By David Lee Wheatley
Antonio Conte left the position of head coach at Juventus earlier this month despite having led the Old Lady to three consecutive Serie A title victories in convincing fashion.
Conte, one of the most highly decorated figures in Italian football, stepped down stating that he believed it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to be successful in charge of Juventus with a view to the future. Many observers took that as a dig towards the Juventus board in relation to their perceived lack of ambition regarding attempts to return the club back to the top of European football, a perch they last sat upon in 1996 when winning the Champions’ League trophy on penalties against Ajax. Furthermore, the rumours surrounding star midfielder Arturo Vidal’s future in Turin had people in some quarters speculating that Juve’s apparent willingness to do a deal at the right price was actually behind Conte’s decision.
Immediately following the former Azzurri international’s announcement in the middle of July, he was installed as one of the favourites to take on the vacant national team role. Meanwhile, recent news eminating from France suggests that big-spending Paris Saint-Germain have set their sights on recruiting Conte in place of Laurent Blanc at the Parc des Princes.
Of pressing concern back at the defending Serie A champions is trying to seek out a way of holding off the various vultures circling hungrily with their eyes firmly fixed on the prized Scudetto that Juventus have kept an extremely tight stranglehold on throughout the past three campaigns. Not only that, but how can they convince major players to stay on amid the upheaval at the club while mounting any kind of serious challenge on the European front?
The man entrusted with finding solutions to those conundrums is ex-Cagliari and Milan man Massimiliano Allegri, fresh from his mid-season sacking at the San Siro due to the Rossoneri’s atrocious form last season. He has experience of winning the league title in his debut campaign with Milan of 2010-11, which of course represents the last time anybody except Juve took home the plaudits. But he is a controversial choice due to former allegiances and also thanks to the embarrassing showing that he oversaw last term. Allegri has to win over the fans, deliver more silverware to the trophy cabinet and assist Juventus in their quest to make an impression on continental competition.
Rivals such as Napoli, Roma and even Inter will be confident of usurping the Bianconeri at the Serie A summit without the inspirational 44-year-old Antonio Conte at the helm and Allegri has a massive task on his hands to remain in charge of the team long-term. He must ensure Juve stay at the pinnacle domestically, while giving them realistic hope of progressing well in the Champions’ League. Meanwhile, talks will continue with Vidal once he returns from holiday in order to appease the Chilean and keep him performing in the middle of the park alongside talisman Andrea Pirlo, who has committed himself to his beloved black-and-whites for another two years.
Other sought-after stars Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez and Mauricio Isla will all want reassurance of the club’s determination to progress and improve; they won’t want to stick around if there is even the slightest hint of a backward step in the offing. Isla is already being heavily linked with a transfer to the English Premier League, while 29-year-old Llorente felt compelled to deny rumours of a move earlier this month. If Vidal or any of those other big names previously mentioned choose to jump ship this summer, then new boss Allegri and his board will find it incredibly hard to hold the remainder of their squad together.
If there was ever a time for the likes of Napoli and Roma to claim top spot in Italy, it is now.
Twitter: @davewh1980
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