Max Allegri explains what Leandro Paredes brings to Juventus, how Dusan Vlahovic needs to improve and why he has ‘no shame saying we should focus on being more efficient than beautiful.’

The Bianconeri got back on track with a 2-0 victory over Spezia, but it was again a far from vintage performance.

Dusan Vlahovic curled in another perfect free kick into the near top corner from 25 metres out, while Arkadiusz Milik came off the bench to snatch a late goal on Fabio Miretti’s assist.

They made relatively few changes to the line-up after the 1-1 draw with Roma, despite it being a midweek round.

“We’re still pretty sharp at the moment, so we need to get to know each other better and you get that by playing together,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

“The midfield did really well with intensity to win the ball back and fight hard. With Paul Pogba out and Angel Di Maria returning from injury, these are the options I have.

“We’ll see if against Fiorentina we make more changes. Di Maria was a risk really, as he didn’t have any training sessions with the team, but at that moment the side needed fresh energy.”

Allegri seemed to get increasingly frustrated as the game wore on, especially as Spezia saw more of the ball in the second half.

“The important thing at this stage of the season is to bring home the result. We’re still getting to know each other, it’s not easy, but what we must improve is how we control the game. That doesn’t just mean defending, but once we lose the ball two or three times, we start going deeper and deeper. We need to keep passing forward.

“We lost a little of our organisation during a five-minute panic, we need to just control it and let that moment pass.”

Wojciech Szczesny was stretchered off in the first half after landing very heavily on his right ankle.

“The medical staff has ruled out any fractures, so thank goodness for that.”

It still seems very unlikely that the Poland international will be ready to face Fiorentina, so Mattia Perin has to step in again.

“I thought it was one of Dusan’s best performance, apart from the extraordinary goal, he has improved already in the way he accepts the ball and will continue to be cleaner in his control and playing with his teammates, but knows full well he has to keep improving.

“Dusan has that goal-scoring instinct, so we need to work on the other areas of his game to make him more complete. I was impressed with Miretti too, there are few who can control the ball like him.”

Paredes was in the stands and saluted the crowd at half-time, having completed his move on loan with obligation to buy from Paris Saint-Germain for €22.5m.

“He brings quality, technique and can leave Locatelli more freedom to play without the responsibility of building moves from midfield. Zakaria and Rabiot are more defensive, McKennie is someone who makes the forward run, so we needed someone else to provide the right pass.”

There were some jeers from the crowd as the game wore on at 1-0, until the late Milik strike, and Allegri’s style of football is still criticised.

“This is a team that hasn’t won the Scudetto for two years, last season we didn’t win anything, so these lads need support and help during the match.

“I always say, and I have no shame in saying it, that I don’t like attractive football that doesn’t win. We should focus on being efficient more than beautiful.”

4 thought on “Allegri on Paredes, Vlahovic and why Juventus don’t need to be ‘beautiful’”
  1. Sums up PhD Hexagon in a nutshell. Kudos to the creator of 1600 BC Medieval Ball for admitting he does not care about champagne calcio. Keep the most defeated club in Europeans finals grounded, humble and in their lane for domestic purposes only. Against the cream of Europe they always get exposed for his 1-0 or 0-0 addiction.

  2. That’s our Max. Always happy to reach the bare minimum and to think we have another 2 years of this. God forbid if he gets a renewal.

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