Allegri satisfied with Cagliari win

Massimiliano Allegri declared himself a happy man after Juve returned to the Serie A summit with victory over Cagliari on Wednesday night.

“The most positive thing is that we’re back on top of the table,” began Allegri after the game. “I have to say that the lads did very well.

“We read the match well. If I have to pick on one thing then I think we could have managed the game better after we went 2-0 up. We were too hasty in going after the third goal.”

Allegri acknowledged that it was the perfect way to bounce back from Sunday’s defeat to Inter.

“Generally speaking we’ve produced a good reaction to some excessive criticism after Sunday’s game. That doesn’t surprise me though – this group is full of great players and good men. When it’s time to take responsibility* they never shy away*.

“Now it’s important for us to keep this up until the international break, performing well in the matches we have left against Palermo, Zagreb and Empoli.”

Allegri also praised the work of strike partners Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain this evening.

“The strikers did a great job tonight. They pressed well, making life easier for our defenders. Dybala gave good give width to our play, as did [Mario] Mandzukic when he came on. He’ll have a key role to play. He can play alongside Higuain and, if we get the balance right behind him, in an attacking trio with Dybala.”

The Juve boss went on to highlight the importance of the performances of Hernanes and Miralem Pjanic in the middle of the park.

“Hernanes played very well. He’s a fantastic person and a great professional and whenever he’s called on he’s always ready. Pjanic missed the first few games but he produced a good performance tonight in front of the defence. We need to make sure* we look for him* when he’s playing in that position.”

Last but not least, Allegri moved to draw a line under the criticism the team has received in the past week: “We need to be big enough to accept criticism, especially when it’s constructive, but we can’t let ourselves be overly affected by having lost a game.”