MY ACCOUNT
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri hailed the quality that Dusan Vlahovic has brought to the Bianconeri squad after he netted two superb goals in a 3-2 win at Empoli.
Vlahovic netted twice after Moise Kean had opened the scoring for the Old Lady in a win which saw them consolidate fourth place in Serie A, although they had to survive a late onslaught from their lively hosts.
The Serbian striker now has 20 Serie A goals this season, while the victory has given Juventus a six-point cushion over fifth-placed Atalanta, ahead of Gian Piero Gasperini’s team’s clash with Sampdoria on Monday.
Vlahovic’s neat finishes proved the difference in a hard-fought encounter in which Empoli managed 11 attempts to the visitors’ 12.
Allegri was keen to praise the in-form striker for the qualities he displayed.
“Vlahovic is an important player, he has character as well as quality,” Allegri said. “You could tell straight away this lad has character, wants to win and is eager to learn.
“He has the kind of characteristics we didn’t have in the squad.
“He moved a lot more in this game, didn’t just stay central, and that was a big advantage for him and for us.”
Allegri was also asked how his number seven compared to the man who wore that shirt during his last spell in charge in Turin, two-time Serie A player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I don’t think you can compare them,” he said. “The previous seven won the Ballon d’Or five times, whereas Vlahovic is at the beginning of his career.
“A good game isn’t enough, [for comparisons with Ronaldo] you need immense mental strength, and he is at the start of his journey.”
Vlahovic has now scored two or more goals on nine occasions in Serie A since the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign, equalling Ronaldo’s tally of multiple-goal hauls in Italy during the same period.
Allegri also professed himself pleased with the forward options at his disposal, as both Kean and Alvaro Morata recorded goal involvements, but the Bianconeri boss maintained that Juventus are not contenders for the Serie A title.
He added: “Kean struggles with his back to goal and coming back to connect with the midfield, but he does well when wide and attacking the box. Alvaro Morata is the same, he gave a great pass to Vlahovic for the third goal.
“Football is very simple, you just have to put players in roles where they can work to their characteristics.
“We couldn’t do that for four or five months, so we had to adapt, but we stayed in range of the top four and now we’ll see what happens.
“I remain fully convinced it will take 84 to 85 points minimum to win the Scudetto. Our objective is to finish in the top four and we need to be consistent, because there’s Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio are coming up too.
“The title will be a battle between those three up there [Milan, Inter, and Napoli].”
Juventus are now unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A games, their longest such run since a 14-match run under Maurizio Sarri between August and December 2019.
