Max Allegri praised Douglas Costa and Rodrigo Bentancur after Juventus beat SPAL, but “we need to think ahead to the next move” like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2-0 result was decided by Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic.
“It wasn’t easy, as we had only 20 points in the last 10 games after a break for international duty,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
Max Allegri praised Douglas Costa and Rodrigo Bentancur after Juventus beat SPAL, but “we need to think ahead to the next move” like Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 2-0 result was decided by Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic.
“It wasn’t easy, as we had only 20 points in the last 10 games after a break for international duty,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We struggled more in the first half than the second, whereas we changed a few things with Douglas Costa behind Ronaldo and Mandzukic, so that helped the team both on and off the ball.
“Douglas Costa had a bit of a rough period due to injuries and other issues, but he put in a good performance this evening, above all in terms of personality.
“Rodrigo Bentancur has improved a great deal, although he still needs a little step forward when on the ball, as he has to pick the right pass. Timing is very important in these situations to find your teammate in a good position.
“Miralem Pjanic and Bentancur had to stay fairly static in midfield, otherwise we’d risk SPAL going on the counter-attack.
“Ronaldo moves and thinks so quickly, he saw Douglas Costa coming out the corner of his eye and pulled the pass back. We need to all improve in that sense, being able to think ahead to the next move.
“I do look at the characteristics of the opponents, but I make my choices above all based on motivation and determination. Every now and then, a spell on the bench is good for players, especially if they play all the time and can get a bit sleepy.
“It’s a very competitive squad. Daniele Rugani is a very good defender, but we have five excellent defenders. Medhi Benatia played against Milan because it was his kind of game, he had to get the crosses in the box.”