By Goal.com News on Monday, 20 September 2021
Category: Goal.com News

Juventus on worst defensive run in top five European leagues after draw with AC Milan

Massimiliano Allegri's side continued their miserable start to the new season with a disappointing showing against the Rossoneri

Juventus' defensive troubles continued after being held to a 1-1 by arch-rivals AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

Massimiliano Allegri is still on the lookout for his first win since returning to Juve for a second spell in the managerial hot seat, with Ante Rebic scoring a late equaliser for Milan to cancel out Alvaro Morata's second-minute opener in the battle between two Serie A heavyweights.

The Bianconeri slipped to 18th in the table as a result, eight points behind leaders and reigning champions Inter, and also reached a new defensive low after missing out on another clean sheet.

What record have Juve set?

Juve have now conceded one goal or more in 18 successive league matches - a run that stretches back to March 9 - which is currently the worst record in Europe's top five major leagues.

The Italian giants are now only one game away from equalling their streak of 19 games without a clean sheet in 2010, and three away from matching their worst-ever run set back in 1955.

Allegri is also now only the fourth Juventus coach to ever oversee a four-game winless streak at the start of a season, with the club failing to win the title on the other three occasions in 1942-43, 1955-56 and in 1961-62.

What's been said?

Allegri tried to take the positives from the final result against Milan, but did admit that Juve will struggle to regain the Scudetto if they don't cut out the regular mistakes at the back.

“It was important to get a positive result and we did. A defeat would’ve not definitively left us behind Milan, but a big advantage, now it is easier to bridge,” he insisted.

“The problem is that winning a game is one thing, winning a league is another, and that means not conceding goals due to errors like that. We can draw games if the other team does better, not if we give it away.

“There were some positives, in other words the first half, but what makes me angry are the final 15 minutes. We should’ve suffered more, been ready to fight tooth and nail. At those moments, you can’t look at being aesthetically beautiful, you just take the result home, even if it’s ugly.”

What's next?

The Bianconeri now only have three days to pick themselves up before a must-win trip to Spezia, with a home fixture against Sampdoria set to follow on Sunday.

Allegri will then prepare his players for their second Champions League group-stage outing against Chelsea, where they will be aiming to build on a 3-0 win at Malmo on matchday one.

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