible dynasties, economic power and history of star-studded names wearing the famous black and white shirt.
70 trophies have been won in those years, including 38 league titles and two European Cups, making the Bianconeri the most successful team in Italy to date.
The older generation will remember world-class names such as Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero, Fabio Cannavaro and tacticians of the highest calibre in the form of Marcello Lippi and Giovanni Trapattoni.
Due to the nine consecutive Scudetti that were achieved spanning from 2012-2019, kids today have been accustomed to watching Juve triumph time and time again, but they may not know that the club have experienced their fair share of lows and turmoil, with the most notable being involved in the infamous match-fixing scandal which relegated them to the second division.
They now find themselves in a different crisis, a crisis which has been spearheaded by incompetent decisions from the board to negative and uninspiring coaching from Massimilano Allegri.
Registering only two wins in the first nine games in all competitions, the 1-0 loss to newly promoted Monza over the weekend – Monza’s first ever top-flight win – was an embarrassing new low which has now rightfully raised a lot questions around the club.
The first problem? Allegri.
The 55-year old’s style of defensive coaching is more outdated than the Nokia phone.
Ugly, boring, and at times making you want to fall asleep it is that shocking. He soaks up the pressure when going ahead and always thinks of defensive options on the bench to see out a narrow result.
Juventus’ Moise Kean (Photo by Loris Roselli/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Worryingly, this doesn’t bother Allegri at all.
“I prefer a winning and ugly Juve to a pretty and losing Juve.”
It is that exact mindset that is holding the team back.
No longer are they blessed with the strong defensive core of Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgi Chiellini, and Andrea Barzagli to keep relying on clean sheets and certain defensive solidarity.
Modern football has evolved, something that Allegri struggles to come to terms with and adapt his philosophy to a more attacking approach.
His capabilities as a manager are limited. During his time at AC Milan over a decade ago, he led them to the Scudetto in his first season, before unravelling with a squad with less quality.
The same argument can be put forward at his time at Juve when he reached two Champions League finals with an incredibly gifted team, whereas now he is incapable of getting positive results with a less talented core of players.
The worst part is that he doesn’t take any responsibility for his part in their recent decline. Instead, he is content to throw players under the bus and throw excuses around such as injuries.
After the midweek Champions League defeat to Benfica, #AllegriOut was reportedly the seventh-most used hashtag globally, signifying just how many supporters are fed up with the terrible football being produced.
The sooner he is sacked, the quicker it will allow Juve to rebuild their future.
As mentioned, although this should not be an excuse, the injury department has been firmly impacted throughout the season which has forced Allegri into playing some inexperienced youngsters such as Fabio Miretti and Federico Gatti.
Key figures in Pogba and Chiesa are yet to feature this term, while Locatelli, Szczesny, and Rabiot have missed more games than they have played. This is not just an unlucky scenario.
The injuries have been one of the biggest problems at the club for a long time now which seriously needs to be addressed.
According to a report from Calciomercato, the Old Lady have suffered 17 injuries between July 16th and September 16th.
However, the most fascinating and concerning part is the particular injuries that have occurred within the club over a set period of time.
Last season, Juve experienced many hamstring issues with Chiesa, Cuadrado, and De Sciglio just some that fell victim.
In 2022, groin injuries have been the main problem as Vlahović and Di María have both been sidelined for this.
The procedures of the medical team surely have to come into question as it is obvious that their methods along with analysing fitness data is not up to par with the rest of the top clubs around Europe.
The Juventus board are not getting off scot-free either. Allegri has been the problem for the past year and a bit, but it’s the hierarchy that have contributed to the demise of one of the biggest clubs in world football over the past few years now.
What exactly has the plan been for the future? More importantly, has there even been a plan in the first place?
The answer to both of those is a definite no. Why? Because they have had three coaches in the past three seasons.
Maurzio Sarri was brought in to build a modern possession-based style of football which would be attractive to the eye. What Juve failed to understand though is that this became successful for him at Napoli after a couple of seasons.
Despite winning their last league title, he was shown the door after one season and it is fair to say he was unfairly treated as he did not receive the players he wanted to build his system around.
The next culprit was Andrea Pirlo. It is an old cliche but one that rings true every time. ‘A great player does not always translate into becoming a great coach.’
Before his appointment, Pirlo had only just been assigned the role of taking over the Juventus U23’s. Without coaching a single game in his life, he was thrown in the deep end which was probably the most ridiculous decision that the club has ever made.
This was supposed to be a rebuild that would see younger players get an opportunity under Pirlo’s ‘philosophy’ and the idea of also playing an attacking brand of football having lot of possession.
Once again, after one season, the project was thrown in the bin.
Allegri has since been brought back to the club which has obviously taken a completely different direction.
Another poor decision that the board made was offering Allegri a four-year contract worth a staggering €9 million per year.
Now, they are stuck with him and cannot afford to pay him out due to still having to pay out Sarri and Pirlo, meaning those disastrous decisions are now impacting the club financially as well as on the pitch.
Allegri’s salary – €9 million per year
Round of 16 UCL qualification – €9.6 million
The time is now during this international break to think long and hard about cutting their losses with Allegri before they lose out on even more money.
The worst thing that happened to Juventus was losing those two Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017, coincedntally under Allegri.
The goal has always been to win Europe’s biggest club competition which is something Juve have failed to achieve in 25 years. It is this obvious eagerness has gone to extraordinary lengths, with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 evident of that.
Juventus’ Moise Kean (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)
Of course, Juventus are a club that prides itself on winning trophies every season and anything less is seen as a disappointment.
However, a long-term approach needs to be taken in order to get this club back where it belongs. No longer can they afford to pump money into big name signings to plug the short-term cracks.
The Agnelli family have been majority investors in the Italian giants for close to 75 years now, making it extremely difficult to remove current chairman Andrea Agnelli from his role, even though he would deserve the boot for his poor planning and decision making in every area.
Former Juventus Ballon d’Or winner Pavel Nedved is the Vice-president of the club, but what is his actual role? He reports back to Agnelli and agrees with his input, but it is clear that his vision is not being articulated.
CEO Maurizio Arrivabene’s position should also be under scrutiny for his poor transfer strategies this window, not setting a clear plan for what Juventus wants to build.
Massive decisions need to be made if Juventus are to qualify for Champions League football next season and have any hope whatsoever of escaping out of their current UCL group.
It is not just the elite European powerhouses who are ahead of them, but now also the big Serie A clubs who are further separating themselves from Juve and increasing the gap.
There are so many problems, but change needs to be made with the future in mind instead of the present.
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