'It's a lack of respect' - Massimiliano Allegri slams timing of 10-point Serie A penalty after Juventus lose 4-1 at Empoli - and pledges to stay on as manager

• Bianconeri drop down Serie A standings
• Out of Champions League places
• Coach plans to remain at the helm

WHAT HAPPENED? The Bianconeri appear destined to finish outside of the top four in Serie A, missing out on Champions League qualification in the process, after being stung with sanctions relating to supposed “financial irregularities”. Juve, who previously appealed against a 15-point deduction, were made aware of their fate shortly before taking to the field against Empoli on Monday – a game they would go on to lose 4-1 – with Allegri hitting out at the handling of an unfortunate affair in Turin.

WHAT THEY SAID: Allegri told DAZN when asked about the punishment and whether it could impact his future at the Allianz Stadium: “We need to talk to the club and see where we are playing. I don’t know if they will even allow us to play in the Europa League, we’ll have to wait and see. Obviously, if you are out of all competition, you have to make one plan. We cannot say that Juventus will immediately get back to winning next season, but the important thing is to all be aligned during difficulties.

“It would be cowardly for me to abandon Juventus at this moment. I am disappointed tonight because it was an opportunity, but I also cannot reproach the team for anything, because it has been a continual chasing down of situations. I want to point out one thing: Juventus are second in the table, we earned that on the field. We accept everything, but I really hope this just gets sorted out once and for all. It’s a steady drip, drip, drip, let them just decide where they want Juventus to be, tell us and resolve the problem. It is a lack of respect towards people who are working, players and coaches. I am not telling them what to decide, I just ask them to decide once and for all. It’s incredible. Just incredible. Enough is enough.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Juve now sit seventh in Serie A, outside of the European qualification spots, but Allegri intends to help the club get back on its feet and deliver a positive response to those that have been desperate to kick them down. He added: “Juventus have always got back on our feet, we need to be clear-headed. Now we can only hope that we can begin the next season knowing what the situation is. I don’t know how we reached this point, because I might seem impervious to everything, but it has been just torture. I wish they’d have just told us two months ago what the penalty was and let us know if we were going to be stabbed or poisoned, because at least we’d know.”

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WHAT NEXT? Juventus have two games left to take in this season, against AC Milan and Udinese, and will likely have to revise their plans for the summer transfer window as they face up to the prospect of having no continental football on the agenda for 2023-24.