How Juventus has transformed under Max Allegri

The Italian club are aiming for their second Champions League final in three seasons, and could even do better than their 2015 final defeat to Barca.

Massimiliano "Max" Allegri, 49, has been the target of some of Europe's top clubs in recent times. His talent is defined by the two main things he has done for Juventus over the past three seasons: successfully overhauling the squad, and making a mark in the Champions League.

The 2015 Champions League final, where Juventus lost to Barca, was by no means the breaking point for the team under Allegri's leadership.

The Juventus squad that finished runners-up in Europe two years ago may have been torn to pieces, due to transfers and the age of some players. But Allegri has rebuilt a European-class squad that is an improvement on the impressive 2014-15 campaign.

Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon and defender Leonardo Bonucci were the only remaining members of the squad that lost 3-1 to Barca in the Champions League final in Berlin in the summer of 2015. Giorgio Chiellini has also continued to assert his important role in the current squad of the "Old Lady", after missing the final in Germany two years ago due to injury. Besides those three old faces, the current first-team squad of the Turin club has been strongly reformed in just two seasons.

Juventus in 2015 was also a brilliant team when they steadily advanced to the Champions League final, but eventually fell when they encountered Barca with the trio of Messi, Neymar, Suarez.

In the summer transfer window following that year's Champions League final defeat, star midfielder Arturo Vidal moved to Bayern Munich, veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo joined New York City, while striker Carlos Tevez returned to his hometown club Boca Juniors.

Last summer, Real Madrid activated their buy-back clause to bring Alvaro Morata back to the Bernabeu, while midfielder Paul Pogba returned to Old Trafford for a world-record transfer fee of $130 million. Centre-back Patrice Evra returned to Marseille at the age of 35, leaving on a free transfer in January 2017.

Compared to the time of the 2015 final, Juventus' current starting lineup has only five players.

Several other players over 30, such as Claudio Marchisio (31), Stephan Lichtsteiner (33) and Andrea Barzagli (35), remain at Juventus, but they are increasingly being used less and less. Such a big shake-up is often difficult for coaches. But Allegri has responded positively and has helped the team play better and better. This is an important point to identify a talented coach, when compared to his peers.

Alex Ferguson's reputation has also been built on his ability to successfully rebuild his squad on multiple occasions. Most experts believe that the legendary Man Utd manager has built four or five different great teams in his 27 years at Old Trafford.

Coach Allegri has also successfully assembled two squads in the past three seasons, after succeeding Antonio Conte in the summer of 2014. And since then, Juventus have won two scudettos, finished runners-up in the 2015 Champions League, and are likely to add another scudetto this season.

The Italian championships of this period may not be enough to confirm the talent of a coach leading a club with a rich tradition like Juventus. But reaching the final and semi-finals of the Champions League in just the last three years is the most prestigious certificate for the professional quality of the 49-year-old coach Allegri.

Juventus' convincing win over Barca in this year's quarter-finals was a testament to the progress both the players and the coaching staff have made. The 3-0 home win in the first leg and the 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp in the second leg told us that Allegri's side have a great balance between attack and defence, a style of play that could cause major problems for any remaining opponents in Europe's premier competition this season.

Allegri, with his skillful improvisation and combination, has rebuilt a new squad for Juventus, promising to be even stronger than the squad that reached the Champions League final two years ago.

Real Madrid are currently considered by most experts and bookmakers to be the number one candidate for the Champions League title on June 3, despite the fact that no club has ever defended the title. However, Zidane's "Galaxy" was recently defeated by Barca with a 3-2 result at the Bernabeu. The El Clasico match of La Liga on April 23 indirectly raised the level of Juventus' performance when it eliminated Barca. It shows that if not Juventus, there are few teams today that are capable of keeping the trio of Messi - Suarez - Neymar silent for 180 minutes of fighting with Barca.

Allegri has also been shrewd in his recruitment, and if Juventus are crowned European champions this summer, they could be seen as a Leicester side who won the Premier League last season, but at a higher level.

Notable players involved in Juve's recent squad overhaul include Dani Alves, Juan Cuadrado, Gonzalo Higuain, Sami Khedira, and Mario Mandzukic, all of whom have been deemed surplus to requirements by Europe's top clubs at some point in their careers.

These players also share a desire to prove those who doubted or underestimated them wrong. They are determined to assert their worth at Juve. This is the invisible force that also contributed to bringing the Premier League to the unlikely champion Leicester last season.

Meanwhile, Miralem Pjanic, Paulo Dybala and Alex Sandro were signed by Juve for a combined fee of $25 million less than the world record fee Man Utd paid for Pogba alone. All three of these talents have many more years of top-level football to play. Allegri’s skill lies in the fact that he has quickly brought these players together into a cohesive unit, creating a system that simultaneously provides a safe defence and a powerful attack.

Allegri's clever recruitment strategy helped him recruit experienced stars at low prices such as Dani Alves, Willian, Khedira and some bright young faces such as Dybala, Sandro, Pjanic.

Taking over at Juventus in the summer of 2014, Allegri has maintained the 3-4-3 formation that brought the club three consecutive scudetti under his predecessor Antonio Conte. But staying true to the system that has brought such consistent success to a team does not mean living in the shadow of its former glory. Conte was just one of many coaches to use the 3-4-3, not its creator. And Allegri is another who has had success with it. He has changed Juve a lot, but he has not been wrong to retain its strengths and suit the club.

Juventus won Serie A by 17 points in Allegri's first season, the same margin as Conte's final campaign. After a slow start to last season, Juventus eventually cruised to the title with 91 points (four more than they had the previous season) and nine points ahead of runners-up Napoli. A third successive Serie A title for Allegri, to equal the tally of his predecessor Conte, looks set to be confirmed soon. Juventus are already eight points clear of second-placed Roma with six games remaining.

But it is his consistent performance in the Champions League that has seen Allgeri emerge as one of the most coveted managers in Europe in recent times. He led Juventus to their first Champions League final since 2003 in his first season at the club, and last season they were only knocked out after extra time in the round of 16 against Bayern Munich.

This season, Juventus have progressed quite comfortably in the Champions League, facing no real danger in any match, and even dominating some matches. In ten matches, Juventus have only conceded twice (both from set pieces). Goalkeeper Buffon has kept a clean sheet in the last 531 minutes in the European arena. Meanwhile, they have scored 17 goals against their opponents.

Juventus are unbeaten in their last 48 games at their magnificent new home ground, winning 42 of them. With the experienced Falcao and the ever-explosive Mbappe, will Monaco, Allgeri's opponents in the semi-finals, face a tough task if they want to break through Juventus' new fortress?

Allegri's talent and the mark he has made at Juve have attracted special interest from Barca. The Catalan club are said to be able to lure the 49-year-old Italian coach to the Nou Camp next summer when they bid farewell to Enrique.

If early next June, Allegri helps Juventus win the European Cup for the first time since 1996 and the third time in the club's history, that achievement will raise his formidable position even higher.

According to VNE