Massimiliano Allegri justifies Federico Chiesa’s performance against Chelsea but insists he is happy with what the Italy starlet is doing this term.
The 24-year-old has scored three goals and delivered as many assists in 15 appearances across all competitions this season.
He netted 15 goals, adding 11 assists in 46 games under Andrea Pirlo last term, and played a key role in Italy’s Euro 2020 win in the summer.
Chiesa was one of the most criticised players by Italian media after Juventus‘ 4-0 defeat against Chelsea on Tuesday. He was rated 5/10 by Il Corriere dello Sport and 4 by Gazzetta and Tuttosport.
However, Allegri defended the 24-year-old during a press conference today.
“He played a good game against Lazio, he had a few chances to score goals,” he said.
Allegri explains Chelsea defeat and expects Juventus reaction against Atalanta
“He can be devastating in open spaces. Against Chelsea, it was a different story. The level was different.
“Federico has extraordinary qualities, he is really good technically, he needs to work and improve like everyone else, but I am happy with what he is doing.”
Allegri has partially changed Chiesa’s role this season, using him as a winger and as a support striker.
The Tuscan tactician has often used a 4-4-2 formation with Chiesa deployed as right or left-winger or among the two strikers.
A few weeks ago, Allegri said Chiesa could become a striker in the future, but the performances of the ex-Fiorentina winger have not been entirely convincing this season.
Chiesa is a fantastic talent but he’s young and there is still a little immaturity in his game. What I noticed is that when he gets the ball in open space he rightly goes at the defender but has a tendency to slow down before making the move to beat him. In essence he gives time for other defenders to come and give support. And before you know it, what was a 1v1 quickly turns into a 1v2 or 1v3, especially since defenses now know not to concede him much space. He should eventually grow out of this.
The biggest problem is the defensive nature of Allegri. He doesnt play attacking football, maybe due to the players at his disposal, but still a negative tactician. Under Pirlo and Mancini he was allow to attack and play with more freedom. Juve need to buy to support him and Dybala to ensure they can thrive in Turin. Otherwise they will regress or go elsewhere.
No, the biggest problem is that Juventus have no midfield so there’s no structural support and set up for a player like Chiesa. You can’t expect him to always grab the ball deep in midfield and take on 3 players. Agnelli and Paratici ran a scandalous transfer market over the past 3 years and now CR7 is there to paper over the chasms. Allegri is the guy who turned Mandzu into a winger so that he could essentially play with 3 strikers. That’s not negative. His midfield options suck. And in attack, there’s an inconsistent (often broken) Dybala and Morata who wouldn’t even be the ball boy in previous Juve teams.
Chiesa should join a top club outside Italy to really develop into a world class player. Where his speed and technique would be out to the test more often in a higher tempo game, rather than the slow and tactical serie a.
He will only stagnate in serie a.
Chiesa had a terrible game. He was simply terrible. Any rating more that 4 is generous and the same must be said for at least 8 of his teammates against Chelsea. Allegri went into the game with a defensive mindset, sure, but the players never showed up
And still I keep hearing this BS about Allegri insisting Juve had a good 1st half. At the end of the 1st half you already knew they were going to loose and an onslaught was coming in the second. Just be honest and admit when your team played like sh1t. Admitting you made a mistake and being honest show you have some integrity if not your just a piece of sh1t and not willing to correct your problems. The fact that this coach continues to insist they had a good 1st half really irks me and why I can’t stand his a$$.
#freechiesa
Just let Chiesa go. Also Loca and De Ligt. Juve will stick to Allegri for a long time as long as Agnelli is still around, and this crooked coach will never understand how to deal with young talents nor attacking football.