“I’m still here 65 years on to hug you fans and remind the current players of a famous sentence,” Juventus icon Giampiero Boniperti told those gathered at the opening of the Juventus Stadium in September 2011.
“For Juve, winning is not important; it’s the only thing that really matters.”
This maxim that the former star player and all-conquering president has repeated on many occasions has been used by critics to challenge issues of integrity and fair play, but it is also apt for assessing coach Massimiliano Allegri and his time so far in Turin.
Juventini were left in a state of shock when Antonio Conte quit by mutual consent just a day after the squad reconvened for pre-season training, after leading the club to three successive Scudetti.
The swift arrival of Allegri angered many supporters, and the man regarded as the epitome of the ‘Juventus style’ was soon repeating his mantra to warn the former AC Milan tactician that only accolades and titles would help him win over the club’s supporters.
“Juventus are a club that must always win,” the 86-year-old told Tuttosport in September. “They must fight for every goal, in Italy and abroad.
“Juve must continue to do as Juve has always done, which is to aim for one target after another and that’s why for Allegri, and everyone else, it is the results that count.”
Allegri has closely adhered to this advice as Juventus were crowned Winter Champions for the 28th time and are now five points clear of Roma in the Serie A.
It may only be a symbolic award, but it is also an informal recognition of a successful first half of the season; and history suggests that the side top at this stage of the season will eventually win the league title, with the Old Lady celebrating on nineteen of those occasions.
With the best defence and attack statistics in Serie A, the gradual tactical changes applied following Allegri’s appointment haven’t slowed down the champions as many had feared.
Only one defeat in Serie A to Genoa in October and a penalty shootout loss to Napoli in December’s Supercoppa Italiana in Doha have discoloured their domestic record, while Champions League commitments after Christmas have helped ease the exit of Conte.
Supporters of the most decorated club in Italian domestic football have come to expect continuous success, as a banner unfurled in the Curva Sud during the pre-match choreography against Hellas Verona reading, “Years and seasons go by but we’re once again Winter Champions,” illustrated.
Allegri will only retain their full support as long as Juve secure a fourth consecutive title, and the Livorno-born boss is refusing to get ahead of himself as the Scudetto race has changed dramatically in the last two rounds.
“There’s a long way to go and we will certainly run into difficulties,” the 47-year-old tactician told Sky Sport Italia after Juventus defeated Verona 4–0 on Sunday.
“Let’s not forget when we had a series of draws people acted as if everything was collapsing, but a season is bound to have highs and lows.
“We are in good physical shape at the moment and that will be the most important element in the second half of the season, especially as the fixture list gets packed.”
