Pirlo laments about ‘too predictable’ Juventus

Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has said that his team has made itself predictable with too many horizontal passes in their 2-2 draw with Torino in the Derby Della Mole.

Cristiano Ronaldo had to come to Bianconeri’s rescue after going 2-1 behind, having opened the goals account through Federico Chiesa early in the first half. They will, however, prefer a draw considering their recent poor form. But celebrating a point against a team involved in a relegation battle is not worth celebrating.

Juve went into the game on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Benevento. They shot themselves in the foot with a gifted goal through an awful back-pass from Dejan Kulusevski.

Speaking with DAZN, the former Juventus midfielder noted that the defending champion started against Torino well and took the lead against a defensive-minded team.

But things got complicated for the Old Ladies after conceding the equaliser and went behind.  While noting that the error for Torino’s opening goal was similar to the one conceded against Lazio, Pirlo said it’s unfortunate that such is happening a bit too often due to lack of concentration.

He, therefore, expects Juventus, from now on, to learn that they cannot lose concentration for even a second because they will get punished.

He further stated that it’s difficult to attack the space when playing against teams that defend deep, as his lads have to go round the flanks and try to create some width, especially against a team with a five-man backline.

While nothing that mistake is a natural occurrence in the game, Pirlo lauded Ronaldo for restoring parity for the team, blaming lack of sharpness due to the international break.

The draw leaves Juve in fourth place, level on points with Napoli, who recorded a 4-3 win over relegation-threatened Crotone. They will now go head-to-head with the Azurri on Wednesday in a rescheduled fixture.

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed