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Allegri replaces Conte, says 'lucky' to work Pirlo at Juve

(ANSA.IT)    14:01, July 18, 2014
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(ANSA.IT)

Turin, July 16 - New Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri denied he had any problems with Andrea Pirlo and said he looked forward to working with the playmaker after being appointed Antonio Conte's successor on Wednesday. The Turin giants hired former AC Milan boss Allegri following Conte's shock announcement Tuesday that he was leaving the club after leading them to three consecutive Serie A titles.

But Allegri's arrival has been met with scepticism from many Juve fans, in part because Allegri famously let Pirlo leave Milan as a free agent in 2011, allowing Juve to pick up the main creative thrust of the three consecutive title wins. "I have an excellent relationship with Andrea Pirlo," Allegri told a press conference.

"I never had any problems with him and I never doubted his qualities, because I would have been mad to. "I'm lucky to be reunited with him". Allegri took over Milan in 2010 and led them to the Serie A title in his first season in charge.

But he struggled to keep Milan competitive after they sold a number of top players and reduced transfer spending. He was sacked in January after a poor start last term.

Allegri said he was undeterred by the fans' lack of enthusiasm for him and promised not to revolutionise the team.

"I know about the fans' scepticism and I understand it, given the quick change," he said.

"But I'm here to continue and improve the winning streak...

"It's not my intention to shake up a system of play that works. I'll introduce some modifications to help the team continue to do great things". Allegri added that it is Juve's duty to have a "great" campaign in European competition - the one area where Conte failed to deliver - and be among "Europe's top eight sides" in the Champions League. General Manager Beppe Marotta, meanwhile, stressed that Juve have tried "up to the last" to convince Conte to stay.

Marotta also denied speculation Juve's Chilean midfielder would be moving, amid reports he could be lured away to Manchester United in the closed season.

"Vidal is the future of Juventus and he's never been put on the market," said Marotta.

"We're keeping a tight hold on him".

(Editor:Kong Defang、Huang Jin)

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