Juventus boss Max Allegri calls in a psychologist to try to improve side

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri asked for immediate answers on the pitch following their fourth Serie A defeat of the season on Saturday.

And before starting this week's training Allegri brought in a team psychologist to speak to players to try to help them recover from the dismal start to the campaign.

Juventus have chosen to summon the psychologist to try to fix a season that seems to be already over.

The Old Lady were beaten 2-1 by Verona with Weston McKennie scoring a consolation goal in the 80th minute. Despite the impressive performance of their opponents, Juventus showed that their players are not up to the demands and pressures that comes with being on the books of the Italian giants.

Professor Giuseppe Vercelli was on the sidelines on the eve of the Champions League victory over Chelsea last month and his presence is welcome for the superstitious Allegri.

Allegri and Vercelli are very close friends with the professor attending the launch of the manager's book a few years ago. Vercelli will stay with the squad at the J Hotel until Saturday with the side welcoming Fiorentina this weekend.

Juventus, who face Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Tuesday night, want to improve their mental strength in this challenging period, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Vercelli is considering how to rebuild Juventus stars after back-to-back defeats but he is an expert in the psychology of performance and will try to focus above all on the heads of the top players who came out battered from Verona.

Both Alvaro Morata and Adrien Rabiot played the worst games of their careers and together they cost Juventus around £26million each.

But the entire team is afraid, full of nerves and seems to suffer from constant worry during games. The whole environment is frustrated and concerned that their participation in next season's Champions League is at risk.

Juventus are currently lacking personality and leadership following the departure of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. Verona committed 25 fouls compared to Juventus' eight on Saturday as the team appears naive.

Spanish striker Morata did not test the Verona defence and is seriously lacking in confidence. He's not getting many shots off, has been losing duels and been looking for fouls - which have not come.

The chances of Juventus opting to spend £30m to sign the Atletico Madrid striker on a permanent basis are slim and this is likely to be his last season in Italy.

Meanwhile Rabiot fails to produce the performances he does for his country France at club level. He looks like a tiny fish immersed in an ocean of sharks at Juventus.

He loses all physical tackles and too often makes technical mistakes that should not be happen in Italy's top flight.

Another midfielder who has failed to meet expectations is former Arsenal man Aaron Ramsey. His Juventus career has been blighted by injuries and he was not even on he bench at Verona at the weekend.

Even if he had been on the pitch, he would have been crushed by the great pace and intensity of the Verona team. His stint in Italy will be remembered as a very well-paid vacation.

Juventus will do everything to try to sell him abroad in January but hardly any club will be willing to invest money in a player whose injury record is so poor.

Allegri's outfit have taken just 15 points from 11 league matches and the manager will be hoping Vercelli can help to turn the tide.