Buckle Up! This term is being used more and more frequently by many Juventini and rightfully so as the season's end is upon us and the amount of uncertainty surrounding the club is reaching an all-time high. Last weekend's draw against Fiorentina set the tone for what would be a week full of a rumor after rumor on what Juventus would do to right the ship. One piece of news contradicting the previous piece all along the way. Let's take a look at some of these rumors that are making the rounds.

In terms of our current coach Andrea Pirlo, we have now heard that he will finish out the season and even be coaching the next as long as we reach the top 4 in Serie A. However, we are also hearing that a deal is done with Allegri to return and he has also seen in Turin a day ago which of course was going to intensify things in terms of the media. My thoughts are this, even if in my opinion Pirlo isn't solely to blame I do believe he should've never been hired for this to be his first job as a coach and if ultimately many feel this way it doesn't make sense to continue regardless of the where we finish in the table, it was never fair to him either ( even though he agreed to the job). In terms of Allegri coming in, it is rumored that he would want a bigger role that would also give him more say in terms of transfers much as Sir Alex Ferguson had with Manchester United. This leaves me a bit concerned as well as a couple of other reasons which I will get into. First, in terms of Max's return I can't help but remember how poor we played in his final season, regardless of us winning the scudetto that year, we were very poor and even Max's biggest fans agreed a change was needed. Max did an interview several weeks ago and he was saying all the right things which really excited many and started the talk amongst Juventini to bring him back in, however, it is very easy to sit on the outside looking in and say all the right things, after all, we have gone through that with both Sarri and Pirlo who had said all the right things at the start but both left us wanting much much more. Then in terms of transfers and Allegri having more power, I can't help but remember a lot of those vets who got unnecessary contract extensions because of him, and that leaves me feeling a bit nervous about giving him even more power but if it was part of a team and board it could work but I don't see it happening with Paratici and Nedved as it was rumored that's who wanted a change at the coaching role most when Allegri and Juventus made their split. This would now stretch our changes into the board as well, with a summer merc to upcoming and deals being worked on for this upcoming Mercato I'm not so sure how good an idea it would be to remove these guys at this current time if Allegri was brought on but I also can't see them staying if he is brought in, strange times if this would go through. Then there's the situation surrounding Agnelli as it is rumored he may not be in his role with the club for next season also increasing the number of changes taking place. My two cents is this, while I am ok with Allegri being a replacement I would prefer us going with someone new entirely but one that has experienced and is to the caliber and standard required. If everything is as it seems from the outside looking in though Allegri is the best available option out there at the moment. One thing is for sure whoever is brought in we need to be ready to commit to and support properly. If he has already agreed to terms with Juventus do not let things linger and get him in now as reaching the top 4 is a top priority and the damages of not making it would be massive. Also, all of this going on right now isn't fair to Pirlo either so just pull the trigger if it's going to happen. With respect to Pirlo, many want him to be alongside Max which is fine but that feels strange and might create a weird dynamic amongst the staff so I would prefer him to go to the U-23 squad and doing what he was originally hired to do. So, we have Allegri in, Pirlo to the U-23, and Paratici went as well as Nedved due to Max's return, however, Max would have transfer power and then Cherubini is also still in there which would be fine. Now we also throw in the rumor of Marotta returning, this is crazy right?! Oh wait, even Conte a rumored potential coaching return was put out this week...Welcome to a typical week in the life of Juventini. Marotta's loss might've been the one that had the biggest impact. He had some faults but his ability to build a squad was never questioned, I would be fine with him coming back plus he has worked with the club and Allegri but again the concerns of falling back into old habits ( older players, bad contracts) lingers in my mind, still I would welcome him back. This change would be quite a bit but a couple of familiar faces would make it feel a bit more comfortable for all involved as well as hopefully being a major step in regaining stability.

Just if this wasn't crazy enough for you, there's another name floating around in rumors...Marcello Lippi. Lippi is being tipped as joining as a technical director and I have read both positive and negative reactions from fans but for me, there would not be anything negative from having such an experienced champion join our club and assisting in the team-building aspect. He's also an incredible judge of character and can deal with the biggest of egos which he has proven time and time again. I would be all for this. Now while we have discussed these possibilities, it is a lot to do in such a short period of time what with 5 games remaining and that is what makes me think they will ride things out as is. Again whatever happens but right now the only thing that should be on the player's minds is winning and performing their absolute best each and every second they're called upon in these remaining matches. The leaders of this club need to be up to standards and lead these guys over the finish line. I have been saying for quite some time that this season I have only seen the proper leadership and attitude from three players consistently and one of them is 23 years old. This can't happen with how much experience we have on the team. Our leaders needed to be better. our forwards needed to be more ruthless as we have missed far too many chances and our players needed to be stronger mentally in crucial moments. Talking about it does nothing, hearing the players say the same things over and over just increases the frustration in fans, the social media posts also infuriating. Do your talking on the pitch. I want to see it this weekend against Udinese a performance that leaves me confident we will finish where we need to and then I will wait for those in charge to make the right decisions to start to get the wheels going in the right direction again. We also have no reason to have doubt in Juventus as we have been through much much worse and the Old Lady....she never dies my friends. As the season winds down take some time to reflect back on this unprecedented decade of dominance of which there is no doubt in my mind will never be matched not in my remaining days anyways and remember that Juve brought us back from the darkest of days to the leading force in Italian football, where we should be. This isn't a goodbye to the scudetto but a see you later. The last time we came back with 9 straight maybe now we come back with ten straight or perhaps that big-eared trophy we long for...either way I will be there every step of the way and never taking any trophies for granted. All things come to an end but if the pain of it coming to an end was worth all the memories then we have actually won Juventini. Let's get ready for the bounce back....but of course, let's get that top 4 first!

Enjoy Udinese vs Juve and remember to buckle up!

Forza Juve Fino Alla Fine


41 views0 comments