ALVISE CAGNAZZO: Massimiliano Allegri is like a punch-drunk boxer, who has backed himself in a corner… his tactics have derailed Juventus’ season and could cost him his job

Juventus have won two points in their last eight games but according to Massimiliano Allegri there is no need to worry. 

The justification provided on the basis of a good run of form that ended 46 days ago leave many perplexed about Allegri’s ability to withstand discontent in the dressing room and his problems seem to get bigger by the day. 

The Juventus manager looks confused and afraid of making sudden changes, with a team beset by growing internal conflict and with his authority crumbling in front of his players.

His team have gone from title challengers to third in Serie A and can no longer be so sure of qualifying for the next Champions League season.

Juventus’ margin over fourth-placed Bologna and fifth-placed Roma has all but evaporated following a mediocre run of 0.82 points per game over the last eight fixtures.

Juventus have won just two points in their last eight Serie A fixtures 

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And with nine games still to play, a top-four place could be in jeopardy. 

Allegri has made huge mistakes and he has nowhere left to hide. He must address his tactical mistakes to save Juventus’ season and, potentially, his job.

His contract expires in June 2025 but Allegri could be sacked in the event of a negative result away against Lazio on Saturday evening.   

Have you ever seen an old boxer stumble across the ring without remembering what he did during his fight? 

Allegri is a great man, proud and serious. But from a football standpoint, he never admits his mistakes and resembles a boxer who backs himself in the corner, unable to escape punches landing on him.

Over the weekend, he cut short an interview on Sky Sports Italy, claiming that he deserved ‘more intelligent questions’ when asked for explanations over Juventus’ dismal form over the past eight weeks.

‘Napoleon’ Allegri found his Waterloo in the fear of change 

Perhaps the analysis is cynical, ruthless and devoid of feeling but as the years have gone by, Allegri has never been able to reinvent himself, instead putting the interests of his own serenity before the possibility of improving his team. 

‘Napoleon’ Allegri is living his very own Waterloo. He is under siege, but he doesn’t seem to realise it, despite- or perhaps because – the myriad of mistakes he has made.

In the past month-and-a-half only four teams in Serie A have done worse than the Bianconeri and they are all deep in the relegation zone or just above it.

In fact, Juventus would be flirting with the drop themselves if Serie A had started 50 days ago.

Tellingly, for the first time this season, Juventus have fewer points than they did at the same stage 12 months ago. Allegri has refused to acknowledge his tactical choices may be the issue, preferring instead to wheel out a complex series of justifications that he has never fully explained.

Allegri has repeatedly refused to acknowledge his team’s struggles this season 

Dusan Vlahovic has scored 15 Serie A goals this season, but has cut a frustrated figure of late

Allegri’s obsession with 3-5-2 has derailed Juventus’ season 

One does not have to be a football manager to realise Allegri’s dogmatic commitment to 3-5-2 has derailed Juventus’ season. 

Kenan Yildiz is either deployed as left-full

Yildiz fifth on the left or out of play for the few minutes allowed, Federico Chiesa out of any defensive action attacking and Andrea Cambiaso deployed on the right despite being left-footed.

The feeling is that Allegri is scared and nervous, as well as not convinced that he knows what he can do to improve his team, which has at least five players playing out of position.

Against Genoa, Federico Gatti was deployed at right-back when in possession, a curious choice for a physically imposing defender not blessed with a great first touch.

Manuel Locatelli has struggled to impose himself when deployed in the No10 role

Samuel Iling-Junior has been called up by England Under-21 as a striker but is used as a full-back for Juventus

Similarly, Manuel Locatelli is a central midfielder rather than a No10, but Allegri has persisted with him in the latter role, despite a string of unimpressive displays.

Samuel Iling-Junior, meanwhile, has been called up by England Under-21 as a striker but is used as a full-back for Juventus.

Against these bizarre tactical choices, it is worth reflecting on the words of Dejan Kulusevski, who recently blamed his poor form at Juventus on ‘players who were playing in my place, despite not having that specific role’. 

His dynamic with Allegri charts the same trajectory of that of Timothy Weah who, has been transformed from right into winger into a full-back, who invariably receives the ball facing his own goal and without any support to have any influence going forward.

The curious case of Kenan Yildiz 

Juventus’ last winning run – the only time in which they were credible title challengers – came as the young Turk started five consecutive games as a striker, before he was surprisingly benched against Empoli. 

The decision was inexplicable at the time and it has since become even harder to justify, given it has effectively extinguished Allegri’s best hope of improving his team’s brand of football. 

Benching Yildiz was a sliding door moments for Juventus, as Allegri deployed Arek Milik in his place, only for the Poland international to get himself sent off within minutes.

Juventus’ last winning run came as Kenan Yildiz started five consecutive games as a striker, but he was inexplicably benched against Empoli.

Asked of his decision to drop Yildiz, Allegri told DAZN: ‘It was good for him to stay on the bench. It could be that after starting four or five games in a row as a young player you lower your attention threshold. 

‘He is very balanced and calm but when you do so well and are always in the newspapers, you tend to relax. After Lecce I saw him like this. Milik was fine and in a match like this I chose him.’