Allegri: It’s a challenge for everyone to improve on a daily basis

Juventus play Cagliari on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League clash against Ajax Amsterdam next week. Speaking ahead of the Serie A clash, manager Massimiliano Allegri sounded optimistic that he might get Cristiano Ronaldo back.

“We hope to have Cristiano Ronaldo back for Ajax. Juan Cuadrado is catching up he’ll be with us in 7-10 days. Leonardo Spinazzola had a knee problem but won’t need surgery.

“I believe that if everything goes well, he’ll be out for two weeks. Mattia Perin took a blow to the shoulder and we hope to have him back for Ajax.

“Douglas Costa is fine and he’ll be there against Ajax. Khedira was with the team yesterday and could return against Milan.

“Mario Mandzukic has a fever, we’ll see if we can take him to Cagliari. We also have to assess Paulo Dybala today.”

On the opponents and how he plans to line up.

“It’ll be a difficult game against a team who transform themselves at home. Cagliari will try to do the business. It’ll be a stimulating game.

“I have yet to decide whether to play three or four at the back. Joao Cancelo could play as a winger.

“We have so many good players like Mattia De Sciglio, Martin Caceres and Leonardo Bonucci. The midfielders are also doing well.”

Moise Kean has been sparkling in recent weeks, but went off on a long spiel about how a youngster like him needs to be sheltered from expectation.

“He’s fine and he scored in our last game. He’s enthusiastic, he’s a 19-year-old boy who has great quality and is scoring right now.

“It isn’t complicated but just that it requires the management of a 19-year old with special abilities.

“In a long career, there will be times when things don’t go as well & during such times, a player must be calm. On the outside, things seem normal to you. You see a 19 year old boy who is scoring goals for his National Team and for Juventus.

“But the reality is different. It is normal for people to make players lose a grip of reality when they’re going through a great period of form. The reality is simple. Kean has to come everyday for training and improve on the pitch everyday.

“That’s the simple reality because I’ve seen Giorgio Chiellini try a shot with his right foot from 40 metres.

“Once you set out to improve your weaknesses, you improve as a player on the whole because if one is satisfied after 1 good season, they get lost.

“How many players in football have lost a grip of reality? A billion otherwise everyone would become a Cristiano Ronaldo or a Messi. It’s a challenge for everyone to improve on a daily basis. The head makes the difference, always.

“You (journalists/media) put a lot of fun in a player’s head and may be rightly so but sacrifice and work must not be forgotten. I hope Kean has the intelligence to understand those things and the people who manage him must help him understand it.

“I always say: help like GOD helps you. If Kean understands these things, he can become an important player. At the moment, he has improved. We forget about talents that later disappeared. It takes calmness to understand these things.”

“Then I understand you (journalists/media) do your job and you have to write but we also need someone to bring a player back to reality otherwise you’re ready to fire shots at him.

“It can happen that your form drops, just like it happened to Bernardeschi at the start of the season.

“The team are doing well. We play every three days right now. Therefore, being able to rest is crucial.

“Emre Can is an example of enthusiasm and desire. After the problem he had at the beginning of the season, he’s improved a lot and he can also play in defence.”