"Right now I'm thinking about the present." Conte's reasoning for leaving his post just days into the pre season at Juventus, but the Italian media is in overdrive and suggests that Conte is just making himself available for the recently open Italian national team job following Cesare Prandelli's resignation after a disappointing world cup.
Other rumours suggest that Conte's mind was altered about staying on at Turin because of the changes he wanted to make in a attempt to mount a serious Champions League challenge, in his time only reaching the quarter finals as a personal best. He is reported to have been unhappy with Juventus' transfer business as it does not match the ambitious projects he wanted to take on with key players like Arturo Vidal expected to depart.
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| Antonio Conte has left his post as Juventus manager after three years and three Scudettos |
Conte was worshipped in Turin having delivered a hatrick of Serie A domestic titles in his 3 years in charge and since arriving from Siena has gone on to become one of the best managers in Europe. A manager of his ability will no doubt be without a job for long and will be considered as hot property. But what now? Could the 3 year period of domination in Italian be over for Juventus as key players could depart? Will we see a fire sale of stars like we did when the club were relegated all those years ago in the famous match fixing scandal?
It may not just be Vidal who could leave, with wonder kid Paul Pogba subject to keen interest from Europe's biggest clubs. Massimiliano Allegri arrives at the club with a task on his hand to try and keep hold of the of the clubs stars, but could fight a losing battle. Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta has come out fighting regarding Vidal's situation, saying: "Arturo Vidal is one of the most important players in the squad. He is not for sale."
It will be more than interesting to see how things change at Juventus with the controversial arrival of Allegri. Allegri was deemed a huge failure at AC Milan despite winning the league in his first season, but was in charge as the club spiralled from Italian giants to a mediocre team with the club unable to get European football following his sacking halfway through the season, something Clarence Seedorf could not even salvage. The debt that exists at Milan and Allegri's leadership have been underlined by fans as major reasons as to why the club has plunged into the crisis it suffered last year.
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| What will happen to this man under Allegri? |
The fast flowing passing game which utilises the attacking wing backs of Lichenstiener and Asomoah that Conte favoured will be scarped under Allegri. The new Juventus manager favours 4 at the back, whereas Conte would play three central defenders with two wing backs on either side of the three getting up and down the pitch in a more advanced position. How Pirlo is now deployed will also be under scrutiny as it was Allegri who foolishly let Pirlo leave Milan and join Juventus for nothing rather than offer him a new contract.
Pirlo has thrived at Juventus and has shown how stupid Allegri was to let him go by playing a key role in all the Scudetto's the Turin giants have won. Pirlo said on reflection: "The real motive for my transfer was something else; Allegri wanted to put in front of the defence Ambrosini or Van Bommel and I would have had to change role. So I said ‘no thanks’ and I chose Juve, which offered me greater motivation."
Conte's unexpected exit has initiated a time of change at Juventus: a change in tactics, a change in faces and most important of all, a change in management. But is change always good? Allegri will try his up most to prove so, but Juventus' Scudetto crown is the most vulnerable it ever has been...
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