How Allegri turned Juventus' fortunes around

Juventus have joined Milan in second place after a poor start to the season. The Bianconeri collected 13 points in the opening nine Serie A games and faced Champions League elimination in the group stage in November.

Fans had been asking for Massimiliano Allegri's sacking, but President Andrea Agnelli confirmed his trust in the Italian tactician who seems to have turned the situation around.

Juventus have now won eight games in a row, including those against Inter and Lazio and Allegri was named Serie A coach for November. Here is a look at the possible reasons for the dramatic turnaround in Old Lady's fortunes.

Motivator

Allegri has motivated the most experienced players and youths, such as Nicolò Faioli and Fabio Miretti, who are getting regular playing time. Danilo, the scorer of the winner against Udinese on Saturday, is mentioned as one of the players who helped Allegri create a positive atmosphere in the dressing room.

Attitude

The Italian tactician has managed to 'isolate' the team from off-the-field issues. The entire board of directors, including President Agnelli, resigned on November 28, but the team has remained focused on the pitch and didn't seem affected by the chaos surrounding the club, potentially subject to a sporting trial, in the first two games of the year.

Tactical turnaround

The Bianconeri boss has dropped a four-man defence, favouring a 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1 system, which is far from spectacular but proving extremely solid. Allegri had planned to use a 4-3-3 formation, but the many injuries to key players, including Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba, have convinced him to change his approach.

Solidity

As a result, Juventus have won eight games in a row without conceding: 756 minutes which become 822 considering stoppage time. This despite dealing with many injuries in defence, including Leonardo Bonucci who did not feature in four of the last five Serie A games.

Substitutions

Allegri has made wise choices during games, doing the right substitutions at the right time. No team has won more games than Juventus in second halves this season, 38, one more than Napoli.