Allegri enraged, wants Juventus points situation sorted out for once and for all

On a day when Juventus were interested in just about anything else but a game of football, they were thumped resoundingly by an Empoli side playing free of any pressure after securing Serie A survival a few weeks ago.

Hit by a ten-point penalty just weeks after having the original 15-point deduction appealed, the Bianconeri never really got going and we're punished again and again by the hosts who looked a lot more prepared for the game then Juve.

Speaking after the game, coach Maassimiliano Allegri was livid that the proclamation from the courts came minutes before kick-off.

“It’s too reductive to encompass the game and the whole season like this.

“We must not find alibis or excuses, as we are Juventus, we are accustomed to winning or at least fighting to win. There are now two more games to play, we’ve got to stick together and Milan are going to visit on Sunday.

“Naturally, it was a strange situation that the sentence came in 10 minutes before we went out there. We conceded at their first scoring opportunity, then conceded another. We had the chances to close the gap, but didn’t take them.

“That does not justify the mental collapse. Right now all we can do is stay quiet and accept the defeat. Before the game, we had earned 69 points and were second in the table, let that be clear.”

The court ruling and the defeat tonight means Juve are now in seventh place with 59 points, one behind AS Roma in sixth and five behind AC Milan in fourth with the Rossoneri visiting Turin on Sunday.

“Even after the 10-point penalty, with a win today we’d have had the chance to fight it out with Milan for Champions League qualification. Unfortunately, it didn’t go that way.

“I cannot reproach the lads, because I can assure you it was not an easy situation. The next few days won’t be easy either, because we went out of the Europa League, then had this news 10 minutes before kick-off, while for three months we’ve had points taken away and given back.

“It’s not justification, but this is without doubt an anomalous season for us, and despite it all the team earned 69 points.”

Is there a sense of underachievement this season?

“You go nowhere with ifs and buts. Tonight we could’ve put ourselves in a position to challenge Milan for a Champions League space. It feels like ever since January we’ve been playing these games. We’ve got Atalanta and Roma in front of us, we must try to get six points and remain effectively second in the table, which we are.

“I can assure you the team did the maximum it possibly could in the circumstances. This has been a surreal situation, the team if anything did better than expected.”

With the defeats on aggregate in the Europa League and Coppa Italia semi-finals, this is the second straight trophyless season for the Bianconeri.

“The psychological aspect is fundamental in football. Just 15 minutes before the game, we were second in the table and had 69 points. It’s a very different situation to being five points off fifth-placed Milan.

“You step onto the field and have to win yes again, because we have to catch up yet again, because every time we pop our heads up for air, they push us back down. After Thursday as well, it was natural the lads would be running on empty too.”

Allegri's future with Juventus continues to be questioned at every opportunity.

“We need to talk to the club and see where we are playing. I don’t know if they will even allow us to play in the Europa League, we’ll have to wait and see,” he said referencing the potential UEFA Financial Fair Play penalties.

“Obviously, if you are out of all competition, you have to make one plan. We cannot say that Juventus will immediately get back to winning next season, but the important thing is to all be aligned during difficulties.

“It would be cowardly for me to abandon Juventus at this moment. I am disappointed tonight because it was an opportunity, but I also cannot reproach the team for anything, because it has been a continual chasing down of situations.

“I want to point out one thing: Juventus are second in the table, we earned that on the field. We accept everything, but I really hope this just gets sorted out once and for all. It’s a steady drip, drip, drip, let them just decide where they want Juventus to be, tell us and resolve the problem.

“It is a lack of respect towards people who are working, players and coaches. I am not telling them what to decide, I just ask them to decide once and for all. It’s incredible. Just incredible. Enough is enough.”

Federico Chiesa scored his first Serie A goal for over a year and a half, but it was scant consolation for a game that was decided by a number of errors, like many games have gone for Juve this season.

“Juventus have always got back on our feet, we need to be clear-headed. Now we can only hope that we can begin the next season knowing what the situation is. I don’t know how we reached this point, because I might seem impervious to everything, but it has been just torture. I wish they’d have just told us two months ago what the penalty was and let us know if we were going to be stabbed or poisoned, because at least we’d know.”