Juve must rediscover cutting edge, says Allegri

TURIN, Italy: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri warned that the Italian champions need to rediscover their cutting edge if they want to push for Champions League glory after two runners-up spots in three years.

Allegri complained that the 2015 and 2017 finalists lacked sharpness as they laboured to a 2-1 Group D win over Sporting Lisbon at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.“Juventus at the moment aren’t brilliant,” Allegri said in the press conference after the match.

“We’re paying heavily for the athletic quality of certain players with injuries, and others who came back from international duty in bad shape.”A bizarre Alex Sandro own goal in the 12th minute left veteran skipper Gianluigi Buffon reeling, but Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic’s curling freekick after 29 minutes pulled the hosts back from the edge before Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic headed in the winner six minutes from time.

“The lads reacted well after the setback, they did good things,” continued Allegri. “But we nearly conceded a goal in the 93rd minute, and that means that we didn’t manage well.“At the moment we have to focus on results, suffering a little more than usual. This victory is going to give us a little more serenity.

“It also shows that in football when you’re not winning you lose a bit of certainty. This evening, technically it wasn’t a good performance. Our recent results weighed heavy on us.”Italian title-winners in the last six seasons, Juventus lost to Lazio on Saturday — their first home defeat in more than two years — after being held to a draw by Atalanta the previous week. They are currently sitting in fourth place on the Serie A table.