The post-Cristiano Ronaldo era with Juventus is already off to an underwhelming start.
Juventus came away with a concerning 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Serie A side Empoli on matchday two. Under a notable 4-3-1-2 setup with Weston McKennie featuring as a central attacking midfielder, the Bianconeri simply found a difficult time creating high-percentage goal-scoring chances over the match.
Many have already been ringing out the criticism that Juventus will go downhill following Ronaldo’s departure to Manchester United, but manager Massimiliano Allegri is not buying into this narrative, which he spoke further about to DAZN Italia (via Corriere dello Sport) after the fixture against Empoli.
“It's not fair to say that,” Allegri said. “We have young players of value, who rightly don't have as much experience and so slowly we have to find the balance. Many times, we don't find it because of an excess of generosity.”
Allegri also highlighted the impact that Ronaldo had on Juventus during the forward's time with the team but noted that the club simply has to move on now.
“He scored a lot of goals,” Allegri said. “He's an extraordinary player, but we can't think about him anymore.
“I have a great group to work with, it's not that, I repeat, you can always win: you have to understand that you have to compact even more. I am confident, we have important technical and moral values.”
Following Ronaldo’s departure from the club, Juventus has been in the rumor mill over possibly hauling in a player who can help replace his goal-scoring production. One recent report noted that the club is interested in signing Everton forward Moise Kean — a player who notably left the Serie A powerhouse over the 2019 summer transfer window.
The ongoing transfer window will close in mere days, so it remains to be seen on whether Juventus club officials will move forth with signing Kean or another notable center forward on a permanent transfer deal.
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