BEVERLY HILLS, May 28, (THEWILL) – Finally, after taking their time to allow the exit of Andrea Pirlo to settle, former Serie A champions Juventus have announced the return of Massimiliano Allegri for a second spell as head coach at the Turin-based club.
Just as expected, Pirlo was sacked earlier on Friday, leaving the managerial position to which he was elevated barely nine months after signing a two-year deal to take over from Maurizio Sarri, a position that offered him a fresh taste of managerial experience at the senior level soon after he was named as manager of the club’s Under-23s.
However, the experience sailed into stormy waters as the former playmaker failed to live up to expectations as a coach. The tempestuous situation he found himself brought him up against steady tacticians as Antonio Conte of Inter Milan and Stefano Pioli of AC Milan. He rallied late in the season but lost the title and ended fourth.
And, Juventus brought an abrupt end to his reign after this single season. Although it was already obvious who his replacement as going to be, the Bianconeri allowed a brief moment to pass before revealing that Allegri was returning to the Allianz Stadium where he reigned as boss in his last employment.
The 53-year-old, who had remained without returning to management since leaving Turin in 2019, was linked with vacant managerial vacancies across Europe especially in Inter and Real Madrid but appears to have preferred rejoining the Old Lady. He will therefore go back to the stomping grounds he left after a largely successful run.
In the time he was there, from 2014 to 2019, Allegri led Juve to five consecutive Scudetto triumphs and his team lifted the Coppa Italia on four occasions. But, his record in Europe was absent of silverware as Juve were beaten Champions League finalists with Allegri at the helm in 2014/2015 and 2016/2017, the two times they reached the final.
The management will be hoping he can go one step further this time and not just recapture the Scudetto, now that Inter will be weaker in Conte’s absence and possibly without some of their superstars, but also bring the Champions League trophy to Turin.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
