Allegri: Juventus made unbelievable technical errors

Coach’s comments after another frustrating fixture for the Bianconeri at Cagliari

Juventus labored to a 2-2 draw away at Cagliari after being two goals down for a large period of the game. A stellar free kick from Dusan Vlahovic and then only an unfortunate own goal from a late cross brought Juve level after the hosts had pulled ahead with a pair of first half penalties that had sent Wojciech Szczesny the wrong way both times.

Speaking after the game, coach Massimiliano Allegri reflected on the latest setback that sees the Bianconeri go through their sixth consecutive away league game without a win, the club’s worst sequence of performances on the road since 2009-10.

The coach mocked his players’ version of Barcelona’s famous tiki-taka passing movement with an Italian spin.

“Simple, we allowed seven counter-attacks and were constantly trying these tik-tak passes to someone a metre away and getting it wrong,”

Where did it all go wrong then?

“Against aggressive sides like Cagliari, you need to wage battle. We didn’t understand that was the situation, especially with the ball not really rolling on that pitch, we had to hit it long instead.

“We allowed seven counter-attacks, we got a lot wrong technically, and when you play at this stage of the season, you will lose if you don’t match the opponents for intensity. That is why Cagliari players all had cramp at the end, they gave their all. In those situations, you either match them for intensity or get out of it with technical precision, and we did neither.”

Once again Juve appeared asleep in the first half, only to chase a game in the second stanza.

“We got back into the game, but this has to make us think. If we don’t run as hard as the opponents, we will rarely be able to win the game with technical quality, especially at the start.

“It is good that we showed such determination, but we cannot keep gifting the first half. We conceded the second penalty from a throw-in, the first was a counter-attack from a misplaced pass.”

Allegri went on to expound where he felt his side lacked.

“We need to understand the initial approach, which is a sign of maturity. It is always difficult to play well in Cagliari, because the pitch is quite slow and the ball doesn’t move quickly. It’s always been a battle for my teams here and we didn’t understand the situation.

“If you want to step up a level and aim for something more, you need to understand this type of match. It’s a process that this young group is going through, they’ve got to learn to get their hands dirty and dive into the duels. As long as Cagliari kept that tempo up, we had to match them and at least keep the game on even terms so that when they got tired, our technique would start to make the difference. We didn’t do that.”

Carlos Alcaraz started in the midfield in a short-lived experiment, with the coach switching to finally playing the trio of Kenan Yildiz, Federico Chiesa and Vlahovic at the same time.

“On the strength of the first half performance, I should’ve changed everyone – including myself! I saw some unbelievable technical errors. It’s a pity we didn’t get the three points, but I knew that we would need patience and to gradually get there. I hope this will be a learning experience for them.”

Next up for the Bianconeri is the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final, with Allegri’s charges holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at home.

“We need to reach the Final, that is all. We’re up against a good Lazio side and if we play the way we did tonight in the first half without winning a duel, then we’ll be in trouble. We will try to be different.”