Max Allegri explains why he stormed off before the end of the 1-0 win over Inter and insists Juventus should’ve scored more, but loses his temper when asked about the handball. ‘Talk about football, not referees. We are gentlemen in that sense.’
The Bianconeri took all three points from San Siro thanks to a Filip Kostic goal, but there were serious questions once again about a potential Adrien Rabiot handball in the build-up.
After last week’s win over Sampdoria, it was an almost identical situation, with Rabiot very much giving the impression of controlling with his upper arm, but there being no clear and obvious footage to over-rule the referee.
While Inter weren’t happy with the refereeing, neither were Juve, as Allegri stormed off into the tunnel several minutes before the match had come to an end.
It means he missed the two red cards after the final whistle for Leandro Paredes and Danilo D’Ambrosio.
“They didn’t need me anymore at that point. I was getting irritated, so rather than get myself booked or sent off, I decided it was best to leave. I left it in their hands, the players knew what they were doing,” assured Allegri.
“It was very important for us and always difficult to surprise Inter on home turf. We were able to win a physical match, the team pressed well and allowed very little at the back, but we wasted three or four really easy opportunities to score. The choice in the final ball, that is where we absolutely need to improve.
“I thank the team for giving me a nice relaxing break for international duty, because otherwise it’s a tense time. You have to win games also to enjoy the next few days of your life, so I tell the lads, I am of a certain age now, so please win and don’t make me suffer too much. They did well.”
Manuel Locatelli, Rabiot and Nicolò Fagioli are starting to form a very strong midfield group, considering the number of players who are either injured or have been pushed to the bench by their form.
“The whole team has improved in general. We defended well as a team, we never let them get past us. Unfortunately, we haven’t really had Pogba at all, Paredes did well at the start and then I used him less, but these are all reliable players. Fagioli has quality and quantity, Locatelli is very good at closing down moves in that role.
“I think Dusan Vlahovic had his best performance since he has been at Juventus. Matias Soule was born in 2003, he did well. Juve have been giving a lot of playing time to these NextGen players and that is a success for the club.
“As I said, it’s the choice of final ball when attacking we need to get right, but this team has heart and determination. I always say that those who are not in this situation cannot understand what it is like. The team found itself with 15 points taken off, that is not easy, but we reached the Europa League quarter-finals, the Coppa Italia semi-final against this Inter and maintained the passion for what they are doing.
“Now we need to unite with our fans and start the push towards the end of the season.”
The appeal against the 15-point penalty will be heard on April 19, but even without that verdict going their way, Juve are still closing fast on the top four.
They now have 41 points, just seven behind Milan in fourth place on 47, while Milan are on 48, Inter 50 and Lazio now second on 52.
Without the penalty, Juve would be four clear in second place on 56 points.
However, the interview took a turn for the worse when it came to discussing the potential Rabiot handling offence in the build-up to the goal.
“Don’t make me angry… Referee’s decisions need to be accepted, they can go one way or another. We didn’t make a fuss after that Salernitana situation, then earlier this season against Inter we had a goal disallowed and they couldn’t tell if it was handball or not.
“Juve are gentlemen in that sense, we don’t stir up too much trouble. Talk about football, not referees. When VAR was introduced and Atalanta had a goal disallowed a minute later, I said if VAR is objective, then it is functional, but if it becomes subjective, that is a problem.
“The Salernitana offside was objective. If the VAR had disallowed this goal because it felt maybe Rabiot had handled, that is a subjective decision. You are the first to create a sense of bad faith in the referees by always asking these questions.
“Ask me why I picked this player or that one, why I made this substitution, not always trying to cause controversy.”