Max Allegri ‘always said Inter were the favourites for the Scudetto’ and is not going to change his tune after Juventus lost the head-to-head. ‘They have more experience.’
This was seen as a showdown at the top of the table, but in the last two weeks Juve were held 1-1 by Empoli and lost 1-0 at San Siro to slide four points adrift of the leaders.
That is particularly damning considering that Inter have a game in hand, to be played against fourth-placed Atalanta on February 28.
Allegri had claimed throughout the season that Juve were not challenging for the title and has certainly not changed his tune now.
“We knew it was a difficult match. The first half was balanced, they scored this goal, we missed one with Vlahovic,” the coach told DAZN after a Federico Gatti own goal proved decisive.
“It opened up after the break and was more entertaining to watch too, as they are dangerous when they go on the counter-attack. We must improve, but I can only congratulate my lads for what they did.
“We did not expect to be in this position in June, as Inter and Juve were coming off very different campaigns. We are pleased to be doing so well, angry about this defeat, but I always said Inter were the favourites for the Scudetto and I stand by that.
“If we do well to win a few games and stay close to them, that’s good. Milan are in the mix too and the unexpected is always around the corner.”
While Inter had practically a full squad, Juve had Arkadiusz Milik suspended and Moise Kean injured, leaving few alternatives in attack.
Nonetheless, he picked Kenan Yildiz to start upfront with Dusan Vlahovic rather than Federico Chiesa.
“I thought about Chiesa with Yildiz, but the game could’ve been broken up even more. Chiesa only had two training sessions and I didn’t want to risk him. We had some favourable situations, including at the end with a fine cross.
“I cannot reproach my lads, it can happen in a season that you go through a negative period. We have to focus on the next game against Udinese and playing in the Champions League next season.
“Inter have a lot more experience, we had not played a top of the table match in three years, so we paid the tension of the occasion. It is a step forward in the growth process that we needed to make.
“There is a long way to go this season and many points up for grabs, so we must be quick to emerge from this crisis. The lads did well in the second half and fought hard against a very strong team.”
#SerieA | #Juventus, le parole di Massimiliano #Allegri dopo la sconfitta contro l’#Inter: “Bisogna essere veloci a uscire dalla crisi” https://t.co/MO1CVOLuVB
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 4, 2024
Print that photo of Allegri together with the headline quote, and you’ve got a lovely bookmark…