27 October 2016
Massimiliano Allegri praised his side’s performance after they brushed Sampdoria aside with a 4-1 win on Wednesday night.
“This is a really important win – our approach was spot on,” said the Juve boss after the final whistle. “We started very aggressively, as we have done several times this season, but it was especially important this time because Samp were coming off the back of the derby win. We let them back in a little after the break, but we immediately regained control.”
There was real zip to the Bianconeri’s play at Juventus Stadium, and the boss was quick to stress the importance of keeping the tempo high.
“Our play works a lot better if we move the ball around quickly, and that happened tonight,” acknowledged Allegri. “Don’t get me wrong – we didn’t play badly at San Siro. It was a pretty even match, though we should have looked to play through the lines more. We played too many sideways passes.”
Allegri singled out the performance of attacking duo Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic as a particularly positive note.
“I’m very pleased with how the two strikers played. They switched it up well, working hard for each other – it’s a great sign for the team. It was important for them to play together and they produced a good performance. It was nice to see Mario score, and I’m sure Gonzalo will get a goal soon.
“I’m also satisfied with [Claudio] Marchisio’s game. He slotted back in well. Neto produced two or three key saves in the first half, while Dani Alves’ confidence with the ball at his feet and all-round quality mean that I’m free to mix the system up if needed.”
Serie A is shaping up to be a thrilling league this season, with Juventus just two points ahead of Roma in second.
“We’re not thinking about the challengers,” insisted Allegri. “The best team wins the league at the end of the season. Right now, looking at the league table our two main rivals our Roma and Napoli.
