Max Allegri believes his Juventus side are on course, but reiterates that it’ll take 96 points to win the Scudetto this season.
Tomorrow sees the Bianconeri play their last match before the winter break, as they travel to Sardinia to take on Cagliari.
Juve sit one point off the top of Serie A, which could be four by kick-off tomorrow as Napoli face Verona at 14.00 UK time.
“The Scudetto projection is simple,” Allegri explained in his pre-match Press conference.
Max Allegri believes his Juventus side are on course, but reiterates that it’ll take 96 points to win the Scudetto this season.
Tomorrow sees the Bianconeri play their last match before the winter break, as they travel to Sardinia to take on Cagliari.
Juve sit one point off the top of Serie A, which could be four by kick-off tomorrow as Napoli face Verona at 14.00 UK time.
“The Scudetto projection is simple,” Allegri explained in his pre-match Press conference.
“Napoli have got 48 points, so the projection is 96 because Napoli are putting together important averages in the league.
“There’s usually a stumble in the first half of the season and we did that in Genoa [against Sampdoria].
“What we’re missing is definitely the points in Bergamo [against Atalanta] and a point at home against Lazio where there were two mistakes – which can happen – and two 95th minute penalty incidents which definitely would have changed the result.
“The team has got 47 points, which is a good number, and in fact those who are behind have become slightly detaches so the last two rounds have been important.
“There will be direct clashes to come, and we have to keep winning to stay in Napoli’s slipstream because Napoli won’t drop many points.
“After the break we have to be ready to face the second half of the season. Juventus had a good first half, we got 47 points then found that Napoli scored 48.
“We went through in the Champions League and we’re in the Coppa Italia semi-final.
“The goals Juventus set for ourselves at the start of the season mean being in contention for all three competitions in March, and we’re on course for that this year.
“Then we’ll see if we’ll be good enough to reach the final of the Coppa Italia, win the Scudetto and reach the Champions League final – that’s what we’ll see in March.
“At the moment though Juventus have done what we were supposed to do, it’s not easy to get 48 points.”
Allegri deployed Paulo Dybala as a striker in the Coppa Italia win over Torino, and it was put to the Coach that La Joya didn’t look comfortable.
“He put in a good performance like the whole team, the team played well on Wednesday night.
“Paulo, as I’ve said from the first day he arrived in Turin – and as I’ll repeat, because I’m convinced about what I say – his performances – and by that I don’t mean goals because he could end the season with 15 goals and then one year maybe get 20, but those are his numbers as well as the assists that he gets – Paulo is a player who can’t be the striker in a big team.
“He could play as a striker when he was at Palermo, because Palermo played 50 metres from the goal but Juventus play 20 metres from the goal.
“In that situation Paulo can’t be the striker, and in fact his best performances, all Paulo’s goals, came because he arrived from deep.
“Just look at the goal he scored in Verona, the second goal. He started almost as a mezzala, and in fact he could probably play as a mezzala in an attacking midfield.”
If that’s true, why did he play him as a striker against Torino?
“No, the other day he wasn’t the striker,” Allegri insisted.
“I put him there at first, but told him to then drop deeper because Mario [Mandzukic] had to play as the striker.
“Douglas Costa? He had a good game, at the end he was a bit tired because above all he’s a player who pushes and pushes, with and without the ball.
“He scored a beautiful goal, and he’s a player of extraordinary quality. He’s been an important signing for Juventus and he’s shown that over the past two months, when he’s understood Italian football a bit more.
“He’s adapted a bit, but in any case he has qualities which he wasn’t going to lose.”
Sinisa Mihajlovic was sacked yesterday after that Coppa Italia defeat, the second time he’s been sacked after losing to an Allegri side.
“I haven’t thought about it or discussed it with him. I’m very sorry, because he’s an excellent Coach who has got results wherever he’s been.
“When these situations arise it’s always unpleasant.
“But a very good Coach in [Walter] Mazzarri has returned to Italy, someone who has always achieved excellent results, and a Coach who gives his team a certain mentality.
“So I think we’ll see a different Torino in the second half of the season.”