Allegri adamant winless start will make Juventus stronger

Juve’s
slow
start
to
Allegri’s
second
spell
in
charge
continued
on
Saturday
as
second-half
goals
from
Matteo
Politano
and
Kalidou
Koulibaly
earned
Napoli
a
comeback
win.

The
Bianconeri,
who
led
through
Alvaro
Morata’s
10th-minute
strike,
have
now
failed
to
win
any
of
their
first
three
league
games
for
just
the
second
time
in
52
Serie
A
seasons.

Saturday’s
late
loss
also
means
Allegri
has
failed
to
win
any
of
his
past
eight
league
games
in
charge
of
Juve
either
side
of
a
two-year
sabbatical.

After
collecting
just
one
point
from
their
first
three
matches
of
the
2021-22
campaign,
six-time
Scudetto
winner
Allegri
is
adamant
that
his
side
will
grow
stronger.

“I
have
ample
trust
in
this
group.
I
know
they
will
make
up
the
lost
ground,”
he
said.
“This
group
is
destined
to
grow
thanks
to
the
blows
taken.

“This
evening’s
defeat
was
different
and
we
must
quickly
put
it
behind
us.”

After
profiting
from
a
Kostas
Manolas
error
to
take
the
lead
in
Naples,
Juve
themselves
gifted
their
opponents
–
who
now
have
three
wins
from
three
–
a
couple
of
goals.

Wojciech
Szczesny
parried
Lorenzo
Insigne’s
shot
into
the
path
of
Politano
for
Napoli’s
leveller
and
could
only
push
a
poor
Moise
Kean
header
straight
to
Koulibaly
for
the
late
winner.

It
is
the
first
time
since
March
2010
that
Napoli
have
recovered
from
a
losing
position
to
beat
Juventus
in
the
league
and
Allegri
accepts
his
side
were
not
good
enough.

“I
liked
the
attitude
of
the
team
in
the
first
half,
but
in
the
second
half
Napoli
got
the
upper
hand.
Sometimes
you
are
made
to
pay
for
individual
mistakes,”
he
said.

“Szczesny
does
not
lack
calmness.
He
made
a
mistake
with
his
handling
today,
but
he
will
be
in
the
team
on
Tuesday.

“As
for
Kean,
these
things
happen
in
football
sometimes.
We
also
conceded
similar
goals
to
Udinese
and
Empoli

“From
a
technical
point
of
view,
we
could
have
done
better.
We
haven’t
won
yet,
but
now
we
start
thinking
about
our
next
match
in
the
Champions
League.”

That
European
tie
with
Malmo
on
Tuesday
is
followed
five
days
later
by
a
huge
clash
with
Allegri’s
former
side
Milan
at
the
Allianz
Stadium.

“We
know
that
we
need
to
be
more
lucid
near
the
area,
though
the
team
did
what
I
asked
of
them
today
from
a
tactical
point
of
view
against
a
good
Napoli
side,”
Allegri
added.

“In
football
there
is
no
room
for
mistakes.
We
have
an
important
test
ahead
of
us
that
we
must
overcome
in
order
for
it
not
to
become
a
mental
thing.”

Juve,
who
were
missing
some
key
players
on
Saturday,
managed
just
eight
shots
in
total
against
Napoli
and
none
at
all
on
target
in
the
second
half.

That
makes
it
back-to-back
blanks
for
the
Bianconeri
since
Cristiano
Ronaldo
left
the
club
to
rejoin
Manchester
United,
but
Allegri
reiterated
he
is
eager
to
move
on
from
that
high-profile
exit.

“Ronaldo
is
part
of
the
past,
he
made
a
choice,”
Allegri
said.
“Now
he’s
gone.
Juve
let
him
go
because
you
can’t
keep
a
player
against
your
will.”