TURIN, ITALY: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said the Italian champions will need more composure in the Champions League if they are to qualify from Group A following a 2-0 win over Malmo on Tuesday.
Carlos Tevez ended his five-year goal drought in the competition with a second-half brace to give Juve a precious 2-0 win over the Swedish champions in Turin on Tuesday.
But, despite praising the Argentinian striker, Allegri admitted his frustration with Juve’s failure to convert a string of chances.
The 47-year-old Italian, who took over from Antonio Conte last month, said he expects a tough campaign in a group that also features Olympiakos and last season’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid.
Olympiakos caused an upset when they claimed a 3-2 home win over the Spaniards.
“There are never easy games in Europe and before this game we knew Malmo would try to close us down as much as possible,” said Allegri.
“We got the points, but it was a moderate win. We missed a lot of chances to score goals — Fernando Llorente missed several chances himself — and at times we were disorganised, especially in the first half.
“There are a lot of things we have to improve on. It’s a balanced group and anything can happen. I don’t think it will be easy for any team to come away from Malmo with the win, for example.”
Malmo, who battled through three knockout rounds to reach the group stages, played with plenty of heart, but Age Hareide’s men were outclassed at a near packed-out Juventus Stadium.
“We were very disciplined in the first half, we forced them into the corners as we’d set out to do,” said Hareide.
“But I think the difference was absolutely Carlos Tevez — although Juventus are full of quality players.”
