Allegri Laments Below-Par Juve

Massimiliano Allegri admits he was angry with his team’s performance after Juventus lost their unbeaten Serie A record to Genoa. Allegri opted to start the game without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was rested for the first time this season in a match when he was available.

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Juventus came into the game against Genoa with an unbeaten league record and all-but certain to win their eighth successive title. It still looks very likely that they will go on and secure the Scudetto but this loss will have come as a shock to the system ahead of the international break.

Stefano Sturaro, on loan from Juventus, netted against his parent club and Goran Pandev sealed the victory late on. And Allegri says the 2-0 loss at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris was not simply good enough, although he is refusing to panic. “I expected a different Juventus,” Allegri told Italian broadcasters.

“We did not put in a good performance, we made some mistakes and then this goal came out of nowhere. “Much like the Coppa Italia defeat to Atalanta, we picked the right game to lose, because it’s just before the break for international duty, so we have time to unplug and rest.

“I am actually happy for Stefano, because if anyone had to score against us, I’m glad it was Sturaro. He’s a lovely guy and suffered so much, out of action for practically a year with that tendon injury, so he deserves it.”