Juventus might have won their Saturday night fixture against Empoli with a slender 1-0 margin, but manager Massimiliano Allegri was still skeptical of the performances of two of his star players — Paul Pogba and Alvaro Morata.
The latter has had a rather frustrating season for the Bianconeri, starting 17 times from the bench. He has been able to score just six goals in the Serie A this campaign. There has been a lot of speculation about Morata’s future at the club, with Real Madrid being touted as the favourites to sign back their former striker.
“There was a moment when Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba were playing as individuals and at this stage any little error can be costly. We have to play simple and improve in controlling the ball,” Allegri was quoted as saying by Football Italia.
“Winning games is absolutely not easy and it becomes even tougher towards the end of the season, especially as Empoli are a side that play good football.”
One big concern for Juventus is the fact that experienced centre-back Giorgio Chiellini had to hobble off with yet another injury. While the details of his injury are yet to be known, Allegri said that the Italy international had completely recovered ahead of the Empoli game.
“Chiellini was fine beforehand and we’ll evaluate this latest development, but hope it’s nothing serious,” said Allegri.
After a minor slip earlier this season, Allegri has shown that he has the capability to lead a convincing title challenge for the Bianconeri. However, the former AC Milan manager is contracted to the Old Lady till the end of the 2016/17 season, which raises the questions about the club offering him a new deal.
The 48-year-old said that he is set to hold talks for a new contract with the bosses at Juventus quite soon. “When we have a free afternoon I’ll meet with the club and talk. I have another year left on my contract anyway, they are happy and so am I. When we meet up, we’ll sign the paperwork,” he said.
Juve hoping for Bonucci’s speedy recovery
Chiellini’s injury is very bad news for Allegri, as two of his top centre-backs are now injured. Leonardo Bonicci picked up an injury earlier this week, while on international duty with Italy.
Allegri has mainly been playing three centre-backs this season, with Daniele Rugani taking Bonucci’s place in the match against Empoli. But with two of his centre-backs injured, Allegri might be forced to shift to the 4-4-2 formation, which he has often used this season when Chiellini has been injured.
However, Bonucci is expected to get back to training with the rest of the players at his club soon, according to Vital Football, and it would be interesting to see how long Allegri keeps him out of action, with Napoli being hot on Juventus’s tail in the Serie A title race.
