Embattled Genoa manager, Andriy Shevchenko has blamed the absence of key players for his team’s loss to Juventus yesterday.

The Griffin suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Allianz Stadium as Juve put yet another win on the board.

Before the game, there had been a lot of talk about the visitors’ growing injury list, and it showed in their performance.

The former AC Milan striker had to field a team with most of his stars playing out of position, and he blames that for the defeat at Juve.

“Honestly, it was difficult just putting out a starting XI this evening,” Shevchenko told DAZN via Football Italia.

“We tried to stay in the game and we did until the 80th minute. The team worked really hard, we had to change positions, get players in different roles.

“It’s true we didn’t create scoring opportunities, but we had a few attempts, especially in the second half when some moves could’ve come off better.

“We tried to get the strikers to be a bit closer together, there were some attempts, but we struggled above all in the first half.

“As soon as the opposition press us, we struggle to get out from that and lack a real physical presence upfront who can hold the ball up. Ekuban and Bianchi aren’t very experienced, so we can only try to work and improve.”

Juve FC Says

It is normal for Sheva to make these excuses, and it is hard not to feel bad for him.

However, Juve and Genoa are classes apart, and the strongest Bianconeri team will still beat their best starting XI.

Max Allegri’s team has been inconsistent in this campaign, but we remain one of the strongest clubs in Europe.

That win has pushed us closer to the top four, but the team needs more wins before this year ends to stay there.