Max Allegri says the result against Inter will come down entirely to having a clear head, whilst he plays down Carlos Tevez’s recent words.
Juventus will be facing a revived Nerazzurro side that will be able to count on new signing Lukas Podolski, whose move from Arsenal looks likely to be completed in time for tomorrow’s kick-off.
Nonetheless, Allegri is upbeat himself going into the match, saying that the first few days of the new year have been positive.
Max Allegri says the result against Inter will come down entirely to having a clear head, whilst he plays down Carlos Tevez’s recent words.
Juventus will be facing a revived Nerazzurro side that will be able to count on new signing Lukas Podolski, whose move from Arsenal looks likely to be completed in time for tomorrow’s kick-off.
Nonetheless, Allegri is upbeat himself going into the match, saying that the first few days of the new year have been positive.
“The beginning of the year was good, the team returned with drive,” said the former Milan Coach in a press conference before the Derby d'Italia.
“We had a few days of holiday after these first five months that were very intense for us. Tomorrow we have the classic Derby d'Italia, against a team that has been making progress as of late.
“They have found greater self-esteem and above all else they are dangerous now. It's enough to look at the upsets with Barcelona and Real Madrid yesterday.
“The first game of the year is always difficult, it's a strange game, like the first of the League. The winner tomorrow will be the one with the higher levels of attention and concentration. It's neither a physical nor a technical matter – it's all in the head.
“As far as our injuries go, [Martin] Caceres and [Luca] Marrone are back in the group and ready to go.
“The only one I had to leave out was [Andrea] Barzagli, aside from [Kwadwo] Asamoah and Romulo, who won't be available for a bit of time. Everyone else is fine, more or less, so tomorrow I'll be able to make – I hope – the right decisions.”
Juve head into this fixture looking to make amends for their Supercup defeat to Napoli at the end of 2014 in Qatar.
“I wouldn't say there's a fallback from Doha. In football I like winning, always, but the game in Doha was resolved after 15 penalties, and after we had three match-balls.
“We played a game in which we created play and conceded a few shots too many, against a team with some excellent qualities in the attack, and which we'll meet again in seven days.
“It's a shame that we lost, but I'd say that Juventus' path, from the day I arrived on July 16, is clear in terms of its objectives. Of course to bring it full-circle we have to reach the end of it, and there are still five months to go.
“We no longer have the time to make mistakes and as we head for the end of the season, our objectives become ever closer – the Champions League, the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia.”
Allegri was asked about Carlos Tevez, who said last week that he would not renew his contract beyond the summer of 2016.
“There's still a year-and-a-half to go and often people change their minds, he might have said things in a moment of relaxation.
“Other than that I don't think there's anything strange about what he said. In Italy sometimes we do some retrospective re-branding that is of little use.
“We are professionals and one of us can comfortably entertain the idea of leaving his team, or ceasing altogether, or going back to his country.
“But I don't think there's anything strange, and I expect Tevez to remain a professional until the end.
“I think that in America professionalism is lived this way and I doubt they do as much retrospective thinking as we do in Italy.
“A professional may want to leave, and in that case he's right to do so, for his own good and that of the club.
“Football, like life, doesn't stop. Otherwise we'd still be doing things as in the age of Pele. One stops and another arrives, the Coach leaves and another arrives, the director and the President leave, but in the end what's always there is the club. Nothing strange about that.”
Tevez is currently the most prominent goalscorer among the Bianconeri, but Allegri denied that their attack was over-reliant on him.
“We notched 34 goals, if I'm not mistaken. In Doha we had a lot of chances. Tevez plays as a forward, he plays more than anybody else and given his qualities I think it's within the norm that he should be our leading scorer.
“Llorente has scored some goals, and so has [Alvaro] Morata. The midfielders scored too.
“People often say that [Arturo] Vidal is no longer the same as he was last year. Vidal already counts five goals and at this rate he may reach 10-12, and we're talking about a midfielder…
“The strikers aren’t struggling for the work I ask them to do, there are times when they're the ones who score, others when the midfielders score.
“At the end of the season the numbers are there and there's no getting away from them. Our strikers have to meet a quota of goals, the midfielders likewise, and the same for the defenders.
“Now I'd like to see some goals by the defenders on dead ball situations.”