Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has shrugged off speculation over his future, saying that he had become used to rumours that he was about to leave throughout his five years at the club.
The 51-year-old said he would meet club president Andrea Agnelli to discuss their next moves — just as he did at the end of every season.
The Turin side wrapped their eighth successive Serie A title — and the fifth under Allegri — two weeks ago, yet their quarter-final exit in the Champions League has left a question mark hanging over the coach.
“I am due to meet the president to plan the future in a lucid manner,” Allegri said, without saying when the meeting might take place. “My ideas about what I want to do in the future will be told to him. It’s the same thing every year, and yet here I am after five years.”
“We will discuss what went well and what didn’t go so well, where we can improve and where we want to get to.”
There have also been questions over whether Allegri still has the enthusiasm to continue at Juventus, given their domestic dominance.
“If I stay for a sixth season, it means I have the motivation,” he said. “Every year, Juve must be competitive and challenge for everything.”
Meanwhile, the race for Champions League places has provided a compelling end to an otherwise lacklustre Serie A season.
Atalanta currently occupy fourth spot with 59 points but only four points separate them from eighth-placed Lazio with Roma (58), Torino and AC Milan (both 56) sandwiched in between.
Second-placed Napoli (70) points have also qualified while Inter (62) look set to join them, although their cushion over Atalanta is now down to three points.
Claudio Ranieri’s Roma visit struggling Genoa tomorrow, looking to extend their unbeaten run to six games, while AC Milan host Bologna on Monday.
Atalanta have never played in the Champions League and face another key match tomorrow when they visit Lazio, who are still not out of the race despite several hiccups.
“It’s clear now though that if we win all our remaining matches the other teams can’t catch us,” said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini. “We remain confident as we are playing with a desire and a belief that we can do something special.”
