Allegri set to steer Turin giants into quarters
milan — A “tormenting” decision to ditch his bride-to-be may still haunt Massimiliano Allegri, but as the Champions League quarterfinals loom the Juventus coach should be more than ready for his next life-changing decision.
A talented midfielder who ultimately failed to reach the heights in Serie A, Allegri is set to steer the Turin giants into the last eight following a 2-0 last 16, first-leg win at Porto.
It would be his third such feat, having steered Juve to the 2015 final when a chastening 3-1 defeat to Barcelona capped a solid first year in charge of Italy’s biggest club and taken AC Milan to the last eight and elimination by Barcelona in 2012.
After seeing Barcelona overturn a 4-0 first leg deficit to Paris Saint-Germain to qualify last week, Allegri is taking nothing for granted.
“Barcelona are now favourites to win the Champions League, along with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid,” he said.
“More importantly, it shows that, despite us having a twogoal lead, it’s not over yet.”
Now boasting three Serie A titles from spells at AC Milan (2011) and Juventus (2015, 2016), and still in contention for a third successive league and Cup double, Allegri has little to prove in Italy.
And with a triple passion for the sea, horseracing and football, a purported move to England — where he is tipped to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal — seems to be edging closer for the Livorno-born coach.
Despite spending the bulk of his career moving up and down Italy’s top flight with smaller clubs like Perugia and Pescara, Allegri has never lacked self-belief. —