Massimiliano Allegri and Danilo met the media on the eve of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with Benfica. Here are Lorenzo Bettoni’s five takeaways from their press conferences.
It’s a must-win match for the Bianconeri who lost their opening group stage game against PSG last week.
Allegri didn’t only talk about the upcoming European fixture but once again discussed the VAR scandal in their home Serie A clash with Salernitana on Sunday, although from a different perspective.
Allegri was sent off for dissent but still hopes to be in the dugout against Monza on Sunday.
He said that he is open to paying a fine and being allowed to lead the team from the touchline, suggesting that the competent authorities should take this solution into account for every coach in the future so that they can also raise funds for charities.
As for the Benfica match, Allegri stressed that his lads should not be in a hurry as they have 90+ minutes to score.
Here are the five takeaways from Allegri and Danilo’s press conferences. Click here for the live coverage from the Allianz Stadium.
Allegri on VAR and fines
I’ve never expressed any judgements on referees, it’s not up to me to express my opinion on that. I don’t know if I’ll take part in the next game. Maybe it would be better to pay a fine for coaches, to help charity, I’d like to be on the pitch. This should be food for thought in my opinion. On Sunday I had a negative reaction and I was very sorry. Rather than be sent off and disqualified I’d prefer to pay a fine instead.
Allegri on Juventus‘ approach against Benfica
We should not do excessively, we must do. Matches are long, we can’t exaggerate, we all want to do the best, but it’s not what football requires. You must be balanced, we must consider that we’ll play for 95 and we have time to win the game. We must calm down and be focused. It also depends on the environment, sometimes we lose our patience. We need to play as a team and be solid.
Team news and line-up choices
We have recovered Di Maria, but I don’t know if he’ll start. Alex Sandro after the penalty on Sunday had a problem, we’ll see if he can recover for Monza. Locatelli and Rabiot are out. I have doubts about the midfield, tomorrow morning I will decide. We have been recovering our energies for tomorrow’s match.
Danilo on what Juventus learned in Paris
The second half taught us something important, we need to believe until the very end, believe in what we prepared and have more self-confidence.
Danilo on Juventus’ mentality
It’s going to be a decisive match, it’s important because we didn’t win the first match. If we don’t win, it won’t be good for us. It’s a crucial game and we feel the responsibility but without pressure. The secret of these games is to spot the right opportunities. We expect fans to be here and support us. We have a great responsibility.