While a disappointing spell in February has left Juventus facing an uphill battle to win the Scudetto this season, experienced manager Massimiliano Allegri is still the right man to steer the club to success.
The fight for the title is not over yet, but even if Old Lady do fall short in their Serie A title aspirations this term, Allegri has the experience to put right what might have gone wrong this season.
Tough Spell Rocks The Boat
It’s fair to say Juventus were flying before their 1-1 draw at home to Empoli at the end of January started a slump for I Bianconeri. Juve, who are 50/1 in the betting UK markets to win the Serie A title this season, were on a seven-game winning run in all competitions before that stalemate. Juve had also been on a 19-match unbeaten run before their draw with Empoli was followed by a 1-0 defeat at title rivals Inter Milan. It was an important showdown at the San Siro, and, in cruel fashion, the game was decided by an own-goal from Federico Gatti.
Given the form Juve had been in previously, most would have expected the Old Lady to bounce back at the first time of asking. However, Udinese’s Lautaro Gianetti found the back of the net for the visitors at Allianz Stadium. For a second game in a row, Juve did not have an answer in attack. Much to the frustration of all at the club, a 2-2 draw at Verona followed to leave Juve nine points behind Serie A frontrunners Inter, who also had a game in hand. It certainly looks like an uphill battle for Juve heading into the business end of the season. That said, Allegri is experienced enough to get his squad back on the right path.
Allegri Has Seen It All Before
Allegri is in his second spell at Juve and has previously won five Serie A titles at the club. So, it’s safe to say he’ll know what needs to change to turn things around at the Allianz Arena. The run heading into 2024 showed what this side is capable of and how they can put winning runs together. The issues on the field for Juve in early February were compounded by that loss at Inter, who were on an impressive winning run. Inter lost just one of their first 24 games of the Serie A campaign and amassed 20 victories in that time. It’s certainly a difficult form to keep pace with, and even draws for Juve turned out to be significant points dropped in the early weeks of 2024.
Experience Could Take the Team Above and Beyond
Allegri has an experienced group of players at his disposal, with Wojciech Szczęsny, Danilo, Alex Sandro, and Filip Kostić all aged 31 and over. The more experienced heads – along with Bremer, Adrien Rabiot, and Federico Chiesa – have important roles to play for the remainder of the season.
Given the quality of the squad and their previous form, there’s certainly no need for panic at the Allianz Arena. Given time, Allegri is the manager to get Juve back on track and leading from the front in Serie A once again.