Massimiliano Allegri believes that his Juventus team are in for a tough test against Jose Mourinho and Roma in Serie A on Saturday evening, but has insisted that the Old Lady always go into matches aiming for maximum points.
The Bianconeri coach sat down for his pre-match press conference on Friday, reported via TMW, admitting that the team are in a good run of form, but warned that they cannot get ahead of themselves just yet.
“We are in a good period but football lives off balance, so we need to keep our feet on the ground. At the moment we are not even halfway through the season, once these next two matches are over we will see where we will be in the standings,” Allegri explained.
Roma, like Juventus, are aiming for a return to the Champions League next season. The Giallorossi currently find themselves in sixth place in Serie A, but a win over Juventus would do their top four hopes the world of good.
“Tomorrow we face a frustrating team, with one of the best coaches, he doesn’t give you any advantages, if you’re not careful he’ll take you out of the match. They have talented players up front, we must not overdo it and be patient,” Allegri said.
“This is a direct clash against a strong team that has the same ambitions as us. They beat Napoli last week, a difficult match, it will be a tough game. I select the young players, but the credit goes to those who believed in them and helped them grow and now there is a nice heritage at Juventus.”
In terms of availability, Juventus have a relatively healthy set of options to chose from across the pitch, with only three players definitely out.
“Apart from De Sciglio, who has already done a couple of half-training sessions with the team, Alex Sandro who will have training for about ten days and Kean, the others are all fine.
“Tomorrow morning I will decide who to play, Weah can go on the right, McKennie with Miretti as the midfielders. I have a few ideas.”
On the areas that Juventus could improve on, Allegri added: “When we concede goals like we have, which we’re not used to because they’ve been too easy, we talk about it. The details make the difference, we have to go back to being afraid of letting goals in, otherwise you’ll make careless mistakes.”
On the differences between Juve striker Dusan Vlahovic and summer target Romelu Lukaku, Allegri said: “I have never coached Lukaku so I don’t know. Vlahovic is an important player for Juventus, we all believe in him, he is growing and like all young players he has a bright future.”
Asked whether he has spoken much to the board about his contract situation, Allegri replied: “I haven’t said anything, I don’t say anything to the club because we can only think about the present, because in an instant everything can change. We have lots of young guys playing and it’s a credit to the work put in over the last ten years.
“On the Growth Decree, Juve has worked a lot on young people and therefore is much more calm than other teams in that sense, we have an important heritage.”
Allegri finished his press conference with a rallying cry, insisting that his team must set out in every game with a winning mentality.
“You play for the result. When I went to the playground as a child, I wasn’t happy if I went home after a loss. You work for the results otherwise we would win no points in the championship, what’s the point, then?
“Let’s move forward with this mentality, we must move forward within our limits, putting personal objectives to one side for the benefit of the team. Returning to play in the Champions League is of the utmost importance for Juve.”
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