They say old habits die hard. Well, that is exactly what we’re witnessing at Juventus this season.
After the underwhelming experiences of Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo, the Old Lady reverted to the tried and trusted Max Allegri to restore the club’s pride.
However, it hasn’t been a smooth return for the Livorno native whos results have been even worse than his predecessors.
While the 54-year-old has surely improved the leaking backline since taking over, the team is still unable to play fluid football and struggles to score in front of goal.
According to Calciomercato journalist Gianluca Minchiotti, Allegri’s approach (which is heavily dependent on balance) is hurting Dusan Vlahovic and his ability to score goals.
The source explains how the Serbian arrived to Juventus on a red hot form. So instead of pouncing on his goal-scoring prowess and provide him with great service, the manager insists on maintaining the so-called balance.
Juve FC say
Allegri surely isn’t a Catenaccio advocate, but he remains a member of the old school of thought of Italian football, which heavily emphasizes on finding a balance between the attacking and defensive phase.
While this isn’t a horrible thing on its own, this mentality usually translates into solidifying the backline first and foremost rather than taking risks upfront by trying to outscore opponents.
Therefore, it’s hard to imagine a free-scoring Vlahovic under the tutelage of Allegri. However, we can only hope that the Serbian maintains his sharpness in front of goal and pounces on the opportunities he receives despite its limited number.
Ronaldo scores a lot goals. Did that help MU win PL, the FA Cup or in Europe this year. There is more to winning football matches than scoring goals – especially in Italy. Allegri is defending Juve’s future in defending a CL spot for next year. Without that spot can they afford DeLicht, Chiesa or Vlahovic? Calling Allegri’s football cateneccio is ludicrous. Juve is creating more than enough chances to win matches, they are not finishing well. A post and a crossbar against Bologna are Allegri’s fault? Really? For all his ability, Vlahovic’s inexperience shows against hard man marking. It’s time for the players to step up, and for fans to have some concept of the work that has been done this season – without Chiesa, Dybala – MIA for most of the year, Locatelli & McKennie in the infirmary. Too many Juve fans have never appreciated Allegri and are embarrassing only themselves. It is far harder to score playing every three days for Juve than it is for Fiorentina which plays fewer matches and has much lower expectations.