Since taking over the Bianconeri in July of 2014 from the infamous Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allergri has maintained Juve's status as one of the premier football clubs in all of Europe and elevated the depth, talent, and performance of an extraordinary squad. Allegri has been able to guide Juventus to top performances not only in Italian league competition within Serie A, but also in European competition as well. Allegri's tactical genius, freedom for player expression and creativity, and versatility of lineups has helped keep the elite level title-winning machine that is Juventus rolling during his tenure. Now in 2019, Allegri finds himself on the hot seat, struggling with player fitness, high expectations, and superstar egos. While the skipper has maintained astronomical levels of success, the pressure may be too high to stay on board much longer.

During his time in Turin, Max Allegri has been able to achieve success few others have reached in the history of Italian soccer, including four straight domestic doubles that have seen Juventus take home Coppa Italia and Serie A titles. Juventus have also been able to reach two UEFA Champions League Finals in the past four years (2018/2019 withstanding) and have kept a firm grip on their spot as one of Europe's premier clubs. Employing a flexible and free style of management, a departure from Conte, and inserting possession centric tactics, Max has been able to keep Juve churning along at a very effective and high speed.

All of this however, comes at a price. Partially due to his style of management that allows for more player freedom and expression of creativity and also due to the magnitude and size of the club, through the 2018/2019 season Allegri has struggled to corral the club's superstars and their accompanying egos. This includes players such as Argentinian Paulo Dybala and newcomer number nine, Cristiano Ronaldo. The manager has also experienced troubles in maintaining squad fitness and health, as numerous players have battled with injuries and knocks including fullback Joao Cancelo and wingers Juan Cuadrado and Douglas Costa. This is not a direct consequence of Allegri's management, but more of a reflection of the staff that is employed behind him. Nonetheless, the skipper will be held to all things related to the club, even if for the most part, they are out of his control. On top of this, Allegri has to deal with the constant pressure, scrutiny, and expectation that come along with managing a club that is as big and influential as Juventus. From the board of directors down to the fans, people surrounding such a gigantic club are always expecting and wishing for the biggest of success. While Allegri has put in a solid five years now in Turin, his time may be coming to an end, for the good of club and manager alike.

If Juve decide to move on from their current elite level skipper, pundits and media speculate that they may look to former player and star manager Zinedine Zidane to replace, who is currently without a club and coming off a very successful tenure at Real Madrid from 2016-2018. Current Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, could also be a possible target for the Italian giants as he is regarded as one of the premier managers in Europe. It comes as no surprise that these two names are the most talked about, as whoever Juventus look to bring on will surely be a big and notable name. Whoever the new boss may be in Turin, they will sure have some sizeable expectations and shoes to fill in place of Allegri and what he has been able to accomplish in his time serving the Bianconeri.

As for Allegri himself, a move away from Juventus could mean a multitude of possibilities. Some speculate that the gaffer will take a year sabbatical, similar to Zidane, and collect a sizeable check from his former team, somewhere in the neighborhood of eight million US dollars. With his stature and reputation, he could also look to other European giants such as Manchester United, who are currently without a full time manager or Chelsea, currently mulling a move away from newly hired manager Maurizio Sarri. Whatever may be in the cards for Allegri in the coming months, it is sad to ponder the possibility of seeing him move on from the Bianconeri.

While Allegri has experienced a great deal of success during his time in Turin managing the Italian giants Juventus, the pressures of heading such a large club, squad fitness woes, and troubles with superstar egos have finally come to collect their debts. Look for Juventus to move on and go searching for a big name manager come this summer of 2019, as Allegri ponders a vacation year or a job hunt, possibly placing him in the English Premier League.

~ written and edited by Jack Kurtz