08 November 2014
Juve have changed formation. Allegri opted for a 4-2-3-1 for the first time against Olympiacos on Tuesday night and his players performed so well they've convinced the coach to use it once more against Parma.
"We'll push on from Tuesday night's match," said Allegri on the eve of the game against the side from Emilia-Romagna. "We've gone back to something we began talking about over the summer, before – for various reasons – I decided to continue with our old formation. But now we'll change – as we seek new motivation as well – because the players have the ability to do so."
There are three possible options for the left side with Asamoah and Evra unavailable: "Padoin or Ogbonna could play there, or Chiellini could start on the left with Ogbonna in the middle.
"I don't believe this side can play with three up front but it depends on how hard the forwards work when we don't have the ball.
"We need balance and tomorrow will be tough because we've just played an intense match where we spent a lot of energy both mentally and physically.
"Everyone said Parma were doomed but they come into the game on the back of a win over Inter. They have quality in their side and have new-found confidence. They're organised defensively and have an incredible player with great technique in the shape of Cassano.
"We'll need to be up for it and Tuesday's victory must give us the motivation we need to win tomorrow."
The recent Champions League match could be a turning point in the Bianconeri's European campaign, despite the penalty miss at the end, which would have given Juve the better head-to-head record should they finish level on points with Olympiacos.
"The penalty was important but misses happen. We were gutted about that miss after the match but were positive after the team's great performance. That doesn't mean we've resolved all our issues or that we don't need to improve. We had a good approach to the game on Tuesday: we played with courage and reacted to falling behind but we need to getbetter in terms of our finishing and be more clinical in front of goal.
"The way to do so is by training and getting into the habit of scoring goals. You can only improve through practice. Just look at basketball players: they shoot thousands of times and in the end they find the basket. You can improve at anything through hard work, it's not just scoring goals, it applies to crosses, passing...
"Of course you need maximum determination in training too. We mustn't get too excited when things go well, nor be too down when we go through tough times."
Balance is the watchword because the season still has a long way to go and, as seen from Napoli's recent results, there will be highs and lows.
"I was in no doubt that Napoli would bounce back. They're a quality side and have been at the top of the table for a number of years. As I said a couple of months ago, an unlucky game against Athletic Bilbao couldn't simply wipe out their quality. They just needed a couple of wins to get back to where they should be.
"I'd prefer the team in second to be 10 points behind but that's impossible because Roma and Napoli are top teams, just like the other sides that have made a slightly slower start. I'm sure Inter, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio will all come back – without forgetting that Samp are playing well. The league is a lot more balanced than it looks."
Coming back to Juve and the need to improve in the final third, you can't help but think about potential strike partnerships. The press claim that Tevez appears to have a greater rapport with Llorente.
Allegri said: "I think that's because they've played together for a year but Morata has also performed well. Morata is a different player to Llorente, he's young and needs to learn more tactically. Llorente leads the line well up top, while Morata mixes it up more and at times it's more difficult to find him, but I think Tevez has the attributes to playwith him.
"As for the fact that Tevez has not scored in a few games, I would have loved him to continue with that scoring rate from the opening weeks of the season but he would have ended up with 40 goals... he's playing well, he's had other chances and is working hard for the team.
"We've shared the goals around well between the strikers and midfielders; we just need the defenders to pitch in now."
With the strikers being rotated, the only one who hasn't featured as much is Coman, but "he has a bright future. He's got good technique, he's quick and at certain moments in a game he can cause the opposition problems and give you the edge."
Domestic action comes to a halt after the Parma game and Allegri will once again find himself working with a severely depleted squad. However,the international break does provide an opportunity to get some of the injured players fit.
"Caceres will be available again after the break and I think Evra will too. Barzagli has further to go, Marrone hasn't started running again yet and Asamoah will train on his own for a fortnight or so. Apart from our injured players we'll only have four lads staying behind... Pepe, who is available for tomorrow, Padoin, Romulo and Llorente, besides the keepers.
"In any case I'm always happy when my players get called up to their national sides. It means training will be more complicated but we'll work more on an individual basis."
So far Allegri's work has been paying off and he's won everyone over.
"I've always had the utmost respect for the fans. I joined Juve on 16 July and I knew it would take a bit of time to win them over. They were - and I think still are - very attached to Conte after winning three straight league titles. At the end of the day it's the lads who go out on there pitch. I just have to make sure I don't do any damage."
The boss then concluded: "The fans' support for me and the players is important. Playing at Juventus Stadium always gives us an advantage and it must remain that way."
