#W8NDERFUL - A TRIUMPHANT DIRECTOR

Five straight Scudetto titles seem almost unthinkable. But that’s the task of a great director: to break boundaries and create the unthinkable. It’s about inventing something new, time after time, something we’ve never seen before.

Do you remember, at the start of this show-stopping run, when people said our cycle had come to an end after three consecutive league titles? Allegri swept away all doubt and scepticism with a dominant campaign: a 17-point gap on second place as well as the league’s best attack and defence.

A second league title seemed almost impossible, when Juventus found themselves in the bottom half of the table after ten matches. However, a complete turnaround came in the form of 25 wins from the next 26 games, including 15 consecutive wins, and the Bianconeri were confirmed as league champions with four games to spare.

Normal service was resumed in the coach’s third season. By the fifth match of the campaign, Juve were leading the pack, a pack that failed in their best efforts to overhaul Allegri’s men. Part of the team’s success was the coach’s decision – a real coup de théâtre – to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, which squeezed the most talent possible into the starting eleven. It was an approach nobody saw coming but was as successful as it was brave.

The magic did not stop there. The 2017/18 league campaign saw Juventus and Napoli go toe-to-toe until the final stretch of the season. Allegri, a man who in his own words enjoys it when things get difficult, called Juventus’ triumph “the Scudetto of pride”. Key to this was the memorable 3-2 win over Inter at the San Siro, which saw a likely defeat turned into a crucial win in just a matter of minutes.

And then for a* fifth title win. Juventus were straight out of the blocks and the gap between the leaders and challengers has only grown larger. The win makes Allegri the first Italian top-flight coach to win five league titles on the bounce, overtaking the four in a row achieved by Carlo Carcano* with Juventus in the 1930s. The coach has made the journey all the more enjoyable with his press conferences but, like any good director, he allows the players to take centre stage –* “they are the true stars”, as he loves to say in times of celebration – while showcasing his characteristic blend of wit and Juventus style.*