The team's contrasting display against Saussolo has perplexed me, admits Maurizio Sarri

Juventus’ away trip to Saussolo ended on a sour note as they gave away a two-goal lead and were then forced to trail by a goal for 10 minutes, before netting an equaliser. Their fallancy to hold the fort has seen their lead at the top of the table reduced to seven points; with five matches left to play in the season. However, with Lazio and Inter Milan in good form, the draw could prove to be a massive boost for those two sides although they do have a seven point margin to overcome.

That has seen Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri admit that he is ‘perplexed’ by his side’s ups and down performances this season, especially after what happened in Wednesday’s match against Sassuolo. The Italian boss also added that their defensive frailties have caused them serious problems this season and that is something they need to fix.

"At times we give the impression of having very high potential and at other times the team leave me perplexed because they allow the opponents to get to our area easily," said Maurizio Sarri, as reported by Reuters.

"After we went 2-0 ahead, we should have kept Sassuolo in their half of the pitch by holding possession. But we tore forward, trying to goals score with two passes and leaving a gap of 30 to 40 metres (in midfield) which leads to an end-to-end game,” added the manager.

Juventus’ slip-up means the race for the championship is wide open once again, with Atalanta, Lazio, and Inter Milan all in contention for the silverware at the moment. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. will face Lazio on this coming weekend, a match which can prove decisive in the context of the Serie A title.