I remember July 15th 2014 like it was yesterday. Out of the blue reports emerged that Antonio Conte had resigned as Juventus’ manager just two days into the bianconeri’s summer retreat (and if you want to be cynical the day after the season ticket campaign closed)- a fact that was confirmed later in the day with official announcements in multiple languages.
 

While there had been grumbling's that Conte could leave because he was burned out and had disagreements over transfers with the board, his departure was still shocking especially since it was so hard to find an adequate replacement with the club season set to begin. The first names to emerge were Capello, Mancini and president Agnelli’s choice Sinisa Mihajlovic but by the end the day Max Allegri was all but officially named Conte’s replacement.


 

The reaction by Juventus fans was similar to the one we saw after the “Red Wedding” episode of Game of Thrones- shock and dread. Just six months before Allegri had been sacked as Milan’s manager after a very turbulent stretch marked by countless muscular injuries, puzzling lineups and mediocre results. When Allegri showed up to meet his new team with the first time along with director Beppe Marotta, his car was the target of numerous insults and objects being thrown by his new fans.
 

Fast forward to 2017 and for many the above paragraphs sound absurd. Allegri has continued to win scudetti at Juventus, and rightfully ensured the club would also focus on succeeding in Europe- something Conte essentially gave up on because he felt Juventus lacked the budget to compete with the financial giants. Allegri brought Juventus to the Champions League final in his first season, and is now viewed by many Arsenal fans as the ideal replacement for Arsene Wenger.
 

I was certainly very sceptical when Allegri first arrived at Juventus, he appeared to be a massive downgrade from Conte. My perception however radically changed a few months later. In the fall of 2014 I received a direct message from former Juventus executive director Luciano Moggi asking me to come meet with him in Milano next time I was in Italy. At first I thought it was a joke, but I then decided to take a chance and go- I could not pass up the opportunity to discuss Maradona, Ibrahimovic and Del Piero’s careers with a man who worked with them up close.


 

While Moggi has had no official affiliation with Juventus since the Calciopoli scandal, he’s still a huge defender of the club and an icon for many of its supporters  (he certainly has a complicated legacy with everyone else). But there is no denying the man knows his football, and since he had been a big defender of the decision to hire Max Allegri I was very interested in getting his two cents.
 

I met Moggi at the headquarters of a local newspaper in Milano where he was giving an interview. He was exactly as I wanted him to be- hilarious, cocky and with still a ton of charisma despite his age. While we did chat quite a bit about his time at Napoli with Maradona, his relationship with Raiola/Ibrahimovic as well as his up and down relationship with Del Piero what he told me about Allegri struck me the most.
 

Moggi was convinced that Allegri was as good with tactics as anyone in Serie A and that his struggles at Milan should be blamed on the club’s management rather than the way he was coaching the team. Milan has now changed managers four times since Allegri was sacked, and the club is in about the same state; Allegri on the other hand has continued to win at Juventus despite Vidal, Tevez and Pogba’s departures.While many still claim Allegri owes a lot of his success to what Conte left him, it’s also important to remember how much Rafa Benitez struggled at Inter with the treble winning squad Mourinho left him or the David Moyes disaster at Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
 

While Allegri has very often used Conte’s 3 5 2 formation to play to his squad’s strengths , he has shown versatility by using a more classic 4 man defence during the Champions League run in 2014/15 season. After a string of disappointing results, Allegri has recently switched to a 4 2 3 1 formation that allows him to use Mandzukic, Dybala, Higuain and Cuadrado at the same time- this change has given a jolt to the team and may prove to be effective in Europe.
 

While Antonio Conte was always mainly focused on veterans at Juventus, Max Allegri has developed many younger players with a patient and systematic approach. Morata, Dybala, Rugani and Alex Sandro were all eased in slowly into the start starting lineup and this approach has really paid off although it may have cost some points in the short term. Allegri can now brand himself as a tactically astute manager who will develop assets for his club. 


 

So what will the future hold for Max Allegri? He has just one season left on his contract at Juventus- and a handful of top clubs will likely be looking for a manager next summer. Allegri is in a great position to capitalise since he’s certainly radically changed the way he’s perceived-  he went from having objects thrown at his car on his first day as Juve manager, to becoming someone most Juventini are terrified of losing next summer. Allegri’s brand is also receiving a massive boost from Ranieri and Conte’s recent success in the Premier League- being a successful Italian manager certainly has its perks these days.


David Amoyal is the manager of the English page on Gianluca Di Marzio's website where he also writes weekly articles. David covers transfer news for ESPN, and has appeared on numerous radio shows on Sirius XM in the US as well as TalkSport in the UK. David is the former editor in chief of Vavel USA and his articles have been featured in many sites around the world. You can follow him on Twitter @DavidAmoyal