Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has delivered his verdict on his side’s embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in Sunday’s pre-season fixture. To make things worse, former Bianconeri star Alvaro Morata bagged a hat-trick to sink his ex-team.
Morata, who spent the last two seasons on loan at Juventus, inspired Diego Simeone’s lads to an overwhelming triumph amid talks about his potential return to Turin. Allegri is reportedly keen to bring the Spaniard back to Italy, with negotiations between the parties underway.
But regardless of Morata’s future, Sunday’s exhibition match-up exposed every Juventus weakness ahead of the new season. With less than a week left before their curtain-raising Serie A clash against Sassuolo, Allegri has plenty of work to do.
Despite seeing his side going down in thumping fashion, the former Milan manager tried to find some positives.
“This defeat can only do us good,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia in the aftermath, via Gazzetta dello Sport. “We were tired coming in, working hard in training after our return from America.
“Atleti are certainly at a more advanced stage than us in pre-season preparation, but there is still no excuse. The only solution is to be focused and prepare for our season opener against Sassuolo.
“We must find the positives from the negative situations, we’ve got a week to prepare, above all mentally. We know that when there are three points up for grabs, the attitude will be different.“
New centre-back pairing Leonardo Bonucci and Gleison Bremer failed to live up to expectations. Atletico forwards, particularly Morata, had a field day in Turin, with the Italians’ penalty area turning into a shooting gallery.
Juventus had Joao Felix’s waste from the spot to thank for avoiding further misery. Not the best way to cap off pre-season preparation for the Serie A title hopefuls.