Allegri : End of an era

"You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain"


A popular phrase taken from Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, it could also be applied to Massimiliano Allegri, but then again he never really was the hero to begin with, which sounds ludicrous when looking at the success that Juventus have enjoyed with Allegri in charge. However, rewind back to July 2014 and the feeling was anything but positive as far as the arrival of Allegri was concerned. Allegri arrived in Turin under a cloud of doubt (and literally pelted with eggs), previously losing his position as manager of AC Milan midway through the 2013/2014 season, after a dreadful run of results that saw the Rossoneri languishing in 11th place and a massive 30 points behind league leaders Juventus. But the Bianconeri were desperate and in need of a replacement after the sudden departure of Antonio Conte, who no longer wanted to dine at a €100 restaurant with just €10 in his pocket...


"It is an honour for me," said Allegri. "I'm very happy and I know what a big job coaching Juventus is." as for that '€100 restaurant' more commonly known as the UEFA Champions League  "We'll compete for the title all the way. As for Europe, we need to have a great run in the Champions League."


The Massimiliano Allegri era had begun, and what a debut season it would turn out to be. Juventus would once again maintain an iron grip on the Scudetto, only losing on three occasions over 38 league games, but this was nothing new, Antonio Conte had also delivered a Scudetto in each of his three seasons in charge. However, what Conte could not do, was achieve success in the domestic cup, where Conte failed Allegri succeeded with his first attempt, it would be the first of four coppa Italia trophies over five seasons. On the European front, Allegri also took the club on a memorable run to the final, creating memorable night's along the way such as defeating Olympiacos 3-2 on a rain soaked pitch in Turin, as well as eliminating Spanish giants Real Madrid in the semi finals. Of course the final itself was once again a step too far for the old lady, succumbing to the attacking talents of Barcelona in a 3-1 defeat, but still the signs were promising and fans were now the ones left with egg on their face for doubting Allegri's appointment. 

Back in the present day, on the 17th of May the club announced that after five seasons in charge, Allegri's time as Juventus manager had come to an end. so how did we get to this point? And more importantly what went wrong? 


LACK OF DIRECTION :

Despite ending every season lifting yet another Scudetto, look a little closer and the cracks were beginning to show. The main criticism of Allegri has been the style of play that he instructs the players to play, or more accurately the lack of style, as the man himself said recently this year “Beautiful football doesn’t pay off, at the end of the day you’ve got to just kick it away from your goal.” With a squad filled with several attack minded players, to ignore these options and instead opt for a 'safety first approach' should not, and ultimately was not acceptable. On several occasions Allegri would continue with this approach, opting to choose a defensive player such as De Sciglio in place of Cancelo in the starting eleven as an example, failing to find a starting place for Dybala, and alienating Benatia to the extent that the Moroccan defender left the club mid way through the season. The entire duration of the 2018/2019 season has been littered with sluggish performances and rigid football with only two game plans, crossing the ball from wide positions into the opponents penalty area, or simply giving the ball to Ronaldo. When it came to winning games this season the team heavily relied on individual performance's instead of focusing on a structured game plan. No structure, no game plan, and zero identity.


CARDIFF :

A painful subject for Juventus fans, but it could argued that this was the beginning of the end for Allegri. Tactically outclassed and unable to respond to Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid, Juventus crumbled in a poor second half performance to lose a second champions league final under Allegri, and that's not even discussing the rumours of a half time bust up in the Juventus changing room. Afterwards Allegri said “I thought about standing down because it will now be even more difficult [to win the Champions League] but I spoke with the club and then quickly made a decision. It will be a big challenge for us. We must improve.” with hindsight, perhaps he should have stepped down.


2017/2018 SEASON :

"We must improve" those were the words said by Allegri, but did Juventus improve after another champions league final defeat? No, not really. Although winning another Scudetto for the 7th season in a row, it could be argued it was a Scudetto that the old lady was fortunate to win. Not only losing to an exciting Napoli side 1-0 at home, but failing to even record a single shot on target during the 90 minutes. With four games remaining Napoli looked down on Juventus from the top of Serie A, and Juventus era of domestic dominance looked to be coming to an end, but instead it didn't, largely thanks to Napoli falling apart in spectacular fashion. The Champions League campaign wasn't much better either, throwing a 2-0 lead away against Tottenham at home as Allegri watched on from the sidelines, seemingly unable to respond to what was happening on the pitch. There was the 'what if' moment when Juventus almost took Real Madrid to extra time, had it not been for a last minute penalty, but remember Juventus were only in that position to begin with after losing the home leg 3-0.


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FAILURE :

With the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo the objective was clear, win the Champions League. Somewhere along the line Allegri failed to get the memo, "It's not written anywhere that we're super-favourites for the Champions League. That would be madness." What followed was a group stage performance that resembled Jekyll and Hyde, from the aesthetically pleasing performance against Manchester United at old trafford, to a self inflicted defeat against the same club in the reverse fixture. In the knock out round it was a similar story, the bad, suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Atletico Madrid, and once again Allegri could do little from the sidelines to counter Diego Simeone's second half changes, followed up by the good, a memorable comeback to win 3-0 and progress to the quarter finals. Against Ajax however it was just plain bad, largely outplayed over two legs by a young Ajax side and deservedly knocked out, it would be a disappointing end for a club that stated its intentions to win the competition pre-season. Allegri also didn't do himself any favours by declaring that Ajax were "lucky", as anyone that watched both legs (particularly the second leg in Turin) could see that the Dutch outfit were far from lucky to reach the semi final stage at the expense of Juventus.



Despite this, it must be stated that overall Allegri's time as Juventus manager has been a success, overall Allegri delivered a total of 11 trophies during his reign, continually delivering a Scudetto year after year whilst also improving Juventus on the European front. Reaching two champions league finals is not something to be celebrated, but it is still an achievement none the less, especially when taking into context the position that Juventus were in prior to Allegri's arrival. When looking back, fans should remember the success that Allegri brought to the club, from the euphoric highs such as memorable wins against Barcelona & Real Madrid, and the 3-2 comeback against Inter last season that cannot be forgotten. Yes towards the end Allegri became flawed, and performances for the most part were far from satisfying, but the mans place in Juventus history cannot be denied.


Grazie for the moments mister, but the time for a new era to begin, is now.

JUVENTUS - AJAX : MATCH PREVIEW (16.04.2019)

MOST RECENT RESULT :
SPAL 2 - 1 JUVENTUS
AJAX 6 - 1 EXCELSIOR


Currently Juventus are ahead on the away goal rule after drawing the first leg 1-1 in Amsterdam, however like the scoreline suggests this is a tie that is very much in the balance. Juventus go into this match on the back of a 2 - 1 defeat against SPAL, though that result shouldn't be used as a gauge for what could happen tonight, as Allegri heavily rotated the squad & gave 4 youth team players some minutes on the pitch. Ajax were yet again scoring for fun in a one sided 6 - 1 victory over Excelsior, unlike Juventus Erik ten Hag chose not to rest several first team players and could pay the price for that decision, as De Jong limped off injured during the first half. As of writing whether or not De Jong will play is uncertain, "De Jong is still in doubt," Erik ten Hag . "The fact that he is not training yet is not decisive in terms of whether he will play. We don't test it that way." One player that Ajax will definitely be without is Nicolas Tagliafico, who misses out due to suspension.


MISSING IN ACTION : 

Juventus will once again be without Giorgio Chiellini who has yet to recover from an injury setback, also missing in action will be Mario Mandzukic, though it could be said that the Croatian went M.I.A during the first leg anyway. Danielle Rugani is likely to step in for Chiellini once more, and if he puts in a similar performance to the one in Amsterdam then fans needent panic too much. Unlike the straight forward answer to who will replace Chiellini, its a different story when it comes to who starts in place of Mandzukic, and that's not a bad thing. Mandzukic has yet to score in 2019 and as shown during the first leg meeting this isnt the type of game for him anyway. Mandzukic has his attributes, mainly a physical prescence & high work rate but neither are invaluable assets against Ajax. When it comes to who starts in Mandzukic's position its a case of 'take your pick' from a selection of Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa & Moise Kean. All have their star qualities but based on form alone you would surely go with Moise Kean? Who despite only being 19 years old, he has scored 4 goals in 5 of Juventus most recent fixtures and is showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Douglas Costa is also another contender to start, bringing pace & creativity into the team, though he will likely start from the substitute bench as Allegri said that the Brazilian is not in "perfect condition right now". Out of the three Paulo Dybala is the wild card, 2018/2019 hasn't been the greatest season for La Joya but his ability & talent cant be denied. Dybala has delivered on the big Champions League nights in the past against Tottenham & Barcelona, could he add Ajax to that list?


PAULO DYBALA : TIME TO SHINE?

Its been a long time since Dybala has impressed in a Juventus shirt this season, yet tonight the number ten could finally force his way into the spotlight and shine. Form wise Dybala hasn't been great, far from it, but with Mandzukic injured & Douglas Costa not in 100% condition it becomes a 1 on 1 duel between Dybala & Moise Kean for a place in the starting 11. Allegri rarely starts Moise Kean despite his goal scoring form, preferring to slowly ease Kean into the team (sound familiar Paulo?) and given the importance of tonights game you would expect Kean to start as a substitute. This means that Dybala would not only be handed a rare start, but also the added responsibility of the captains armband, as confirmed by Allegri "If Dybala plays then he will wear the captain's armband, otherwise it will be Bonucci." No pressure Paulo.

GAME MANAGEMENT :

In the first leg Allegri showed Ajax plenty of respect with the way that Juventus approached the game, conceding possession & generally sitting back until a counter attack presented itself. This approach is all fine & well for an away leg against an attacking side such as Ajax, but now that Juventus have home advantage the Bianconeri would be wise not to repeat the same tactic tonight. Simply put, Ajax are the ones that must score to give themselves any chance of winning the tie, but that doesn't mean that Juventus should go into this match solely to defend. Concede possession & allow the Dutch to flood men forward like they did in Amsterdam, and Juventus may well regret it.


WHAT TO EXPECT :

As said before, Ajax will travel to Turin with every intention of attacking Juventus and drawing the first leg 1-1 will only encourage them even more to do so. Restricting Ajax to long range efforts would be Juventus best bet of keeping goals conceded to a minimum, whilst Ajax created many goal scoring opportunities in the previous meeting most were from outside of the 18-yard box, and for the most part possessed little threat. When attacking, Ajax leave themselves vulnerable to a counter attack, as seen for both Bernardesci & Douglas Costa goal scoring chances. If Juventus can exploit this once more they may well find themselves one step away from another Champions League final. Expect this one to be full of drama & edge of your seat moments, after all, in this moment it is the biggest game of the season for Juventus.

THE MORNING AFTER : Ajax - Juventus

In my preview of the game I highlighted the amount of goal scoring opportunities that Ajax created against Real Madrid during their first leg meeting in Amsterdam, and last night it was a case of 'more of the same' from the Dutch outfit. Always threatening when coming forward, Ajax ended the 90 minutes with 19 efforts on goal, yet could only hit the target on 6 occasions. Juventus on the other hand ended the 90 minutes with 7 shots on goal (6 coming during the first half alone) with 2 hitting the target, so guess what the result was? That's right. . . 


AJAX 1-1 JUVENTUS


Ajax made their intentions clear very early on, attack & press the life out of their opponents. However Ajax never really took full advantage of the chances that they were creating, a strike from Ziyech forcing Szczesny into action to prevent the opening goal, with Donny van de Beek also going close from 13 yards. Despite playing the better football of the two sides Ajax would be the one's that found themselves going into the half time break a goal down. Ronaldo marking his return from injury in trademark fashion with an all important goal in the champions league, it was a goal created in Portugal, Cancelo darting towards the Ajax penalty box before delicately chipping the ball towards a sprinting Ronaldo who dived to head the ball beyond Onana and into the Ajax goal for 1-0. 


As soon as the second half kicked off all the feel good factor from Ronaldo's goal quickly vanished in the space of 30 seconds, as David Neres capitalised on a mistake by Joao Cancelo & racing towards a waiting Szczesny who could do little to prevent Neres from scoring. Joao Cancelo, from hero to zero. From then on wards it was pretty much one way traffic for Ajax who went on to register 13 attempts on goal in the second half alone. However there was one bright spot for Juventus, Douglas Costa replaced Mandzukic as a second half substitute and it was a move that almost paid off, As the Brazilian left Joel Veltman for dead with a brilliant piece of skill before rattling the post with a powerful strike. So what did we learn from this result? More importantly, what did Juventus learn?


WASTEFUL AJAX :

For large periods of the game Ajax were the better side, pressing & harassing Juventus with their attacking play, however, Ajax's attacks were largely ineffective. Despite enjoying the luxury of 19 efforts on goal over the 90 minutes, only 6 managed to hit the target. Why did Ajax find it so difficult to hit the target? Simple, 11 of Ajax's efforts on goal came from outside the box, Ziyech alone contributing 6 of those long range efforts (one that required a fine save from Szczesny to prevent the goal). Donny van de Beek however did not have the excuse of miss firing from long range, his effort narrowly missing the target despite being inside of Juventus penalty box. In writing the amount of chances Ajax created looks incredibly scary, but when seen in action? Wasteful. Will it cost Ajax in the long run? Time will tell.


JUVE APPREHENSION :

It was clear from the offset that Allegri was taking little chances with his tactics. Knowing full well what type of team Juve were up against, Allegri's side sat back & absorbed pressure from Ajax throughout the night, perhaps due to fear? At times Juventus players wanted more time on the ball but really should have known better, as Ajax were having none of it & snatched possession away from their opponents with a ferocious press. What Juventus could have, and perhaps should have done, was attack their opponents on the counter more often than they did. Juventus did have success on the counter attack when put into action, case in point when Bentancur sprung on a loose pass to begin the counter and find Bernardeschi in space, despite being inside of the Ajax penalty box and in a promising position to score, the Italian failed to pull the trigger & ultimately lost possession. Juventus must do better in the second leg, allowing Ajax to dictate the tempo & flow of the game once again could prove a costly mistake.


RUGANI :

Special praise for Rugani is necessary, called into action once Chiellini was ruled out due to injury. The spotlight was on Rugani to put in a solid performance, and he did just that, registering the most amount of clearances for his side and dealing with Ajax pressure very competently. Put in more performances like this and not only will it build up his own confidence, but the fans confidence in his abilities also.


RONALDO FACTOR : 

Well, what can you say that hasn't already been said to describe Ronaldo? He is simply a difference maker, and once again he was the difference between Juventus going into the half time break with either their heads down or with a 1-0 lead. There is a feeling that with Ronaldo in your team that all you need is to create one clear cut chance, and the number 7 will hit the back of the net. Team mates have spoken about it over the season, from Giorgio Chiellini "Before, the Champions League was a dream. Now it is a target because Cristiano is the best player in the world and we need him to make the last step.", to Allegri in his post match comments after the Ajax game, "Ronaldo proved once again he is a player of a different level. His timing and movement is different to everyone else." Contrasting the volume of shots on goal that Ajax created throughout the night, Ronaldo could only muster 2, with one resulting in a Juventus goal. Many times Ronaldo has been the difference between victory & elimination for his teams in this competition (as Juventus fans know all too well), when Ronaldo is at his clinical best all that he needs is one clear cut opportunity to score, last night was no different. In the return leg Ronaldo will be hoping that he is presented with more chances to get his name on the score sheet, judging by the way that Ajax approached the game last night, Juventus are going to need their star signing to once again be the lethal finisher that he is known for.

AJAX - JUVENTUS : MATCH PREVIEW (10.04.2019)

PREVIOUS MEETINGS:


EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 : AJAX 1-2 JUVENTUS (18.02.2010)
EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 32 : JUVENTUS 0-0 AJAX (25.02.2010)


FORM, PREVIOUS 5 RESULTS :

AJAX : 4 WINS, 0 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT
JUVENTUS : 4 WINS, 0 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT


MOST RECENT RESULT :

JUVENTUS 2-1 MILAN
WILLEM II 1-4 AJAX


So, Juventus have arrived at the quarter final stage of the UEFA Champions League, drawn against the surprise package of the tournament and a repeat of the 1996 Champions League final, Ajax. Unlike the old lady's opponent in the previous round Ajax are not the physical, in your face defensive unit that Atletico Madrid are, instead they are pretty much the opposite with their slick passing and defence splitting attacks. To say that Ajax eliminating Real Madrid in the round of 16 was a surprise would not be true, what is a surprise however was the manner that the Dutch side did it, unfortunate to lose the home leg 2-1 few would have given Ajax much hope of over turning the defeat (just ask Sergio Ramos who picked up a deliberate booking to sit out the 2nd leg) but that's exactly what Ajax did, defeating the current holders 4-1 in their own back yard. Its those two results that should give Juventus confidence of winning this tie, and at the same time cause for concern if they take a youthful Ajax side too likely.


THE CONCERN :

Throughout the first leg at home, Ajax created 19 goal scoring opportunities but would only hit the target 7 times, and despite creating more chances than Real Madrid they somehow lost the game 2-1. Had Ajax been more clinical in front of goal Real Madrid would have been taking a very different scoreline back to Spain, and this is the concern for Juventus. Ajax are a side that play with little to no fear, holding Bayern Munich to a stalemate twice in the group stage, whilst also having  the potential to score several times once Ajax hit their stride. What is important is that Juventus contain the threat of Ajax's quick passing attack, which wont be made any easier with the absence of Chiellini who misses out due to injury. Whoever plays in the heart of the old lady's defence will need to be on top of their game, and given that Bonucci is a guaranteed starter he must defend better than he has shown over the season, and preferably not pass the ball to the opposition like he did for Milan's opening goal during the previous fixture. To emphasis how tough this challenge really is for Juventus il give you a quick statistic about Ajax, so far in their champions league campaign they have only lost one game over 14 fixtures (Ajax played 3 ties to qualify for the group stage) their record reads as follows


8 WINS
5 DRAWS
1 DEFEATS

Ajax have also scored 16 goals since the group stage began, that's 16 goals over 8 games.Take Ajax lightly or show up with the intention to defend throughout the night, and Juventus could be in trouble, big trouble.


CRISTIANO RONALDO:

The man of the moment, Mr champions league himself is back in the squad after suffering an injury whilst on international duties with Portugal. Over two weeks later CR7 is back, but the question is, in what condition? What is not known is whether or not Juventus star player will be in the starting 11 or the substitutes bench. Juventus signed Ronaldo specifically for nights like this in the Champions League but if Ronaldo is not 100% recovered then it would be unwise to risk another potentially more serious injury that would rule out Ronaldo for even longer, especially if one of those games is a Champions League semi final. Given that Juventus have Mandzukic, Dybala and an in form Moise Kean, Juventus are not lacking in attacking options. Yes, Ronaldo is the best of the bunch and scoring a hat trick to get Juventus here in the first place showed that. But risk injuring your star player when it isn't necessary? Unwise.


DUSAN TADIC :

Not familiar with the name? That's ok, but here's a reason why you should be weary at the sight of Tadic taking on the Juventus defence. Currently Tadic is the 3rd highest goal scorer in the champions league this season with 6 goals (4 coming in the group stage), Tadic also has 20 goals to his name in the Eredivisie. The man is scoring goals, and is more than capable of continuing this trend against Juventus, especially with a likely partnership of Bonucci & Rugani.


FIRST LEG BLUES :

In the previous 3 knock out ties Juventus have failed to win the first leg on all 3 occasions. Throwing a 2-0 lead away against Tottenham to draw 2-2, and losing 3-0 against Real Madrid last season, both at home. In the current season the trend continues, losing the first leg of their tie against Atletico Madrid 2-0. If Juventus are to progress then they must not continue this trend with poor first leg performances/results, Ronaldo cant be expected to keep Juventus European dreams alive with another hat trick when their backs are up against the wall.


NO FEAR:

With an average age of 24 Ajax are a youthful side that plays without fear, no matter the opponent. They had little to lose and all to gain once qualification for the knock out stage was obtained, the first time the Dutch club have achieved this in 13 years. Ajax manager Erik ten Hag more or less displayed this sense of no fear when talking about the tie, "Juve are an experienced team and they can put different strategies into play. It will be another big obstacle to overcome after Bayern and Real Madrid." The moral of the story being, we've faced big obstacles before, and we've overcame them both. 


WHAT TO EXPECT :

A tough night, a few heart in mouth moments and hopefully for Ajax to fire a couple of blanks in front of goal. Missing Chiellini is a massive blow, even at 34 years old Chiellini is not only Juventus best defender, he's one of their most important players. The number one goal for Juventus should be to leave the Johan Cruijff ArenA with an away goal, most likely from a counter attack with the way that Ajax play their football. Juventus were fortunate to eliminate Atletico without the need of an away goal but to do the same against Ajax would be asking alot. Ajax wont travel to Turin with the intention of sitting back & defending a lead the way that Atletico did, instead they will attack and look to score, which is something Juventus should look to do in tonight's first leg as the best form of defence, is a strong offence.

MATCH REPORT : Cagliari - Juventus (02.04.2019)

Juventus travelled to Sardinia in the midst of an injury crisis with 5 first team regulars missing, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala. Thankfully this meant that in form Moise Kean was presented with a rare starting place in the first team. The question though, was could the rising star take advantage of the opportunity?

Both teams began the game brightly, as Cagliari showed little signs of fear and gave as good as they got from Juventus. Both teams also shared the same method of attack, get the ball and cross into the centre of your opponents box, its a method that Juventus have used throughout the season and tonight would be no different. The first chance of the game would come on the 8th minute, Alex Sandro with a good cross towards Emre Can who headed the ball high and over the woodwork. It didnt take much time until Juventus had another opportunity to score, this time coming from a set piece as Pjanic dangerously crossed into the penalty area, but Caceres couldnt properly connect with the ball. With almost 20 minutes played Moise Kean appeared to be fouled for a potential penalty, until replays showed that the youngster had went to ground a little too easily and was rightfully booked instead. Shortly after Moise Kean embarrasing himself, the opening goal of the night finally arrived in the form of an unlikely name, Leonardo Bonucci, who drifted into the Cagliari box and got on the end of a corner kick, completely unmarked to head the ball into the bottom corner of Cagliari's goal for 1-0. With Juventus now in front the Bianconeri would play with more confidence and look for a second goal before half time, most notably both Matuidi & Emre Can having efforts on goal that failed to reach the target

HALF TIME : CAGLIARI 0 - 1 JUVENTUS

Cagliari could consider themsevles lucky not to be down to 10 men during the opening 5 minutes of the half, as Lykogiannis (who was already booked) forcibly shoulder barged Kean off  the pitch and against an advertising board. Moise Kean would again be at the centre of attention, getting onto the end of a long range cross from Pjanic, showing strength and determination to muscle past the remaining two Cagliari defenders for an attempt on goal that was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper. Towards the 70th minute Bernardeschi almost scored what would have been goal of the night, side footing a low cross from Matuidi only for his effort to deflect off a team mate and out for a goal kick. With the lead in tact Juventus slowed the pace of the game down as the tired legs of Cagliari no longer looked as threatening as they did for periods of the first half. This would change however as Cagliari would have their best chance of the half to equalise, as Pavoletti got on the end of a free kick but headed over the crossbar from a promising position. Yet again Pavoletti would have a similar chance to rescue a point for his side late on, and yet again he could only head the ball over the woodwork. Unfortunately for the home side shortly afterwards Juventus would go up the other end of the pitch and put the result beyond doubt as Bentancur drilled a low cross in front of goal towards a running Moise Kean who slotted the ball into the net, after being booed by the home fans throughout the night it was a goal that was fully deserved to win the game for Juventus 2-0


THE GOOD :

• Despite some notable absentees Juventus not only played significantly better than the previous game against Empoli, but still managed to take all three points from a tough away fixture.

• Moise Kean showed maturity beyond his age not to respond to Cagliari players (as well as their fans) attempting to provoke him, it could have been all too easy for the teenager to angrily react, practically being thrown off the pitch by Lykogiannis & abuse (some of which was unfortunately racist) from Cagliari fans throughout the night. 

THE BAD :

• Another injury, Caceres had to be substituted in the second half due to what looked like a potential injury. Despite being a back up player you have to hope that its nothing serious. Juventus have enough players injured without adding Caceres to the list

• Cagliari fans, racism is something that unfortunately still exist's in society and it has risen its head one time too many during the current Serie A season. You can only hope that this will change over time but its very likely to remain and sadly few will be surprised is this happens again during next season. 

TIME UP FOR ALLEGRI?

First of all, a brief report on what happened during tonight's game with Atletico Madrid. As expected the game initially resembled a battle rather than a game of football, as Atletico pressed forward in harassing Juventus, as well as the referee too and enjoying doing so. It was an opening 45 minutes that presented few clear cut chances for either side but there were moments when either side could have taken a lead, as well as a VAR decison to award a free kick rather than an Atletico Madrid penalty, replays showed that it was indeed the correct decison, as De Sciglio (who had a performance to forget) made contact with Diego Costa outside of the box. 

The second half however was a completely different story. With only 4 minutes of the second half played Atletico had their first opportunity to take the lead, Chiellini losing possession in midfield which allowed Diego Costa a run on goal for a 1 v 1 effort on Szczesny, somehow the striker missed the target completely and Chiellini blushes were spared. Juventus were soon on the receiving end of another Atletico attack, and would have found themselves behind from a Griezmann chipped shot, had it not been for Szczesny making the slightest of touches to push the ball onto the crossbar. You would think this would be a wake up call, and it was. . . For Atletico. Sensing an opportunity to grab the game by the throat, Diego Simeone decided to change his side up by bringing on both Alvaro Morata & Lemar within minutes of each other. Allegri did nothing. Simeone again made another substitution by bringing on the attacking Angel Correa in place of Spanish midfielder Koke, Allegri still did nothing, and this all happened within the space of ten minutes. From then on Atletico proceeded to relentlessly batter Juventus, and it didn’t take long for Atletico to finally hit the back of the net. During the build up to tonights game, Alvaro Morata was asked if he would celebrate scoring a goal against Juventus, he answered yes and did just that by scoring with a great header to put Atletico 1-0 ahead, or so he thought. After consulting VAR the referee disallowed the goal for Morata pushing Chiellini prior to the goal being scored, once again, Juventus blushes were spared. As the game approached the final 10 minutes Juventus finally paid for tempting fate one too many times, failing to defend Atletico’s corner and conceding in scrappy form, the defending was poor and the goal had been coming for some time. Within 5 minutes Atletico once again scored to double their lead, and yet again it was scored from a corner kick, 2-0. The worst part is that there can be no arguments about the result, the better team won and Juventus deservedly lost.

And that's how the game ended, no away goal that Allegri had been talking about prior to the game and worst of all a 2-0 defeat to try and somehow overturn back in Turin. So where exactly does this leave Juventus? To put it bluntly, not in a good position, not at all. This result means that in all likely hood Juventus will end the season lifting one trophy, not even the consolation of achieving yet another domestic double to patch up their wounds from European Elimination. This simply is not good enough, not for a club that openly stated their objective to win the Champions League, not for a club that brought in Mr Champions League himself Cristiano Ronaldo to do just that. As for the match itself, you have to wonder why it took Allegri so long to make changes when his side was clearly on the back foot during the second half, even more baffling is why it took so long for Allegri to finally bring on Cancelo, waiting until 84 minutes had been played despite De Sciglio largely having a horror performance throughout the night.

Which brings up the old debate that constantly comes into conversation with every passing season, is it time to say goodbye to Massimiliano Allegri? This fan thinks that it is, and its been on the cards for some time now. Unattractive style of play, consistently coming out second best in tactical battles on the big stage, taking far too long to react to opponents that adapt to Juventus during a game, these are all incidents that have happened throughout the current season, as well as the previous season. An early 2-0 lead against Tottenham at this stage of the champions league last season, quickly turned into Tottenham domination and a 2-2 draw, was Allegri to blame for his tactical approach? Not according to the man himself who said later that night “I didn’t ask the team to go deep, more than anything else we were pushed back by Tottenham. After that 25-minute spell when they pinned us back, we couldn’t get back out.” fast forward a year later, and Allegri is deflecting criticism once again after another poor result in Europe, “Atletico Madrid force you to play badly, with a slow tempo. We moved the ball quicker in the first half, but not in the second. We got the approach wrong in the second half. It’s that simple” surely if an opponent is pushing you back into your own half, as manager it is your responsibility to change your tactics & approach to combat this? Surely, if you your opponent if forcing you to "play badly, with a slow tempo" then as manager you should be trying to combat this from the sidelines, rather than simply stand by and watch events unfold?

During Allegri's time as manager Juventus have enjoyed unprecedented success domestically, but on the European stage its been a different story. The warning signs were flashing for all to see last season, and are still on display now. Some could even argue that had it not been for a late collapse by Napoli in the Scudetto race, Juventus would not be the current champions of Italy. Even a failing manager such as Jose Mourinho who couldn't last the season at Manchester United was able to tactically get the better of Allegri. Tonight was not only defeat for Juventus, but a clear case of one manager getting the better of his rival. 

ATLETICO MADRID - JUVENTUS : MATCH PREVIEW (20.02.2019)

PREVIOUS MEETING : 09.12.2014 (Group Stage)

JUVENTUS 0-0 ATLETICO

FORM : PREVIOUS 5 RESULTS

ATLETICO : 3 WINS, 0 DRAW, 2 DEFEAT

JUVENTUS : 3 WINS, 1 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT

MOST RECENT RESULT :

JUVENTUS 3-0 FROSINONE

RAYO VALECANO 0-1 ATLETICO MADRID

Not so long ago the objective early on for clubs entering the group stage of the champions league was simple, win your group and be rewarded with a favourable tie in the round of 16, instead Juventus were rewarded with Atletico Madrid. Coincidentally, it could be said that Atletico Madrid are Spain's version of Juventus, a side that is more renown for their defensive abilities than attacking flair. Also similar to Juventus has been Atletico’s miss-fortune in the champions league, both reaching the final on two occasions within 3 seasons only to finish runners up, both losing against Spanish opposition.

Juventus come into this game with good form, scoring 6 goals in their previous 2 games whilst keeping a clean sheet in the process, with the first leg being played away scoring for Juventus will be the number one priority. Unfortunately they are playing against a side that has won their previous 8 home games in European competition, and are unbeaten in 12. There is however some good news, lately Atletico Madrid have not exactly been looking like their usual self, losing the Madrid derby 3-1 (at home) before going on to struggle against Rayo Vallecano, but still bagging themselves a late goal in a 1-0 win.

ALVARO MORATA

You remember him don’t you? The Spanish striker who became a fan favourite at Juventus for his goals in the champions league, good times. Fast forward to 2019 and Morata is back in Madrid, and in need of a goal… Badly. So badly in fact that it seems he will celebrate his first goal for his new club against anyone, even if its against the Old Lady herself, "I will (celebrate if I score), for all the Atletico Madrid people. There are the same people that used to be there the day I left. And now I am here again”. Yet once upon a time when Morata played in black & white he chose not to celebrate against his then former club Real Madrid, twice. Hopefully he will still be waiting to celebrate that first goal after Wednesday night.

SAMI KHEDIRA

Unfortunately Khedira will be missing out on this game completely, which would usually be celebrated by some Juventus fans if it were for a different reason. On Tuesday night it was announced that Khedira would be remaining in Turin after medical tests revealed that he had an irregular heartbeat. Despite all the jokes and below the belt comments made about Khedira over the past two seasons, few (if any) Juventus fans would want to see Khedira omitted from the squad due to health issues. What this means for Khedira’s future at the club is uncertain, but what is certain is that Juventus fans will be wishing the German a full recovery from this sudden setback.

PAULO DYBALA

What this does mean however is that Dybala will once again be in the starting 11, and will once again be called upon to be the creative influence in an attack that will likely feature Mandzukic & Ronaldo in a front 3, "We need his technique and style of play, and if you're in good condition like he is then it is right that you play” if Dybala’s goal against Frosinone is anything to go by, expect Dybala to find his way into the spotlight at some point inside of the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

THE RONALDO FACTOR

This one is stating the obvious, when the knockout round of the champions league begins Ronaldo comes alive, just ask Atletico Madrid fans. The previous season Ronaldo ended the campaign as Champions League top goal scorer with a total of 15 goals, 5 of which came in the knockout round."Cristiano is very motivated in this competition he has proved it," said Miralem Pjanic, "He has always been present and decisive. He is part of our team and he will want to win." Despite being Juventus top goal scorer with 21 goals, So far Ronaldo has scored just the one goal over 4 games in the champions league. Knowing Ronaldo this is a statistic he will be eager to improve on, especially against an opponent he knows very well. Whats the chances that its Ronaldo’s name on the score-sheet before the night is over? Pretty likely, given that Ronaldo has scored 4 in Juventus previous 4 fixtures and that he also holds the record of scoring most goals in the Madrid derby (22 goals)

WHAT TO EXPECT

So with all that said what should be expected from this encounter? Like the opposition itself, this is a tough one to call and could go either way. A result for either side wouldn't be a shock, which means a draw being the likely outcome, preferably a score draw. However what can be expected is a tough scrappy game with little ground being given by either side. This may very well be a case of each side facing a mirror image of themselves, except one side has Ronaldo in their ranks. Juventus will be hoping that the physical presence of Mandzukic & Ronaldo's habit of scoring against Atletico Madrid will be enough to get a precious away goal, a goal that could prove the difference come the end of this tie. Will it be a match winning goal? only time will tell