DBasia.news – Juventus started 2022 less smoothly after being held to a draw by Napoli in the 2021-2022 Serie A continuation. The coach, Massimiliano Allegri realized his team had many shortcomings.
In the match that took place at the Allianz Stadium, Friday (7/1) morning WIB, Juventus and Napoli drew 1-1. The duel of the two teams was fierce and interesting.
Juventus had to fall behind first after Dries Mertens broke into Wojciech Szczesny’s goal in the 23rd minute. Napoli could have even scored more goals throughout the first half had they been calmer in finishing the chances.
Juventus rose after halftime. Federico Chiesa was able to equalize in the 54th minute through a hard left footed shot.
Unfortunately, Juventus failed to utilize the momentum. The Old Lady failed to score the winning goal until the game was over.
This result was a loss for Juventus, who played as the host. They failed to cut the distance with Napoli who limped as a number of key players were absent.
There were at least 9 Napoli core players who missed the match against Juventus for various reasons. Some were injured, appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations, and underwent self-isolation, including Luciano Spalletti as coach.
Seeing the condition of the opponent, Allegri realized that this draw did not match his expectations. He admitted that Juventus had not shown maximum performance.
“We had chances to take the lead but were a bit inaccurate and rushed in the final third. We got back to where we were supposed to be and then rushed again,” Allegri told DAZN after the game.
“We have to look at this positively, as points are earned. I would like to see more calm and focus in the final third, but some of that has to do with the characteristics of the players as well.”
Juventus still haven’t found a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo as a goal machine. Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala proved unable to carry out this role.
This ultimately affects the sharpness of Juventus. The bad impact continues to the unoptimal match results.
“The players are aggressive, concentrated, we just need to improve the aspects where we have the game in hand and can be patient. We shouldn’t keep chasing long balls or trying to rush forward, it’s about passing and getting there.”
The addition of 1 point has made Juventus still stuck in fifth place with 35 points. They are 3 points behind Atalanta who occupy the Champions League zone limit.