Max Allegri admits Juventus were ‘asleep’ at the start of the Coppa Italia semi-final with Inter, but insists they ‘played well for 60 minutes’ and defends his use of Federico Chiesa as a False 9.
The Bianconeri saw their first leg lead wiped out in stoppages by a Romelu Lukaku penalty, so with no away goals rule, it was all to play for at San Siro.
However, after Federico Dimarco’s early goal on the Nicolò Barella through ball, Juve barely ever tested Andre Onana, while Mattia Perin made the toughest save on Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean were injured, but using Chiesa as a False 9 proved to be a flop and Arkadiusz Milik off the bench didn’t improve things that much, the Old Lady bowing out with a whimper.
“The sensation is the first half, especially the first 15 minutes, we were asleep. It was better from then on, but we didn’t have enough shots on goal and Inter are a very physical team,” Allegri told Mediaset.
“We need to recharge the batteries, as we’ve lost four of the last five Serie A games, are out of the Coppa Italia and from tomorrow need to roll our sleeves up. We are in the Europa League semi-final and need to defend our position in Serie A, to keep Milan and Roma behind us.
“I changed at half-time because Inter sat a lot deeper and it was only natural we’d have more of a presence in the penalty area. Milik needed time to recover, so with Vlahovic out, I was convinced Chiesa would do well. He certainly put the effort in, but we lacked patience.”
Danilo was one of the only big players rested, as Leonardo Bonucci was given a rare start for this season in defence.
“I think Danilo played more than anyone and was also one yellow card away from suspension. Bonucci did well, but we certainly should’ve done better in attack and we were unable to overturn the game. Winning in Milan was not easy and we tried to the end.”
The most disconcerting element of the performance was the complete lack of fight from Juventus, who hardly ever threatened an equaliser.
“We need to improve the level of concentration and determination if we want to win matches. It’s disappointing, because for 60 minutes we played well against a strong Inter side. They proved that by reaching the Champions League semi-final.
“It’s disappointing not to be in the Coppa Italia Final, but we need to have broad shoulders and deal with everything that comes at us this season. Some of it is our own fault, as we conceded a dumb goal against Napoli on Sunday and you all saw the first leg with Inter.
“We must learn to be strong mentally and patient, because the wheel turns.”
Please get RIP OF ALLEGRI!!!! PLEASE.
It’s your fault we were asleep lol