Massimiliano Allegri insists Juventus ‘can’t stop’ after a 2-1 win over Monza but doesn’t guarantee Dusan Vlahovic will take the next penalty: ‘We’ll see…’
A Federico Gatti winner gave Juventus all three points in an away game at Monza. Valentin Carboni had scored the equaliser one minute into stoppage time, but Gatti won the game for the Old Lady barely two minutes later.
“It’s an important victory because it came against a strong team that plays well,” Allegri told DAZN.
“We had chances to double the lead, but they kept possession in the second half. We didn’t risk much, but we left too much freedom to Carboni, who is a good player. We reacted immediately. Praise to the lads who strongly wanted to win.
“We know it’s hard to win games and all lads are working hard with great desire,” continued Allegri.
“We know our limits and we’ll work on them. We need to recover a few players. Danilo returned today, and Alex Sandro played an excellent game, hopefully, Locatelli will stop feeling pain soon.”
Juventus’ victory means the Serie A giants are back at the top of the Serie A table, waiting for Inter‘s away game at Napoli on Sunday.
“We can’t stop. On the contrary, we need to continue week in, and week out to remain as close as possible to the top of the table,” argued Allegri.
“We conceded an avoidable goal. Carboni had already cut inside three times, so we must improve. I can’t blame anyone. We must improve the ball management, especially in the second half when we are a little bit under pressure.”
Vlahovic missed a penalty in the first half. It was his third error from the spot in the last five attempts. Will Allegri change Juventus’ penalty-kick taker in the next game?
“We’ll see. If a player misses a penalty, it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t retake it,” argued the Old Lady’s boss.
“Dusan played a good game, he remained focused which is the most important thing. For the rest, we’ll see. Technically he played very well.”
Juventus had never scored against Monza in Serie A, suffering two defeats from two in the league in 2022-23.
“These are three important points away, it was important to win today against a club that didn’t even let us score last season, winning two games from two [in Serie A],” argued Allegri, who then analysed the Serie A title race.
“Napoli can get back, same as Milan. Many games are remaining and a decent winning streak is enough to bounce back. These guys must be helped and supported because they are doing important things. Our target is to qualify for the Champions League.”
There have been rumours about Allegri leaving at the end of the season and the Juventus coach joked about it.
“When it comes to November, they always speak about my future,” he noted.
“The important thing is that the lads do well. As I said yesterday, the club’s future is the most important thing. They must plan for the next few years, football can be simple with planning.
“There is a good environment with Cristiano Giuntoli, Giovanni Manna and Maurizio Scanavino, we are all on the same page. We have a clear target: play in the Champions League next season. We have some young players who are emerging and are important for the UEFA list, this is important.”