Max Allegri is finding it more and more difficult to deny Juventus are in the Scudetto race with Inter after beating reigning champions Napoli. ‘The more we get these results…’
It was another victory by ‘Corto Muso’ as Allegri likes to call it, referring to the horse races that are won ‘by a nose’, decided once again by defender Federico Gatti.
The centre-back had also secured the success against Monza last week and this evening steered a header from Andrea Cambiaso’s cross past Alex Meret.
While Danilo and Adrien Rabiot do not hide that the team is thinking about challenging Inter for the Scudetto, their coach continues to hide that ambition.
“Winning this evening was very important, because we put Napoli at -12 and that is a great result,” Allegri told DAZN.
“As for dreams and the Scudetto, we need to keep improving step by step, especially when we make too many mistakes. We did well in the first half, moving the ball side to side, then in difficult moments the team becomes a block of granite.
“Napoli had a lot of the ball yes, but not huge opportunities and we had the right spirit.”
There were certainly Napoli chances in the first half, as Kvicha Kvaratskhelia fired over one-on-one with the goalkeeper, then Wojciech Szczesny made an extraordinary reaction save on Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
“I have a group of lads who work hard. What we need to do is slow things down, not always try to make it one-touch football. We should control the ball better in some moments of the match.”
Allegri was asked if he sticks to the same line on the title race in the locker room as he does in front of the media.
“We can even say in the locker room that we have the ambition to win the Scudetto, but you need to get results. There’s no point talking about what might be, we need to focus on what is. The more we play like this, the more we get these results, the more we keep clear of fifth place and the more we keep up with the leaders who at this moment are the strongest team in the league.
“The lads are eager to improve, very humble and know what their limits are, so we are working on them. The fact that we don’t lose our heads at an error is already a big step forward.”
The reporters tried a different tack trying to ask Allegri if beating Milan and Napoli, then drawing with Inter, made Juventus a ‘big’ team?
“Naturally, head-to-head matches have their weight, but so do games like the next with Genoa. This is football, you sometimes have moments of great excitement, sometimes depression, but what we must try to do is find a balance in all things.
“After the error with that counter-attack where we risked conceding a similar goal to the one with Inter, the team did not lose its way. That is a show of maturity.
“Similarly, when Osimhen had that goal disallowed, we did not get anxious. There are areas we need to improve, but in terms of mentality, there has already been progress.”
Dusan Vlahovic went off with a muscular problem, although initial reports suggest it is nothing serious.
Gatti scoring so many goals suits the image of Juventus, who have always been based more on water-carriers than creative figures.
“Vlahovic dominated his opponents this evening, Chiesa did well, but they both realised that they have to work for the team, press hard and keep the tempo up.
“Juventus, let us not disguise it, have in their DNA for 120 years that you get results through hard work and effort.”