Juventus' Massimiliano Allegri with Much to Prove After Atletico Madrid Defeat

It is now October, but his presence on the bench remains almost as jarring as the neon-green kit his team sported last night. Massimiliano Allegri was appointed coach of Juventus on July 16, yet it still seems strange to see him in charge of the Turin giants almost four months later.

Part of that juxtaposition is his recent history with Milan, while the remainder is certainly due to the name of his predecessor. Antonio Conte was as synonymous with Juve as the famous black-and-white stripes they traditionally sport, and lead them to unprecedented success over the last three seasons. 

In ending each of those campaigns by winning the Serie A title, Conte's three consecutive crowns was a feat even Giovanni Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi never managed. In taking over from the former club captain, Allegri was clearly attempting an unenviable task, stepping in for a man so beloved by fans of La Madama.

His first five games went better than even her most ardent supporters could have hoped. Five wins, five clean sheets, and 12 goals scored, strikes which even included the end of Carlos Tevez's widely discussed Champions League drought.

Yet as the referee blew the full-time whistle at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday evening, it felt as if Allegri's real test had just begun. The previous 90 minutes had seen the team labour to a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, a drab match playing out before an underwhelmed audience.

He will not be the last coach to see his side undone by Diego Simeone's Spanish champions, particularly in their own stadium. Last year's losing finalists are consistently able to impose their will on games and are never intimidated, either domestically or on the continent as their incredible 2013-14 campaign conclusively proved.

If there is no shame in conceding such a narrow defeat to Atletico, what matters now is how Allegri lifts his team, a situation he has yet to face since landing in Turin. The coach will know the importance of an instant return to winning, particularly for a team that has so rarely tasted defeat.

That need to rebound immediately is even more pronounced this week, joint-leaders Roma visiting Juventus Stadium on Sunday in a tie which could ultimately decide the destination of the Scudetto. The Bianconeri will need a positive result, for a number of reasons, each as vital as the next to their quest for even greater glory this term.

Three points against the Giallorossi would not only give them a serious advantage in the title race, but it would serve notice that they remain the team to beat on the peninsula. Given that both Juve and Roma seem to routinely beat Serie A’s other sides, it would also allow them some breathing room as they prepare for their next Champions League outing.

More than both those factors however, is what a win there would mean for Allegri as he continues trying to win over a fanbase still hugely skeptical about his appointment. The coach himself identified Europe as the one place where he could improve upon Conte’s remarkable record, a matter discussed in detail here.

The ease with which they overcame Malmo in their first Group A fixture gave credence to those hopes, particularly as they had previously struggled against fellow Scandinavian sides Nordsjaelland and FC Copenhagen. Yet now, having lost in their first real test, the pressure on Allegri to deliver in Europe will be greater than ever and he will come under even greater scrutiny.

He is perhaps fortunate the toughest task of this pool is now behind him, and can prepare for back-to-back fixtures against Olympiakos knowing two wins would almost guarantee passage to the knockout stage. The Serie A schedule has also been kind, with four of their next six matches coming against the lowest-placed sides in the league; Empoli, Palermo, Sassuolo and Parma.

With the squad boasting more depth than in previous years, the coach should comfortably be able to rotate and rest players during that spell and still achieve the required results. Massimiliano Allegri clearly knows what is expected of him, but the time to prove he belongs at Juventus has now arrived.