Soccer: Allegri era at Juventus ends

(ANSA) - Rome, May 17 - Juventus said Friday that Massimiliano Allegri will no longer be the coach of the Turin giants next season. Allegri is departing after winning five Serie A titles in as many seasons and leading Juve to 11 trophies in total. "Massimiliano Allegri will not be on the Juventus bench for the 2019/2020 season," the club said on their website, adding that the coach will speak to the media together with Chairman Andrea Agnelli on Saturday.
    Allegri took over in 2014 after the shock departure of Antonio Conte, who had won three titles on the trot before leaving for stints at the Italian national team and then Chelsea.
    The appointment was initially met by skepticism among Juve fans. Allegri had won the league his first season with his previous club, AC Milan, in 2010-11, but there was little success after that and he ended up getting sacked.
    But Allegri surpassed Conte, who had never mounted a strong challenge in Europe's premier club competition during his time in Turin.
    The 51-year-old Allegri, on the other hand, led them to the Champions League final in 2015 and 2017, as well as four consecutive Italian Cup wins between 2015 and 2018 and two Italian Super Cup victories.
    Perhaps the only sour note of his stint in Turin was that they did not go beyond the quarterfinals this season after signing Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the competition five times, from Real Madrid.
    "Maybe some people thought it could be won like a bar tournament in the summer," he said after his side were knocked out by Ajax.
    "When I arrived a Juve, playing Malmo caused fear". Allegri has been linked to wealthy French side Paris Saint Germain, while Juve now have to sign a new boss.
    Among the coaches named as possibilities are France coach Didier Deschamps, who led Juve to promotion from the second tier in 2007 after their Calciopoli match-fixing demotion, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri and Simone Inzaghi, who this week led Lazio to triumph in the Italian Cup.