Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said yesterday he was ‘amused’ by calls for his sacking from some fans after a dismal start to the season. “I’m happy that we’re talking about the dismissal of Allegri again, I had missed it a lot. I missed it because it amuses me,” Allegri told a press conference on the eve of today’s Serie A game at Monza. “Everyone makes mistakes, me first, I certainly make more than the others, but right now we need clarity,” he added.
Weighed down by injuries, Juventus are eighth in Serie A and have lost their first two matches in the Champions League. “It is normal that we judge my work and that of the staff in the light of results, but I am confident and calm,” said Allegri, who led Juve to five Serie A titles between 2015 and 2019, and two runners-up finishes in the Champions League.
The 55-year-old is in his second spell as Juventus coach, having been sacked in 2019 after the team’s early Champions League exit. The former AC Milan manager returned to the Turin giants in 2021 after Juve spent two seasons under the helm of first Maurizio Sarri and then Andrea Pirlo. Promoted Monza are bottom of Serie A with one point from six games, and have just sacked their coach Giovanni Stroppa.

AC Milan spirit and quality make the difference, says Pioli
Champions AC Milan’s spirit and quality will ensure they do not miss key forward Rafael Leao too much in the home Serie A match against league leaders Napoli, manager Stefano Pioli said yesterday. Leao, who has scored three goals and made three assists in six Serie A appearances this season, will sit out the game today after being handed a one-match ban.
The Portuguese international was sent off during Milan’s 2-1 win at Sampdoria last Sunday following a second yellow card for a scissor-kick which connected with the head of rival defender Alex Ferrari. “Leao? It does not matter who will be absent tomorrow, but spirit and quality,” Pioli told reporters. “We are ready and prepared to send to the pitch the best possible formation.”
The match represents a golden opportunity for Milan to knock Napoli off the top the table as they sit third in the standings, level on points with the leaders. “It is a Scudetto clash, because the campaign will be so balanced that having three points or not will make the difference,” Pioli added. “We’re two similar teams, who manoeuvre, go in depth, try not to be passive in the defensive phase... we will see tomorrow who will do better and who will do worse.”
He praised Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti for giving all his teams a clear identity. “He is very capable, very good. He is a top coach when it comes to improving players,” Pioli said.
Pioli also said the support of the fans at San Siro will lift Milan who are unbeaten at home this season. “The enthusiasm of the supporters is at the highest level and we get a lot of energy from them, which is what we need to play our soccer,” he said.

Motta off to a losing start as Bologna coach
Former Italian international Thiago Motta’s reign as Bologna coach started with a disappointing 1-0 home defeat in Serie A against Empoli yesterday. Motta, 40, took over from Sinisa Mihajlovic this week with the club struggling with just one win from seven games this campaign.
Filippo Bandinelli broke the deadlock with quarter of an hour to go in Bologna following a fumble from home goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski. Marko Arnautovic was denied the equaliser by the post minutes later with Joshua Zirkzee hitting the crossbar late.
Bologna fell to their third defeat in seven matches, as they slide towards the relegation zone. Empoli claimed their first win of the campaign to move up to 11th.