Capello frustrated with Juventus forward Vlahovic

Fabio Capello criticised Dusan Vlahovic’s reaction to being substituted against Monza as he called for more from the Juventus striker.

Juve came from behind to beat Monza 2-1 on Sunday and get back to winning ways in Serie A after a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Venezia the week before.

Vlahovic has scored just seven goals in 15 league games this season, with four of those coming from the penalty spot, while the Serbia international has underperformed his expected goals (xG) of 9.68.

The former Fiorentina forward managed just two shots against Monza, though he did have eight touches in the opposition’s box, a team-high.

Despite the win, Vlahovic, who did not score or assist, was visibly frustrated when he came off in the 85th minute, and Capello was not pleased with his demeanour.

He told Gazzetta: “I hope he was angry with himself and not [Thiago] Motta.

“I don’t understand such behaviour. It shows a lack of respect for the coach and the team-mate who entered the pitch.

“Dusan was probably irritable about not scoring, but it’s not okay.”

Last night in #MonzaJuve, we reached our 1700th @SerieA_EN win! pic.twitter.com/5jCflCJQ4i

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 23, 2024

Capello was not lavish in his praise of Juve’s performance overall, as the Bianconeri failed to put the game to bed despite having numerous chances in the second half.

“It was a good first half,” he added.

“They just focused on defending in the final 25 minutes, tracking back inside their box. I expected something different.”

Despite an unbeaten start to the season, 10 draws from their opening 17 matches means Juventus are already nine points off league leaders Atalanta, though Capello believes reigning champions Inter, who are third, are still favourites for the title.

Referring to Inter’s 2-0 win over Como on Monday, he said: “They weren’t sharp as usual, but they deserved to win.

“Even if Lautaro [Martinez] continues not scoring, [Simone] Inzaghi remains the favourite for the Scudetto.”