Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri admits his players are still too soft defensively and praises Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic.
The Old Lady hosts Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium tomorrow.
It kicks off at 17.00 UK time.
The Bianconeri lost the last two Serie A games in a row, but beat Zenit on Tuesday, qualifying for the Champions League last 16 with two games to spare.
“Fiorentina are doing really well, they play good football, they are aggressive and they have a great coach,” Allegri said at a pre-match press conference.
“Almost all players are available except Moise Kean and Mattia De Sciglio.
“Juventus are an exceptional team, but we must improve in many circumstances,” the coach admitted.
“We should not concede goals even when we score four. I feel that we are still too soft defensively, while we’ve improved in the opponents’ half. Balance is needed.
“We reached the first target of the season by qualifying for the last 16, but we are behind in the Champions League. We need to keep our mouths shut and work hard.
“We can play with offensive players, but they need to help defensively,” Allegri added.
“To get consistent results in Serie A, you must work on both phases. Now, we must forget about the Champions League and focus on the next game, this must be the normality.
“A win doesn’t change our season, we need to take a step forward mentally. We need a different attitude when we take the lead. We turn the light off after we score and we give the feeling that the game is over.
“This way, we become vulnerable and we must raise the attention in that moments.”
The Bianconeri have set their sights on Dusan Vlahovic who will be Fiorentina’s No.1 threat tomorrow.
The 21-year-old won’t extend his contract expiring in June 2023 and the Old Lady will make an attempt to sign him in January or during the summer.
Allegri praised the Serbian striker, but refused to go into details about the club’s transfer strategies.
“You can watch players in action, but it’s hard to judge them if you don’t see them train. Vlahovic is a strong player, you can see it from his goals. However, he is a Fiorentina player and we have great defenders, so I am calm.”
Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano also discussed the future of his star striker, but said rumours regarding Vlahovic’s exit in January are not credible.
Italiano reveals truth about rumours linking Vlahovic with Juventus, Arsenal and Tottenham
Grande Allegri!! But, questions remain as to whether we have the players able to take those mental steps Allegri rightly identified.
We badly need new a bulldog in the midfield…. Edgar Davids 2.0
Agreed, Juventus need a midfielder, possible a couple that can control the game. I believe Locatelli will come good with time, but Rabiot, Ramsey and Arthur are not good enough. I would like to see Juventus go back to 3-5-2 with Cuadrado and Alex Sandro as wingbacks and Dybala and Chiesa up front.
Amo, Locatelli has already come good. His form so far given he arrived late, has been excellent – he is the only midfielder who is both capable of scoring defending and getting dangerous through-balls to our forwards.