When Allegri Made Juventus a European Force Again
Massimiliano Allegri might be one of the most divisive coaches in modern Juventus history, mainly because of his second stint with the club from 2021 to 2024. However, his first era with the club, which ran from 2014 to 2019, might be even somewhat underrated. This is because of the many titles he won and how he took Juve to two UEFA Champions League finals.
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Massimiliano Allegri
Taking Over from Antonio Conte
Allegri became Juventus' manager in July of 2014 after the previous coach, Antonio Conte, resigned from his position due to disagreements with the board. The Old Lady had won the last three Scudetto with Conte's 3-5-2 formation but were struggling in European competitions, and the new manager's arrival was divisive.A Serie A winner in the 2010/11 season with AC Milan, Allegri left the latter in January of 2014 after the club went through a steady decline because of multiple sales and senior players retiring. However, by the time the 2014/15 season rolled around, Juventus adapted quickly to the manager's 4-3-1-2 formation and won the Scudetto with ease as well as the Coppa Italia, the latter being the first time the club won that trophy since 1995.
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Andrea Pirlo
How Allegri Reshaped a Winning Side
An interesting part of this situation was how he managed to get another great season out of Italian midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, which is ironic when considering that Allegri was partially responsible for the latter's departure from AC Milan in 2011."It wasn't that unusual, even though many things have been said about it," Pirlo said to the juvefc.com in 2023 regarding his relationship with Allegri. "I had two years with Allegri, the first at Milan with my only real serious injury and during that time he had found other options. He thought that I was no longer an important player for that Milan team. I had a very good year with him at Juventus and that was the icing on the cake to end my time there. I did not want to be a burden on anyone, or to sit out the important games, so I preferred to leave Juve even if I still had a year left on my contract."
The season, though, would end in disappointment as Juventus would lose the UEFA Champions League final through a 3-1 score with FC Barcelona, led by the legendary MSN trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar Jr.
Allegri would end up winning four more Scudetto from 2015 to 2019, turning Juventus into one of the most dominant sides in Serie A history. It also has to be mentioned that he did this while having to revamp the squad with severe loses such as Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, and many more.
Domestic Dominance and European Heartbreak
The 2016/17 season would have Allegri and his men deal with despair again as they lost another Champions League final, this time through a 4-1 score against Real Madrid. Juventus' struggles to win the tournament have been a running issue throughout the years, with some even calling it a curse, although the Italian manager dismisses that perception."There are no curses in the Champions League. You have to play it. With Juventus, we played two finals (2015, 2017)," Allegri said back in 2020, as reported by AS. "Then you can win it or lose it. We faced Real Madrid and Barcelona, who were the strongest teams. Of the two, we could more likely have won the first. The second was much more difficult. But there is absolutely no curse. All major competitions should be played with a lot of composure, especially if you reach those big finals. You don't need to convey composure to the players, because great players already have it.'"
Croatian midfield genius Luka Modrid, who played for Real Madrid from 2012 to 2025 and join Allegri during the latter's second stint at AC Milan, would even joke about defeating him in the 2017 Champions League final.
"I'll try not to talk to Allegri too much about when we beat them in the 2017 final," Modric said in 2025 when signing for AC Milan. "I don't want him to be angry with me. I'm very happy that Allegri is coaching me; he's one of the best coaches in the world, a winner, and I'm looking forward to finding out what he expects from me and how he sees me on the pitch."
Why His Legacy Still Divides Opinion
However, despite his success, Allegri never fully endeared himself to the Juventus faithful because of his conservative playing style and always prioritizing results over the playing style, with some fans feeling that was hampering their possibilities in Europe.
Giorgio Chiellini
"One thing I appreciated about him was his light approach as a coach and his ability to let things slide. He was good at not making an already heavy and pressure-filled world even heavier," Giorgio Chiellini said in March of 2025. "He gave the team confidence and freedom while still demanding a lot from everyone. He gives you a lot but keeps control. Even on a human level, he quickly understood Juve's values despite never having played there. He has grown a lot as a person, studied to improve himself, and adapted to the coaching role at Cagliari, Milan, and Juve, making those club values his own. I was the only one who understood his jokes in Livornese slang. I had to translate them for both the foreigners and the Italians."
While Allegri's second stint with the club definitely left a bad taste in people's mouth, there is no denying that his first era was one of the most successful in the club's history and should be appreciated because of it.