A win is not enough for Juve: many Juventus fans continue to criticize Allegri and the team, which lacks courage and personality.
Mark Iuliano, a former Salernitana and Juventus defender, spoke to the microphones of TvPlay to comment on Juventus’ victory against Lazio in the Coppa Italia. For the former defender, Juve still lacks personality: they went above their potential for several months, and then had a downturn, But, from an overall point of view, the season should be evaluated negatively.
“In my opinion, she has had a disappointing journey from a physical and mental point of view,” Iuliano explained. “Even before the famous Empoli game I had noticed mental fatigue. Locatelli, for example, does not know what to do with the ball, he hides and seems not to want to take responsibility.”
“It is not a match that changes the prospects of a season or a team,” the interviewee continued, about Juve’s 2-0 win over Lazio in the Coppa Italia. “The goal scored by Chiesa last night gave enthusiasm, but after the first 20′ that were quite positive in the first half,the team again went too low.”
The problem is the setting. “They defend set-pieces in the small area, an aspect that should never happen, then I see defenders who are not very aggressive: they are afraid of getting jumped and this leads you to continually lower the defensive line.”
According to Iuliano, many Juve players have disappointed, and not all of the blame lies with Allegri. “Rabiot is a forager but lately he just waits for the ball on his feet and takes a lot of touches. McKennie on the other hand is attacking depth, brings numerical superiority and is doing the two phases in a positive way. From Weah I expected more cue, he touches three balls a game and makes a lot of mess. Cambiaso puts in great will and is the one who creates the most danger to opposing defenses, but he is always replaced at 70′. Kostic never plays vertically. “
Victory against Lazio doesn’t solve Allegri’s problems: “Juve needs personality. “
“There is a big problem with personality and mentality in this Juve,” the interviewee later said. “Allegri has won so much and should be respected, but for me he is more of a manager than a coach, because when he has to give input he struggles. I cannot defend concepts that are not from a great team. “
“In bianconero, expectations are very high,” insisted Iuliano, “and when you take players you have to make sure they are real men first. If at the first difficulty they are afraid, it means there are problems. So here is the question of personality, which at Juve must always be present.”
“Allegri was sent off with an extraordinary team,” the former defender recalled in conclusion, “and he was taken back with a much weaker lineup, with the expectation of playing entertaining soccer… Now the hope is that Juve will win a trophy and get into the Champions League. Allegri has great power within the club, but the environment is not liking him. Maybe getting to these goals is no longer enough. “