MY ACCOUNT
Massimiliano Allegri was full of praise for Alvaro Morata following Juventus’ 3-1 win away to Sampdoria on Saturday.
The Spanish forward bagged a brace in an important victory for Juve, who put themselves nine points clear of Atalanta in Serie A’s race for the final Champions League spot, though having played two games more.
January signing Dusan Vlahovic started on the bench for the Old Lady ahead of their second leg tie against Villarreal in the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday, but it was Morata who made the difference at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Allegri was quick to compliment the 29-year-old, who followed up his first half penalty with a fine header in the 88th minute after Abdelhamid Sabiri had pulled a goal back for the hosts two minutes earlier.
“Alvaro is one of the best forwards on a technical level in Europe,” the Bianconeri boss told DAZN post-match. “He will struggle more if you use him with his back to goal, but if he plays a little wider, with the space to run inside and use his characteristics, he’s excellent.
“The team did well today on a technical basis. We need to improve when we are in control of the match, though, lower the tempo and then speed it up with a vertical pass. We need to understand when it’s time to be patient and wait a moment.”
Despite Maya Yoshida’s opening own goal on 23 minutes, taking the eventual three points was not a simple task for Juventus. Allegri believes the result puts his team in good stead for the return leg against Villarreal, though.
He also gave special mention to Moise Kean, who made his second start in three games after a string of appearances off the bench in February.
“Sampdoria are not an easy team to face, we needed this result to consolidate fourth place and prepare for Villarreal in the best possible way,” Allegri said.
“Kean played a good game, when he plays he is always effective. He earned the penalty [for 2-0], and started the action for the first goal, so he is an important player for this squad. He has to improve from a technical point of view, but can be devastating when he has space to run into.”
