'Changing would be madness' – Juventus chief defends Allegri after poor run

By Sports Desk September 18, 2022

Juventus dismissing Massimiliano Allegri following early-season struggles would be "madness", according to Bianconeri chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene.

Allegri's side had won just two of their eight games in all competitions ahead of their Serie A trip to Monza on Sunday.

That form has led to growing pressure on coach Allegri, who has resembled a defiant figure as he insisted his side were "growing" despite domestic and European failings so far.

The 55-year-old signed a four-year contract in Turin last year, and reports in Italy suggest Juve are unlikely to part ways with Allegri at this stage.

Arrivabene echoed those sentiments as he suggested he should take some blame for the Bianconeri's underwhelming results this term.

"Changing would be madness," he told DAZN. "Today, problems must be lived and seen at 360 degrees; we have come out of difficult years that have weighed on everyone's skin, not just football. 

"The responsibility is running Juventus; carrying out summary trials or pointing at a culprit does not help a club like Juve to work.

"Max not only has a contract but a four-year programme. I have a CEO programme. If you are looking for a culprit, it's me.

"The CEO is at the top of the company; if things don't work out somehow, it's also my job to make them work.

"Looking ahead, there are three very important elements: humility, clarity, determination. We need to look ahead together."

Related items

  • Flick: Barcelona need to learn how to win without Yamal Flick: Barcelona need to learn how to win without Yamal

    Hansi Flick has urged Barcelona to find a way to win without the absent Lamine Yamal, as he misses a second consecutive match with an ankle injury.

    The 17-year-old missed their 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad which halted Barca's seven-match winning streak in all competitions before the international break.

    Yamal has only missed two LaLiga matches since the start of last season, while Barcelona have lost both games this campaign in which he has not started, after coming off the bench in a 4-2 loss to Osasuna in September.

    Flick said that his players need to show that they can win without their teenage sensation.

    "Tomorrow I will put the question to the team, it will be a very good question for them [if they can win without Yamal]," Flick told a press conference on Friday.

    "Against Real Sociedad, we didn't play well, and it wasn't because of Lamine's absence. He is a very important player for us, but we have options to also play well without him.

    "He won't be able to play tomorrow, we don't know when he will be able to go back from his injury, but what is clear for me is that we want him to be back only when he is 100% recovered."

    Yamal played a big role in Spain's European Championship title win earlier this year in Germany, winning the best goal and the Young Player of the Tournament award in his breakthrough campaign.

    He continued to thrive this season with five goals and seven assists to help Barca to the top of the LaLiga standings on 33 points, six ahead of rivals Real Madrid, who have a game in hand in second place.

    Yamal is also the only player across Europe's big five leagues to complete 25+ dribbles (34), create 25+ chances (26), have 25+ shots (39), score 5+ goals (five) and provide 5+ assists (seven).

    Flick suggested that he may have to adjust his system, as it is hard to replace a player with such a mixture of speed, technique and finishing.

    "We might be a bit limited by the absence of Lamine," Flick said.

    "But we have a lot of players with great quality, and they can play in different positions. We'll see what we'll need and we'll design the game plan.

    "It's always important after the international break to come back strong and with confidence. That's our goal for tomorrow."

  • Moca FC's  Baez, Correa sanctioned by Concacaf Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in Carib Cup semis clash against Cavalier Moca FC's Baez, Correa sanctioned by Concacaf Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in Carib Cup semis clash against Cavalier

    The Concacaf Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned players Miguel Baez and Jesus Correa of Dominican Republic club Moca FC for incidents that occurred during their Concacaf Caribbean Cup second-leg semi-final match against Jamaica’s Cavalier FC on Thursday, October 30. 

    After considering the documentation and evidence gathered during its investigation and based on the competition regulations and the applicable disciplinary code, the Disciplinary Committee has imposed Miguel Baez a six-match suspension and Jesus Correa a three-match suspension for violent conduct.

    The sanctions include the automatic one-match suspension for the on-field direct red cards given to each player during that 7-0 beating in Kingston.

    Both Baez and Correa must serve their suspensions during the upcoming 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup third-place matches and future editions of the competition. 

    Moca FC is scheduled to meet Haiti's Real Hope FC in that home-and-away tie on November 26 and December 3 to determine the next Caribbean representative that will contest next year's Concacaf Champions Cup. Finalists Cavalier and Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic, have secured automatic berths.

    Meanwhile, the Disciplinary Committee has also warned the players and the club that more severe sanctions could be taken should incidents occur during future matches.

     

  • Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan

    Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.

    Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.

    "I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.

    "Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."

    Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.

    Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.

    "I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.

    "This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."

    Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.

    "It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.

    "We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."

    Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.