When Carlos Tevez slotted him his penalty in the 57th minute at home to Real Madrid, Juventus found themselves on the brink of the coveted trip to Berlin.
Flashback nearly ten months, the previous sentence would have seemed like something out of a Football Manager season that had glitched. Allegri’s tactical and meteoric ascension into the hearts of the bianconeri faithful has been a massive achievement in his career, especially given his traumatic experience during the end of his reign at AC Milan.
GRAZIE MISTER @OfficialAllegri! ⚫⚪ #4Ju33 http://pic.twitter.com/Ch5CgNz3Sl
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) May 2, 2015
When Juventus wrapped up their 33rd Scudetto on the road to Sampdoria, the celebrations were cut short. The team returned to training shortly after the celebrations quelled, and preparations for the Champions League semi-final clash at home to Real Madrid began. Allegri’s second Scudetto in 5 seasons may not even be his biggest accomplishment this season, if the Bianconeri can pull of the momentous task of holding the ten-time Champions League winning side at the Bernabeu.
Italian football hasn’t experienced a moment like this since Internazionale won it all in 2010, in what’s been considered the dark ages for the Italians. Allegri has shined a beacon of light into the shroud of darkness surrounding the sport. When the final whistle is blown on Wednesday night in Madrid, whether or not Juventus make it through the battle won’t make a difference in the statement they’ve made, “Juventus, are back”.
While obviously, Allegri cannot be the only one to receive praise, the style of play Allegri re-adopted for the Italian Champions is a bit of an old school take on a modern system. The classic 4-3-1-2 formation has brought only 15 goals in Champions League play this season, far inferior to the likes of the other remaining three adversaries in the competition. However, Juventus have conceded only 6 goals this campaign, which brings back nostalgia of the gold days of Italy’s ‘Catenaccio’. With +9 in the goal difference category, the Old Lady should feel like she has a few more tricks up her sleeve in order to stop Madrid.
Win lose or draw, Massimiliano Allegri has reinvented Juventus, from the stoic and ‘grinta-fied’ Conte days, into a more elegant and tactical side. It can also be said now, that the tactician has buried his troubled years at Milan for good.
The post The Allegri Era: Wednesday Could Define the Decade appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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