Allegri scolds Juventus players for letting their guard down

Juventus made a routine victory unnecessarily complicated after having to come from behind to snatch a late win at Chievo Verona.

After the game, manager Massimiliano Allegri was quite displeased with how his plaers had taken their foot off the pedal.

“We lowered our guard a little, even in our passing, because we thought the game was in hand and lowered the tempo too.

“You allow the press from the opposition, defend badly and ultimately are going to concede. It was a great victory that we needed, because we needed this reminder right from the start that every match in Serie A is difficult and nothing is to be taken for granted.

“The most important thing in the first few rounds is to take the points home.”

Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t score, but was very active with eight shots, four on goal.

“Ronaldo held out well physically, has only been training with us for seven days and did really well. It’s a pity he wasn’t able to score a goal.

“It depends on the characteristics of the players near him. Ronaldo had several shots on target today, Sorrentino made several saves, there were also some good movements that were not rewarded by the midfielders. Those are movements that must be read from the back with the ball provided in the right spot.

“I was most impressed that Ronaldo settled in to the team, he was very happy in the locker room and had his chances. The main problem tonight was we let the concentration levels drop and we simply cannot afford to do that.”

Allegri was also asked about a couple of players in his starting eleven.

“Sami Khedira is a player beyond reproach. He scored nine goals last season, immediately got one today. I heard a lot of criticism since he’s been at Juventus and he always replied on the pitch. He’s one of those players who understands the tempo of the game and you miss him when he’s not there.

“Joao Cancelo had a good first half, then after the penalty – which can happen – he let his head drop and almost seemed to feel guilty. These things can happen, the important thing is to react to them.

“When you have as much quality as we do, including Alex Sandro and Cancelo at full-back, you need to finish off the game earlier. We had the chances and dominated possession, but didn’t finish it.”

How did he feel about Juve’s attack?

“It’s a different approach to the attack and supply when Ronaldo is there compared to Mandzukic. I saw some positive things, others less positive. In the first half we got stretched out and there was no reason for it. We had to remain organised.

“We were caught napping on the equaliser and did better with Bernardeschi and Mandzukic coming on towards the end. We need to find balance, but the most important thing is not to fall asleep when we’re doing well.”