For Massimiliano Allegri, tonight will not be an ordinary evening. Yesterday, in his press conference, he tried to hide his feelings by saying that “every time I sit on the bench it is an emotion for me,” but what he will feel tonight at the Allianz Stadium will be stronger than usual.
For the first time, he returns as an opponent to Juventus’ home, which was also his own from the summer of 2014 onward. Max stopped for three years, but the other eight were spent on the same bench, earning great satisfaction, especially in his first five years in Turin. In total, 420 games between Serie A and other competitions, with 271 wins, 75 draws, and 74 losses. These numbers brought five league titles, five Coppa Italia trophies, and two Italian Supercups, along with two lost Champions League finals against Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The end of the story was bittersweet. On May 15, 2024, after winning the Coppa Italia against Atalanta at the Olimpico, Allegri had a traumatic clash with director Giuntoli. Two days later came the dismissal. Yet Juventus supporters never disowned him. They did not always enjoy the team’s style or results, but they respected the way Max defended the club. That is why Turin remained “his” city. His son Giorgio and many friends live there, he still has an apartment in the same building as Locatelli, and he knows the restaurants and bars he went to for years. Just like the Stadium, where he will never be seen as an "enemy". At most, an “opponent.”
Yesterday afternoon, Allegri boarded the bus with the rest of the Milan squad and headed to Turin. For the team hotel, he did not pick one in the city center but rather a place on the outskirts, already used by Milan in the past, to reach the Stadium more easily and avoid traffic. Details? Perhaps, but the ex Juventus coach left nothing to chance for his return to his former home.
As an opponent at the Allianz Stadium, the last time was almost twelve years ago, on October 6, 2013, in Juve-Milan 3-2. His final game on the Juventus bench was May 12, 2024, Juventus-Salernitana 1-1. The goal scorer that day for Juve? Adrien Rabiot, the other major former figure involved in tonight’s match. That draw, confirmed only later with Roma’s defeat in Bergamo the same evening, was enough for Champions League qualification.
There is no risk of him sitting on the wrong bench tonight. "From this year Juventus has switched and now uses the right one, so I will return to the left side, where I was used to sitting in the past. Luckily I am not suspended, since lately I’ve served quite a few bans (three matches, two in the Coppa Italia and one in Serie A)," Allegri said with a smile yesterday in the press room, brushing away the word revenge, as pointed out by Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
"No revenge. When I went to Juve I thanked Milan for the four extraordinary years I had with the club and the fans. Now I thank Juventus for the eight seasons in black and white. In my career I have been fortunate to work with leaders such as Berlusconi, Galliani, Andrea Agnelli, Elkann, and Marotta. This week I lived normally because what counts is the match, not my return to Turin or anything else. I hope to achieve with Milan the same results I achieved with Juventus, but I do not look too far ahead. We must step on the pitch to earn points and reach this season’s goal, the return to the Champions League, not medium or long-term ones. In football the only thing that matters is winning matches, otherwise you have no future. That is why we must take another step forward in the table against a strong team fighting for the top four."
The emotions and the rest come second. "In March we want to still be in the race to play for our chances." Clear enough, right?
