Max Allegri is now in charge of the Serie A champions, and while that brings a bit of an unknown element to the Old Lady, the squad remains talented enough that a fourth straight scudetto would not be a surprise.
When Juventus' third consecutive title-winning season came to a close this past May, there was more going on than just a team celebrating a record-setting point total. Antonio Conte's status was uncertain, with rumors flying that his third straight Scudetto could be his last in charge of the club. But shortly thereafter the season finale, Conte was confirmed as Juve's manager for the following campaign - and everything felt okay again.
Turns out, everything wasn't okay.
The second day of preseason training was the day when the resignation of the man who brought Juventus back to her prolific glory in Italy took place. A summer of beaches and relaxation wasn't enough, as Conte announced his departure through a tearful video posted through the club's account on YouTube. And as a result of that, in came Max Allegri a mere 24 hours later to try and stabilize a ship that had no doubt been shook by Conte leaving the club he had given so much to as a player and manager.
It's not like the entire club fell apart when Conte suddenly walked out of the team headquarters last month. The entire core remains from last season's 102-point squad, but it remains to be seen what exactly this Juventus side will look like under Allegri. But the main question will be how Juve's new manager is able to get his team playing with more competition domestically and pressure to make noise in the Champions League.
Key player
Transfer rumors have dominated Vidal's summer. And while he hasn't totally committed to things in the same way he did when he signed his new contract in December, he's still wearing a Juventus jersey as of this thing going live. Juventus said Vidal isn't going anywhere when the summer began and their tune hasn't changed one iota since then. The English media can continue to fantasize over Vidal moving to Manchester United before the transfer window closes, but Juventus clearly have no desire to sell arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in the world today.
Or, in simpler terms: You want a player who defines the current era at Juventus, you get Arturo Vidal.
Key departures and arrivals
In: Patrice Evra, Álvaro Morata, Kingsley Coman, Roberto Pereyra, Romulo, Luca Marrone
Out: Antonio Conte, Mirko Vucinic, Fabio Quagliarella, Federico Peluso, Mauricio Isla
Reason to watch
The last time Max Allegri was managing a club, AC Milan was absolutely a mess. While Juventus aren't even close to being in the kind of mess Milan were last season -- and continue to be, for that matter -- it's not like Allegri is coming off a bunch of managerial momentum. He has switched up formations this preseason, which can either be viewed as he wants tactical flexibility or he can't make up his mind on where to go with this team. Juventus could easily be a team that storms to the top of the table once more because of how talented it is. Or, like Allegri's teams have done in the past, they could stumble out of the game and frustrate Juve fans the world over.
Where they might finish
Champions. Why? Because even though their new manager isn't as close to as good as the man he replaced, Juve are still the best team in the country and are talented enough to overcome the managerial shortcomings of Allegri.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1qLOVAv
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