Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has admitted that he was surprised to see Antonio Conte leave the club earlier this summer.
Conte had led Juve to three successive Serie A titles before stepping down from his role as coach in July.
Despite Conte's departure, Chiellini is confident that new manager Massimiliano Allegri has the relevant experience to guide the team to more glory.
"I really did not expect Conte to leave. I was on vacation and there were rumours in the morning, but then it happened in the evening," he is quoted as saying by football-italia.net.
"The fans are struggling to see it clearly and were shaken, but they must understand Allegri is a very experienced coach.
"We reinforced with good players and the unconditional support of the fans is important. This is still a winning team and Allegri's arrival can even make us more unpredictable."
Juventus begin their pre-season tour of Asia on Wednesday when they face Indonesia in Jakarta.
Jack Prescott
