03 December 2016
Massimiliano Allegri admitted that he was happy with his side's response to their recent reverse at Genoa as Juventus produced a commanding display to beat Atalanta 3-1 on Saturday night.
“You expect to see a reaction after a defeat,” the coach told reporters after the match at Juventus Stadium. “We had a bad day at the office last time out, a slip-up that shouldn't happen but can over the course of a long season.
“We produced a very good performance tonight, both physically and technically. It wasn't easy because Atalanta are an extremely well-drilled outfit and they made it tough for us - especially on a physical level - but we showed what we're made of.”
On Miralem Pjanic
“Pjanic played well and showed his quality. He's obviously very handy on set pieces and two of our goals came from corners this evening. He's got a bit more freedom playing in the hole and I think he can do well there.”
On front pairing Mandzukic and Higuain
“Mario puts in a lot of running and harries opponents. He made a big contribution tonight both when attacking and defending. Gonzalo is used to scoring every game. He didn't find the net today but I'm sure he'll be knocking them in again soon. He needs to keep calm because he was excellent tonight. He's been Serie A's top scorer over the last three seasons but then he's never won the title...”
On Rugani's improvement
“[Daniele] Rugani is doing well and turning in one solid performance after another. He's improved the tactical side of his game, he's stronger physically and he's grown in character. He's young and I think he'll spend his whole career at Juventus and become a mainstay for the national side.”
On playing well
“Criticism can be a good thing because it helps us to respond and provides added incentive to make sure we prepare everything down to a tee. We work hard every day to improve. We're only four months into the season and I think we're doing ok results-wise. We can play better but we took a step in the right direction tonight.”
On having a full week to prepare
“It makes things easier when you have more time to work together, both from a physical and a tactical perspective. Having a full week to train together after losing at Genoa last weekend was just what we needed to come back with a bang. The lads did well tonight, although we came under a bit of pressure towards the end of the first half and generally speaking we gave the ball away a tad too much. We could have kept possession better.”
