Allegri defends substituting Vlahovic when Juventus needed a goal

Juventus manager Max Allegri has defended his decision to substitute Dusan Vlahovic during their match against AC Milan when they needed a goal.

The Bianconeri played to a 0-0 draw against their rivals in the race for the second spot in the league, and Allegri started the game by pairing Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz.

It was a surprise selection, but an even bigger surprise was when he subbed off Vlahovic for Arkadiusz Milik during the game.

When Milik was getting ready to come on, most fans expected Yildiz to make way for the Azzurri star, but it was Vlahovic who was substituted.

Juve could not find a goal to win the game, and Allegri was questioned about that decision after the fixture.

He said, as quoted by Football Italia:

“It was a normal substitution, Dusan had done well, but I needed fresh legs. Milan were getting deeper, so I threw on Milik, Chiesa and McKennie who is good on crosses.

“Pioli did very well, because he inverted the full-backs to put Florenzi on the right against Chiesa and a taller lad on the left.”

Juve FC Says

That substitution was a surprising one for us, but Allegri made a tactical change that could have helped us win.

Most people will criticise the decision now because it did not work, but the manager knows the team better than all of us.