Massimiliano Allegri compares Juventus to Jannik Sinner and Inter to Novak Djokovic but doesn’t want to upset the ‘touchy’ Nerazzurri.
Allegri spoke at a pre-match press conference on Friday on the eve of a Serie A game against Empoli. The whole country has been captured by Sinner’s win over Djokovic in the Australian Open semis, so Allegri was asked to compare Serie A title candidates Inter and Juventus to the two tennis stars.
“I want to congratulate Sinner, who played an extraordinary game. He has a bright future ahead and played against a legend like Djokovic, who is always a pleasure to watch,” said Allegri.
“The only thing I can say is that if we are younger, then we must be Sinner and they are Djokovic. But I don’t know…I don’t want them to take it badly, they are touchy.”
Allegri referred to a previous claim he had made comparing the Serie A title race to a challenge between ‘thieves and guards.’ According to Gazzetta, Inter directors hadn’t taken his joke well.
Inter and Juventus will meet at San Siro on February 4, but Allegri urged his players to only focus on the next home game against Empoli.
“The team is doing well, the guys have worked and we know we have to do well,” he said.
“We must think about ourselves; Empoli are a tricky team, they have quality, and they play good football. It’s important to remain balanced.”
Nevertheless, the Tuscany-born coach received more questions on the title race than the next league fixture.
“Inter are a strong team; they are the favourite, and they’ve earned many points, so we must be proud to be close to them,” he said.
Milan, Napoli, Conte and former Serie A stars react to Sinner beating Djokovic
“This doesn’t mean we must be satisfied with what we’ve done until now. Inter are doing extraordinary things. They’ve just won the Supercoppa and played a Champions League Final last season. It’s so nice for us to face them because we are following different trajectories.
“Don’t forget about Milan. At the moment, they have earned more points than last season and their bad moment is behind them,” continued Allegri.
Juventus are currently the table leaders, but Inter have a game in hand and Allegri said he hadn’t seen a different attitude from his players this week.
“I think we didn’t even realise [to be leaders], luckily. Inter have a game in hand and I repeat, Milan can join the race for the first three placements. I always say that balance is the most important thing so we must focus on one game at a time.
“It’s useless to think about what will happen in three months; football is so bad that one day you are good, but the day after, you are not good enough. Surely, this is a team with a bright future ahead,” continued the Old Lady’s coach.
“When I spoke about an impossible target I was not talking about the Scudetto. It’s a psychological condition that we need in our heads. We need to give our best and believe in what we do. Self-esteem is vital and if there will be better teams at the end of the season, we’ll congratulate them. We must be convinced we can do great things. Perfection doesn’t exist, but we must aim for that because it pushes you high and high.”
Talking about his line-up decisions for tomorrow’s game, the Tuscan coach said Fabio Miretti would start, while Federico Chiesa won’t be available as expected.
“Chiesa is not available for tomorrow. He didn’t train for a week,” said Allegri.
“We hope he’ll be available against Inter in the best possible condition. We must recover him because he’s a very important player to us. The second part of the season has just begun, and we must earn many points and play in the Coppa Italia semis.
“I think Miretti will play. I have a few doubts about the wingers and defence. I will see whether Danilo will play given that he is on a yellow card.
“Fabio [Miretti] was born in 2003 and has already played 15 games this season. He has more than 50 games at Juventus, which is not easy, especially at his age. I think he can do even more because he has great potential. Like all the players with less experience, we must let them grow. It happened to all young players; it’s normal and a growth process that will allow them to play all games well.
“We have a difficult game tomorrow, which we must win by doing good things, nothing out of the ordinary. We’ll have a week to prepare for the following game. We must remain balanced, knowing that we have a game against Empoli tomorrow, right now I don’t think about the table.
“Yildiz is a player who has done really well in these games. Federico [Chiesa] is unique because he quickly brings the ball to the other side of the pitch; sometimes, he goes wide, while Yildz stays more in the middle. He needs the freedom to make errors, but he is already settled for his age.
“As for Weah, I must decide,” continued Allegri.
“As I always say, substitutions are crucial. Weah did well in Lecce; everyone gave their contribution from the bench, including Iling, Alex Sandro, and Milik. Everyone must be ready: those who start and those who go on the bench.
“Milik is doing well physically. He is a reliable player with great technique who is always decisive when he’s involved. The important thing is to keep this spirit and play in the Champions League next season. Everyone has this target, the more games we have, the more everyone plays.”
Lastly, he spoke about Moise Kean, who could soon join Atletico Madrid on loan.
“Kean is resuming training. At the moment, he is a Juventus player; we’ll see what happens in the next few days before the end of the transfer window is closed,” concluded Allegri.
I wish he gave the same amount of game time to Nicolussi Caviglia as he does to the overrated Miretti. Caviglia is a far better midfielder than Miretti. Playing Miretti is like playing with 10 men as he often wonders the field not having much of a clue.