Agnelli sticking with coach Allegri at struggling Juventus

ROME: All but eliminated from the Champions League. Struggling with only three wins in nine Serie A matches. Beset by injuries to three star players.

Not much more could go wrong for Juventus entering Saturday’s derby against Torino. The biggest problem for the record 36-time Italian champion, though, seems to be their reliance on an antiquated style of play under their defensive-oriented coach, Massimiliano Allegri. Yet after a humiliating 2-0 Champions League loss at Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said the club are sticking with Allegri.

“In a situation like this, it’s not about one person,” Agnelli said. “It’s a matter to be dealt with by a whole group. We feel ashamed, we apologize to our fans, because we know they must feel ashamed to walk around right now.

“Allegri is the coach of Juventus and he will remain the coach of Juventus.” Allegri is in his second stint at Juventus after leading the club to five straight Serie A titles from 2015-19. Last season in his first year back, Allegri barely qualified Juventus for the Champions League with a fourth-place finish. What was more telling, however, were the number of goals scored last term (57) — significantly fewer than champion AC Milan (69), second-placed Inter Milan (84), third-placed Napoli (74) and even fifth-placed Lazio (77).

The trend has continued this season, with Juve’s 12 goals the joint-least among the top eight clubs along with José Mourinho’s Roma. With Federico Chiesa, Paul Pogba and, again, Ángel Di María injured, Juventus has struggled to set up Dušan Vlahović at center forward. Juventus were also held scoreless in a 2-0 defeat at AC Milan last weekend, leaving the Bianconeri in eighth place.