Max Allegri Talks Paolo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo Penalty Miss After Chievo Win
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri praised forward Paulo Dybala after the 3-0 win over Chievo Verona on Monday, and he also revealed Cristiano Ronaldo's first penalty miss for the club didn't come as a complete surprise.
The Bianconeri cruised to a win in their first Serie A contest of 2019, with Douglas Costa, Emre Can and Daniele Rugani all bagging their first goals of the campaign. Ronaldo missed a penalty and had an overall poor outing, but the Old Lady had enough firepower to overcome his struggles.
After the contest Allegri talked to Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) about a host of topics, including Dybala's potential and Ronaldo's miss:
"The team had a good game, but it wasn't easy because we came into it from two challenging matches.
"There could've been a bit of carelessness, but the lads showed quality and maturity. We risked conceding just once.
"It's a nice win and now we move on. Dybala? Seeing him play like he did is a pleasure. Maybe he'll be disappointed because he didn't score, but he'll become a truly great player.
"He can't be as clear-headed if he plays deeper and gets a bit disheartened, so he must stay on this path.
"Ronaldo? I never watch penalties, although he missed one in the morning too. Khedira? He took a blow to the knee and we'll assess him in the next few hours."
Here are the match highlights:
Dybala overcame a rocky start to the contest to register an assist for Can's goal just before half-time. The former Palermo man showed off his nifty footwork to glide past a defender before playing in the Germany international.
It came as part of a great attacking move:
The 25-year-old has not enjoyed a brilliant season so far, with just two goals in Serie A. He has spent much of his time out on the wing or as an attacking midfielder but remains most comfortable as a striker, something that was clear to see on Monday. Juventus used a 4-4-2 formation, pairing him with Ronaldo up top.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been in excellent form but was far from his best against the Flying Donkeys. He missed several great chances late, and while he took his penalty well, the 39-year-old Stefano Sorrentino made a superb save.
Allegri also talked about Kevin-Prince Boateng's move to Barcelona and Gonzalo Higuain's likely transfer to Chelsea, hinting AC Milan didn't properly use the 31-year-old:
"Boateng at Barcelona? I played him as a No 10 at Milan, but in practice it was he who played as our striker.
"Higuain at Chelsea? I don't know yet. I had him for two years and it went well, but if you don't find the right chemistry, unfortunately you can't give your best."
Higuain is still a Juventus player and spent the last two seasons in Turin before completing a loan switch to the Italian fashion capital. Per BBC Sport's David Ornstein, he's expected to join the Blues, where he'll be reunited with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri.
Juventus' next outing will be on Sunday, when they travel to the capital for a tricky clash with Lazio.
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