WITH both men in tears, Juventus president Andrea Agnelli and Max Allegri explained to reporters why the latter would be leaving the club. “We have a winning team that has great potential next year to compete in Italy and in the Champions League,” said the coach. “We evaluated the future of Juventus and obviously the club decided to take a new direction next year without me.”
There was no animosity whatsoever, the two pulling back the curtain to reveal the deeply personal bond they share, but even that mutual respect was not enough for Allegri to keep his job. Nor was the fact he had won the Serie A title in each of his five seasons in charge, adding four Coppa Italia triumphs for good measure, those victories — and the friendship they had built — prompting Mr Agnelli to add that this was “the most difficult decision I’ve had to make during my time at Juventus.”
Asked when they had begun discussing this exit, “after the Ajax game” was the reply, Juve’s shortcomings in the Champions League clearly weighing heavily in the final reckoning. That defeat in the quarterfinals came much too early for a club with ambitions of being crowned champions of Europe, while Allegri had also been asked repeatedly about the team’s dour playing style.
Allegri: "I thank you all. We now say goodbye and I will make a toast together with you all at the end of the season."
Here ends the last press conference of Massimiliano Allegri on the Juventus bench. #SampJuve #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/hbGeLk1BFB
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 25, 2019
He was often angered by such questions and insisted that winning was all that mattered, but the names of his potential successors tell a very different story. Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino, Simone Inzaghi and Maurizio Sarri are among the favourites to be the next Juventus boss and — even though each has his individual approach — they all believe in a modern style that is far more pleasing to the eye than the football Allegri has been serving up recently.
While the merits of the other three can be discussed later, the inclusion of Sarri is arguably the most surprising. His belief in a free-flowing, attacking system that relies heavily on short, intricate passing fits with Juve’s obvious desire to become a more attractive side, while the fact his Chelsea side will play in Wednesday’s Europa League final at least gives some evidence it can bring the international success they also crave.
Sarri also led them to a third-place finish in the Premier League despite enduring a difficult first year at Stamford Bridge. Should he triumph over Arsenal in Baku, he can reflect on a fine debut campaign, but even if he leaves Chelsea this summer it is difficult to imagine Turin being his next stop for a number of reasons.
Born in Naples but raised near Florence, the 60-year-old has spent his entire life among people who hate the Bianconeri almost as much as they love their own teams and his own disdain for the Old Lady has been very clear on a number of occasions. After watching his side finish nine points behind Juve in his final season at Napoli, Sarri refused to give the winners any credit, even telling Sky Italia “I don’t know if they deserve it.”
Andrea Agnelli on a mission in Baku – The president is staying in the same hotel as the Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri. (SportMediaset) pic.twitter.com/AvfyMsoFcQ
— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuve2017) May 29, 2019
He also blamed the league for Napoli’s eventual failure, insisting that the fixture list “favoured” Juve, but while there is an endless list of such verbal incidents, perhaps none sum up Sarri’s feeling about the Bianconeri like the images of his last match against them.
It happened before the game ever began. As the visiting team bus pulled into the stadium, it was surrounded by Juventus fans. Hostile, loud and intent on making themselves heard, these supporters were determined to ensure the Napoli players knew exactly what they thought of them. With the two teams locked in a tense title battle, the level of vitriol was raised a few notches higher, and the chants were – as any match-going regular would expect – hugely insulting to the visiting side.
Sitting in the front seat, Sarri was not intimidated in any way, relishing the prospect of watching his team silence those same fans once the game got underway. Yet, as the mob outside grew even noisier, he couldn't resist letting those who stood in his way knew exactly what he thought of them and raised a defiant middle finger in their direction.
Rather than any tiki-taka inspired play or the prospect of football’s hipster crowd falling in love with Juve as they did with Sarri’s Napoli, it was this incident that immediately sprung to the minds of many who love the Bianconeri. Sarri himself has insisted that the reason for the gesture was the scornful abuse he had heard, telling reporters after that match last April that he has “no issue with Juventus fans, it was only with those who spat at us and insulted us for being Neapolitan.”
That’s unacceptable from the Napoli manager. He should come out, apologize and say Sarri. pic.twitter.com/YPIKR8DWP1
— Nicolas (@BraveBatshuayi) April 23, 2018
That Sarri led his team to victory that day fades into the background for many, his actions on that bus providing an indelible image that is hard to reconcile when considering the prospect of Sarri being on the Juve bench next term. Here is a man who literally “gave the finger” to fans of the Old Lady, yet appears to be on a very short list of coaches who could be next in line to guide her.
A secondary consideration for those in the stands is perhaps even more pressing to the Juve hierarchy, and that is the question of time. Sarri’s methods clearly take a long time to learn and, if his stints with Empoli, Napoli and now Chelsea are the yardsticks by which that is measured, then it will be at least the second season before he truly has a team playing the way he wants.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Giorgio Chiellini already 34, five more players already the ‘wrong side’ of 30 and two more set to join them over the next twelve months, this version of the Bianconeri do not have time to wait. They need a manager who can deliver instantly, someone who can quickly get to grips with the environment at Juve and end the club’s 23-year wait for Champions League glory.
Maurizio Sarri is clearly very, very good at what he does, but he is hardly the ideal candidate for Juventus.
