If the results of the preseason tour of the Asia-Pacific
is anything to go by then its safe to say that Juventus stand a great chance of
retaining the title. But this is football - and Allegri - anything can happen!
Having won the Scudetto, unbelievably, in his first
season in charge of AC Milan, no one saw strings of bad results, and
performances, coming. Fans and media of the club pointed accusing fingers at
their coach, criticizing his coaching style. The Italian tactician's reliance
on soaking up pressure and hitting the opposition on the counter, came under
severe scrutiny. This was in contrast to Antonio Conte's "win at all
cost" strategy which saw the Old Lady dominating games from the blast of
the whistle. In the midst of wining dirty, attractive and attacking football
were not lacking.
The return of Allegri to the helm of management presents
him with another opportunity to underscore his coaching qualities and answer
some questions regarding his man-management skills with the most popular,
involving the departure of Andrea Pirlo to Juventus. That spells DeJaVu.
Allegri is famous for favoring the 4-3-3 formation with a
playmaker behind the front two rather than the usual 3-5-2 with wing-backs
endorsed by his predecessor; Antonio Conte.
After enjoying a remarkable first and second season at
Milan wining the Scudetto and Supercoppa Italiana respectively, he endured a
hard fought third season when he managed to steer the Rossoneri from 16th to
3rd; just enough points gathered for the Champions League playoff.
Now he will be at the helm of a Club at the apex of
Italian football. He will try to keep the Bianconeri at the summit, if not
upping the ante. His consistency level will be tested and he will look to
improving their performances in Europe while he's at it.
One good turn of Allegri's appointment is his promotion
of young talents. At Milan, he brought out the best out of Stefan El Sharaawy
and Mattia Di Sciglio. Both players came through the Rossoneri ranks and into
the first team. Juventus, however, do not have a problem in this area with 16
year old Mattia Vitale, Coman and Spanish striker Alvaro Morata all at his
disposal.
It will certainly be a new experience watching Allegri's
Juventus with a back-four as fans and the media are used to Conte's Juventus
with a back-three. But, for whatever reason, Massimiliano Allegri has inherited
the best squad in Italy and if he fails to bring the Scudetto to the Juventus
arena with this present crop of players, he has no excuse.
Article by Stanley Princewill McDaniels
0 comments:
Post a Comment