Juventus put on a disjointed effort that led to a sound 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo just when you thought they had turned the corner and were evolving into something new. This was despite the fact that they had tied the game with roughly a dozen minutes remaining.
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Massimiliano Allegri, the coach, made an effort to appear brave in his post-game remarks.
“Let’s discuss the match. We must draw lessons from our initial setback. Both before and after this game, we weren’t particularly strong.
“We had butterflies in our eyes, it had started out nicely, and there were some really straightforward scenarios we didn’t take advantage of. We paid for it because we gave in at their first try and kind of lost our heads.
It appears that the players were preoccupied with something else during a week in which European competition got underway while the Bianconeri sat at home and watched events on their televisions.
“I’ve played a few games in my career, and I’m familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Serie A teams. I had already noticed warning indications during the previous days, which we sought to mitigate, and this was just the last chapter.
“Don’t get discouraged right now; we have a crucial game coming up, and we must try to win three points.”
There is something to be said about Allegri’s complete lack of lineup continuity since beginning his second term as coach. It took him an unprecedented 112 games to be able to pitch the same starting lineup for two straight games, but it appeared that the players were worn out from that superb victory against Lazio last weekend.
“This was a game when our mental toughness was lacking. We are still unable to change during a game and remain engaged at all times. I was already on guard because I felt like we were slightly panicked everytime the ball was thrown into the box, which had not happened against Lazio or in the other games.
With roughly 30 minutes left to play, forward Dusan Vlahovic was substituted. He appeared to be very unhappy, albeit there was an awkward embrace with Allegri as he made way for.
He needs to improve because he missed a few opportunities, but he also suffered with his fitness in recent days. The team as a whole did not have a very strong effort; the match was exceedingly uneven and became one in which anything may occur.
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