Lippi backs Allegri for Juve stay

Former Juventus head coach Marcello Lippi has backed Massimiliano Allegri to remain in charge of the Serie A champions, despite speculation regarding his future.

Allegri has clashed with a number of his own players in recent weeks, while he has also been linked to the Arsenal manager's job as Arsene Wenger's potential successor. 

But Lippi, who has twice managed Juve, expects Allegri to stay in Italy and does not believe the former AC Milan boss is suffering from the same "burnout" he experienced at Guangzhou Evergrande.

"Will [Allegri] be burnt out like I was in China?" Lippi said to Gazzetta dello Sport. "No, my problem was how far away I was from home - 10,000 kilometres. Three years don't necessarily lead to burnout.

"If Max had the perception that he wasn't welcome then he wouldn't say, but I think that's the furthest thing from his and Juve's thoughts at the moment.

"For now, they're just thinking about [winning a] sixth Scudetto, which would make them legends, and [winning] the Champions League, which is feasible."

And Lippi insists that Allegri's confrontations with Leonardo Bonucci, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Paulo Dybala are not cause for concern.

"These things aren't problems," he added. "[They are] just a strong signal of personality from players who want to be protagonists.

"Not to mention that, historically, at Juventus, certain attitudes are poorly tolerated by the club and the veterans.

"Moments of tension are inevitable, but the players respect their coach and apologised, which shows they know they made a mistake."

Juventus are currently seven points clear of Roma at the top of Serie A, while they face Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1