Max Allegri explains why he stormed off in a rage before the final whistle against Verona, acknowledging Juventus ‘didn’t play very well’ in the 1-0 victory, and reiterates they ‘earned 59 points on the field.’
The Bianconeri did the absolute minimum required to get the three points from a Hellas Verona side in the relegation zone.
Moise Kean got the only goal, finishing off a well-worked team move with Manuel Locatelli assist, but Gleison Bremer missed a sitter by shinning it wide from a yard and Wojciech Szczesny was forced into some saves.
Allegri was so furious that he stormed off down the tunnel before the final whistle, not the first time he has vented his frustration at the players.
“We knew the difficulties of this game, as Verona are physically strong and have quality, both teams had chances to score. We started the second half well and could’ve doubled our lead, we did not, but still brought home the result,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
Although he managed to avoid flinging his coat this time, what was it that infuriated Allegri so much that he had to walk away?
“We didn’t play very well and I think in the last five minutes we had to go and score a second goal, keep pushing them and maintain the pressure. It doesn’t seem like much five minutes, but all Verona needed was a long ball into the box and anything could happen. We could’ve been here licking our wounds if they had equalised.”
Considering Inter lost to Fiorentina today, Juve have clawed their way back to within six points of third-placed Inter, despite the 15-point penalty.
“This result means we have earned 59 points on the field, closing the gap on Inter and momentarily on Milan and Lazio. We’ve got Inter on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia and then Lazio on Saturday, so we’ve got to be ready.”
The verdict on their appeal against that penalty will be heard on April 19, a potentially decisive moment for not just this season, but also the club’s future.
“In football if you have a good run of results, that allows you to catch up pretty quickly. We have to take it one step at a time. The ‘real’ table that we see there shows we are still four points off the Champions League spots and that is a lot.
“I repeat, it is not easy to play in these circumstances, but the lads are doing well. The first game back after international duty is also usually a tricky one and they did well to get it done.”
Kean has scored six goals from open play this season, the same amount as Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik, but while this is an improvement for the Italian, the Serbian still seems like a shadow of the striker seen at Fiorentina.
“Vlahovic is doing some good things, especially against Inter. I realise that from the outside Dusan is seen as the one who was meant to resolve Juve’s problems. He arrived in January last year and gave us a crucial push with enthusiasm, but he had only one season at Fiorentina under his belt and playing at Juventus is not the same as other clubs.
“I think he is doing better than last season on a technical level, so I am pleased with that. He just needs to stay calm. Kean and Vlahovic are more finishers, while Milik has more experience and knows where the ball will land.”