Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was not happy with his side’s 2-1 defeat to Verona on Saturday, claiming that the Italian giants deserve their current lowly league position.
A Gio Simeone double condemned Juve to their fourth defeat in 11 games, with Weston McKennie pulling back a late consolation for the visitors.
That result leaves Allegri’s men languishing in ninth place, a position which the coach believes reflects their current performance level.
Editors’ Picks
What was said?
“Words are meaningless right now. We’re in a bad situation, we have to accept the reality that right now we are a mid-table team. We can get out of this situation with a little more determination and quality,” Allegri told DAZN after the final whistle.
“We will drag ourselves out of this situation. There’s no point feeling sorry for ourselves, that won’t help. We just need to focus on what we need to do and then things will sort themselves out.”
“It’s a good squad, but things don’t always go your way in football. We have to react with pride and determination. We had to play like a team that had one point, and we did, now we have to play like a team that has 15 points.
“We realised Verona were going to make it physical and a battle for every ball, so if you don’t meet them at that level, you will lose.
“Wearing the Juventus jersey does not give us a guarantee we must beat the teams in mid-table. We have to earn every point and do it with the right attitude.
“Verona knew that was how they had to play in order to beat Juventus. Our mistake was assuming we were better than Verona, and right now we are not. We must be realistic.”
The bigger picture
Juve trail current leaders Napoli by 13 points, a margin that could grow even greater following the pace-setters’ visit to Salernitana on Sunday.
They are also four points behind Roma, who have also played a game fewer, in the fourth Champions League qualifying spot.
Allegri’s charges have at least found more joy in European competition so far in 2021-22, winning all three of their Group H games so far to occupy top spot ahead of Champions League holders Chelsea.
They are back in action on Tuesday, at home to Zenit in Turin.