Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri warns they can’t be distracted by Manchester United – “winning games is not easy”.
The Bianconeri face the Red Devils in the Champions League on Wednesday, but first they take on Cagliari in Turin.
“I’m asking for what we have to do, which is to win the game,” Allegri began in his pre-match Press conference.
“The proof of that is Empoli where we struggled, because we started well and then fell asleep. So winning games is not easy.
Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri warns they can’t be distracted by Manchester United – “winning games is not easy”.
The Bianconeri face the Red Devils in the Champions League on Wednesday, but first they take on Cagliari in Turin.
“I’m asking for what we have to do, which is to win the game,” Allegri began in his pre-match Press conference.
“The proof of that is Empoli where we struggled, because we started well and then fell asleep. So winning games is not easy.
“You’re playing against teams with their own goals to achieve, and then they’re playing against Juventus so getting a result is an important scalp for them, particularly this year.
“We need to show great respect and keep our concentration high to win these games, which you can only win on the pitch.
“We can’t afford to drop points because Inter and Napoli are behind us. It’s a long season, there are many points available and we can’t afford to get it wrong.
“The league is different from the Champions League, because in the latter there are fewer games and they’re all high profile.
“In the league it’s different, and we could put the league at risk with these drops in intensity. We actually suffered less against Genoa [a draw] than against Empoli [a win].
“Tomorrow we face Cagliari, the team that runs the most. They have good technique and a striker like [Leonardo] Pavoletti who is one of the best in the penalty box and in the air.
"Cagliari are a very fast team and above all they have Pavoletti who is very strong in the air. We are a very physical team if [Mario] Mandzukic plays, without him we become less physical
“We need to get back to winning ways in our stadium in the the league, and after that we can think about the Champions League.
“We have the chance to secure qualification and then we go to Milan before the international break. We have a nice week ahead of us.
“We’re going strong, but so are those behind us. Inter are having a great season, Napoli lost the head-to-head game and that’s the only difference between ourselves and Napoli.
“We can’t think about what has been done, we have a game tomorrow that we have to win. To do that you need great respect for the opponent throughout the game, unless you can kill it before then.
“This year we’re creating more than last year but we’re scoring less. Part of that lower percentage is scoring on a dead ball, and we have to do that tomorrow.
"We also need to try not to concede, because we've conceded seven so far and that projects to 30 across the season.
"That could put the Scudetto at risk, because with 30 goals conceded you won't win the league.
It was reported this morning that Giorgio Chellini could miss out…
“Chiellini and [Federico] Bernardeschi will be out tomorrow. [Sami] Khedira and [Mario] Mandzukic are back in the group.
"[Miralem] Pjanic and [Blaise] Matuidi will play unless they pass out today. For the third I need to choose between [Rodrigo] Bentancur, [Juan] Cuadrado as a mezzala or Khedira, who hasn't played for a long time.
"At the back [Joao] Cancelo will come back in, [Leo] Bonucci will play and then I have to choose one centre-back and who will play left-back, Alex Sandro – who has played a lot of games – or [Mattia] De Sciglio.
"Up-front Ronaldo will play and I need to decide who will play with him. Mandzukic is fine, he needed to recover his mental energy as much as anything.
"We'll see if we go for two midfielders or three, and who goes next to Ronaldo. It could be [Paulo] Dybala, Mandzukic or Douglas Costa, who is getting back to top condition.
"Mattia Perin? No, [Wojciech] Szczesny will play. Perin will get his chance though, Juventus need two great goalkeepers but of course there has to be a first and a second.
"The decision to sign Perin was inspired though."
Even before his injury, many pundits and fans felt Bernardeschi had suffered a drop in form.
“We need to be balanced,” Allegri said.
“Federico has made great strides, but after the first games he was painted as someone who was transformed and was already a great player.
“Then we went to the national team and came back with a muscular problem and he played through it. Now I’ve put him out and until he’s fit he won’t be back. His recent performances are due to that.
“It takes calm and balance, we got caught up in early enthusiasm, but players need to grow mentally.
“Federico made a crazy jump in quality, which is to his credit, but finding the right maturity takes time. That goes for him, [Daniele] Rugani and many youngsters in Italy.
“In Italy we get too carried away.”