Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri confirmed yesterday that he will have a sabbatical during an event in Milan: “I will take a break for a year because I need to regain control of my personal life. I have been in the whirlwind for the last 16 years, so I neglected a little my family, my kids and my friends. I will use this opportunity to recharge ahead of next season.” He had a year left on his contract and so far there have been no news about its conclusion with a severance package.
Daniele Rugani’s agent Davide Torchia spoke to Radio Bianconera about a potential new extension for his client that appears to be in the works: “We had the last one in March, but it was just a technicality, we had discussed it way back. Juventus will issue the official statement, but if he gets a five-year deal it means that it will end in 2024. He owes a lot to Maurizio Sarri, it was his first coach in the pros.”
Adrien Rabiot has often been linked to Juventus in the past and he is now a free agent after the conclusion of his contract with PSG. The midfielder confirmed to Tuttosport that the Old Lady is one of the teams he is in talks with.
Andrea Barzagli looked back at his career in an interview with Juventus TV: “Turin is beautiful, it’s perfect. We live downtown and it is the normalcy to see the footballers there, it does not bother anybody.”
“Fabio Paratici scouted me in Germany, it turned my career around. I wanted to move abroad so I chose Wolfsburg, but I did not hesitate when Juventus came calling. Everything changed when we opened the new stadium. Winning pushes you even further, the title helped us grow even more. There is a different kind of pressure here, there is not as much attention on you elsewhere. The management is way ahead of the competitions. Andrea Agnelli is an excellent executive, it is not easy to be a president at 37.”
On Luigi Delneri: “He was important to me since he made me debut in Serie A and greenlit my transfer. He is a fine person and he started the idea of using a high back-line.”
On the loss against Napoli late in 2017/2018: “When we were defeated there, I looked the others in the face and told them that we had lost the championship that night. They got angry, but I believe I provided a little spark there.”
On Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini: “It all started with an away game in Naples where Antonio Conte got the idea of fielding a 3-5-2. We have run it very well for years, in some games we have allowed very little the opponents.”
On the eight Scudetti: “Repeating is extraordinary.”
On Andrea Pirlo: “One of his best skills was to move around when he was guarded, which opened a lot of space. It is a subtle thing.”
On his coaches: “The rhythms were high with Conte, while we had more fun with Allegri, we played the ball more.”
On retiring: “I decided during the season, it was not a good one from the injury standpoint. I figured my time had come, as you have to feel great in order to be at the required levels to stay at Juventus. It was a perfect ending.”
On his farewell: “I did not believe it would go like this, I expected only some applauses. I was very nervous that morning, my teammates surprised me with a call with Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon, two historical figures of the club. Feeling at their same level was terrific: it was a pleasure and an honor. I could not have imagined a better day, it made me realize that I had done something important.”
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