Max Allegri confesses he was aiming for a draw against Sassuolo and had no intention of ‘committing football suicide’ with a depleted Juventus. ‘We cannot try to do what we can’t do right now.’
The Bianconeri were decimated at the Mapei Stadium, with Juan Cuadrado and Matthijs de Ligt joining the growing absentee list.
It did not bode well when they went a goal down to Giacomo Raspadori’s strike, but a Paulo Dybala screamer and Moise Kean late on nutmegging Andrea Consigli turned it around.
This 2-1 away victory puts Juve within a point of third-placed Napoli and creates an eight-point buffer from Roma in fifth, so it will take something remarkable now to lose their Champions League spot.
Serie A | Sassuolo 1-2 Juventus: Dybala and Kean close on third place
“It was an important victory for the table. Sassuolo played very well, we clung in there, although we were a bit too sluggish in the first half and they were able to pierce through us easily,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
“We did better after the break and were missing a few players, there was fatigue after the Coppa Italia game midweek, so we can only thank the lads.
“It’s a good advantage over fifth place, we are a point off Napoli, so we have to keep working for the objective, which is fourth place.”
Sassuolo had 64% possession and 22 attempts to 10, seven to five on target, and Allegri practically confessed he had been aiming for a stalemate at the Mapei Stadium.
“With four rounds left in the season, you have to win the games. The rest does not count for anything. Above all, people need to understand the moment we are going through. We cannot try to do what we can’t do right now, we have to focus on doing what we can do.
“The team played the game it needed to play, knowing Sassuolo were fresh, have good technique. We also lost De Ligt and Cuadrado, the last substitute was Miretti, so we just had to get the points.”
What is it that Juve cannot not do right now, in Allegri’s opinion?
“Our two creative midfielders, Arthur and Locatelli, are out of action. We’ve been without McKennie for three months, without Chiesa for six months. It’s the same players all the time, I had to try to reshuffle the pack to try to put a team out with Danilo in midfield.
“I was trying to bring home a draw, because a draw would’ve been an important result here. There are moments when the team is in good form and when it’s not. I don’t like the idea of committing football suicide.
“We are tired, it was not easy to get a result here.”
Allegri famously complained the initial difficulties this term were due to losing Cristiano Ronaldo at the last moment, so how has the squad developed since then?
“The team has improved a great deal over the season. I was very angry tonight, as in the final minutes we should’ve controlled the ball better and taken the result home, but there were young lads who don’t have the experience and don’t understand it yet. We need them to learn quickly.
“We played many months without important players who do a lot of running, like Chiesa, McKennie, Arthur, while Danilo was out for three months too.
“We need to keep working, bringing in two or three players that we need, but we don’t need to scrap everything and start again.”
#Allegri si infuria, lascia il campo prima del 90′ e sbotta: ‘Stavamo rovinando tutto, non serve ripartire da zero ma…’ https://t.co/4GZc1U74FU pic.twitter.com/ihVeHWHiZe
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) April 25, 2022
Can’t believe that Juventus plays for the draw with a mid-table team. It’s a huge regress in mentality! Seriously Allegri’s return has been disastrous!
That is why PhD Max is paid the big bucks. The astute cave hibernating coach for 2 straight years is so insightful to understand that he had a decimated squad and was facing prime Barca, Bayern or Liverpool. Even Klopp, Pep and Tuchel would have packed 10 men behind the ball at all times and look for the one two, hoof up the field and see what happens.
Bizarre mentality.
It’s the same mentality that saw them get knocked out to Bayern Munish in 2016 when they were 2 – 0 up and he took of Morata who was having the game of his life and was destroying Bayern every time he got the ball.
Allegri took him off, Bayern took control, and it ended 2 – 4.
Not difficult to read the gameplan 😑😑
How can management look at so terrible performances week after week and believe it will all go away next season??
Pray that something happens – even if it means losing on the short term. Sorry to say. We are heading towards old style football while every other manager in Europe seems to go another way.
Somebody wake up Zakahria and let him know the game is over and he can stop running in circles .. sorry for the guy
He’s like : sorry! I didn’t mean to win! I will punish Kean for that rare goal! I didn’t expect him to score.
@ Ferban , I really still remember that horrible decision by Allegri to take out Morata and replace him with Mandzukic , That night Morata was something else he was putting Bayern defenders on their own toe but our PHD Allegri’s decision changed the look of the game , He is really clueless Manager
Imagine what you guys are like when he loses. Final score 2-1. Silence.
Juventus problably will win Serie a next year because is 38th round of playing football
Allegri will always try to keep it cool and calm. But with this mentality Juve will suffer in the champions league with Allegri. All of juve players are quality players so even when there many absent it dont matter much in serie A.
Moise Kean needs a good manager to blossom again. Allegri can’t improve players.
All hail PhD Max, Legend of The Ten Rings and his loyal disciples Cafu Danilo, and Cafu Sandro mixed in with apprentice MOrata lol.
He brings in Miretti very late , almost in stopage time so that we can not see what the youngste can do. And next season he can send him to Serie B to slow down his career
@bien you must be smoking crack. The season is always long and 38 rounds, yet Juve are nowhere near winning the league. Quality players, like who?
@Lord is absolutely on point and this team under this manager will never win anything. Juventus can only start to reach the heights of the past when they clean in house. That includes the directors and this manager.
It’s amazing how many thinks he’s good. Even a child can see that he’s garbage coach.
Poor Miretti…look how Kean moved for his goal ! Yet Allegri is Morata fans
@Musti
It was painful. I have nothing against Mandzukic, he’s a top pro, but you don’t take off your best player who is running the opposition ragged every time he gets the ball.
I was shocked that night when he took him off. And from then on, the advantage swung Bayern’s way, because the huge threat from Morata running at them all night was gone.
What an idiotic thing to say!!! I really hope he tells his players otherwise in the dressing room, and this is just something he tells the press to blindside them
Allegri is a fool
We need a new era without Agnelli, Nedved and Allegri. They simple depleted their resource. Football is not what it was 10 years ago. We need to look for a young and talented club manager and a coach.
Juve won and you guys lose your minds. Allegri is doing miracles with having inhereted a squad with zero good midfield players. Zero. Kean wasn’t good enough to play for Everton. He did OK at PSG which is a one team league where he was surrounded by greats.
Allegri will have a transfer market to put things right. Next season is all on him. I like how @Lord thinks I’m a fan of Allegri. I’m not but I’m not against him either. I just look at a realistic situation.
Against Bayern that time, Juve were punching way above their weight. In the first leg, Bayern were formidable and 2-0 was a lucky escape. Do any of you remember that Bayern team? We did well to get back into that game but Morata by extra time was dead on his feet. Mandzu was a revelation under Allegri, completely reinvented… Again, do any of you remember that or where you too busy playing PS3? Armchair experts.
Play for a draw against mid table opposition when you need the points to chase down 3rd! Madness. A mid table team that Juve wants 4 or 5 of their players says it all! Juve need progression not static football!
Agree with NOrata, Allegri should be the Serie A coach of 21-22
@NOrata
We seem to remember it better than you, given you thought 2 – 0 in the first leg was a lucky escape. The first leg didn’t finish 2 – 0. Then you say Morata by extra time was out on his feet? Morata never got to extra time.
Bayern were formidable? Really? That team was as weak at the back as I’ve seen from a Bayern side in the last decade, always likely to ship goals. That side conceded plenty of CL knockout goals during that 4 or 5 year spell.
They were there for the taking but, as always, Allegri got scared and went back into his shell, letting Bayern do what they did best – attack.
Morata was, as I said, taken off earlier than extra time as your “memory” suggested otherwise lol. And so what if he was tired? Weren’t they all? What about the midfielders who have to run more? Allegri taking Morata off after 70min was one of the worst decisions he could have made. It basically handed the initiative to Bayern, who were terrified by him that night.
PS3 and armchair? What does that even mean? You thought the first leg was 2 – 0 and Morata came off in extra time! I think you’re the one that needs to get off the PS3 before claiming no-one “remembered that” … when you can’t remember yourself.
NORATA
2 nil in first leg and Morata came off in extra time? then u accuse others of having no memory?
check your dodgy facts before commenting. Morata was brilliant that night and Max should’ve left him on. but he didn’t, and they got knocked out – again.
Allegri seems to revert to defensive mentality when he believes they can defend out a lead as they failed to do in that game against Bayern in 2016. When teams are there for the taking Juve should attack them no sit back and relax and then become complacent and get caught out as they have done so many times under allegri. Pirlo tried to play attacking football but the team were not right for it. They still arent due to injuries and old age….but they cannot defend out 1 or even 2 goal leads or even be content for draws against lower opposition. Allegri breaks the intensity of the team and stalls momentum allowing the opposition back in! But he he is paid 7m a year to manager and i am not!
Sorry, 2-0 down in the first leg and most pegged back. 2-2 was a narrow escape.
What I do remember correctly is Inter not getting further than Juve this season and last season not getting out of the groups despite being the league winners. They played beautiful attacking football though…right?
@NOrata
What has Inter got to do with this? You’re changing the subject to a strawman argument now.
It is okay MOrata is confused and I do not blame him. Watching PhD Max and the back, back, down, down has compromised his thought process. Bringing Inter into the equation is a smoke screen to cover for the obvious, that PhD Max has a loser’s mentality. I thought playing a game of football was about two teams trying to win. Somehow the Legend of The Ten Rings sets out to draw a game even against a mid table team. That means if he came across Liverpool or Bayern again, it would be a 11-0-0 formation with Dusan firmly in the backline trenches.
Max has won more than any inter coach ever. Full stop.
“Bring in two or three players”!!! Well… you are going to need four players just to replace those leaving for free (Dybala, Bernardeschi, Chiellini and probably Morata) … and you haven’t even touch the positions that need repair the most –> left back and midfield
Give it up @NOrata, we have heard all your nonsense before, but I do like the effort you put in. Keep digging your heels in and clinging onto the past. Now Inter are superior and we must thank you for treating Marotta like garbage.