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Juventus Boss Admits Paulo Dybala Needs to 'Clear His Head' After Penalty Miss

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Juventus manager Max Allegri has called on his frustrated striker Paulo Dybala to 'clear his head', while claiming that the Argentine's mini-slump in form is important for his overall development as a player.

The Bianconeri's unbeaten run in Serie A came to an end at the weekend after losing 2-1 to Lazio. The closing minutes saw Juve handed a penalty and a huge opportunity to find an equaliser with the final kick off the game. However, Dybala saw his effort saved.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Juventus' home tie with Sporting CP, Allegri was quick to remind everyone of Dybala's calibre.

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"I talked to Paulo yesterday and he is normal, he just needs to clear his head a little bit." Allegri said.

"After the first two rounds you compared him to Messi He was like Messi, am I wrong? Then he misses two penalties.

"This moment is important for Dybala's improvement. Paul is an amazing player and an amazing player can still miss two penalties."

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Dybala became an instant hit in Turin when he joined Juve in the summer of 2015. After 70 games for the club, he now finds himself as one of the most highly-rated youngsters in Europe - having scored ten goals already in just eight Serie A appearances this season.

His attention, after the unfortunate penalty miss, now turns to Sporting CP - who his side host in the Champions League this week.

Both Juventus and Sporting sit on three points in group D - both having lost to Barcelona, and beating Olympiacos.

A win for either side will put some daylight between second and third place, with the group stages then hitting the halfway point.