07 November 2015
Massimiliano Allegri met journalists this afternoon to discuss Sunday’s away fixture with Empoli at the Stadio Castellani, outlining the importance of registering what would be a second consecutive Serie A victory for the first time this season.
As well as commenting on the team’s need for consistency and tomorrow’s opposition, the Tuscan tactician also fielded questions on the form and fitness of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and former Empoli man Daniele Rugani.
Here is a round-up of his thoughts:
Back-to-back wins
“Tomorrow’s game is a very important one for us because we’re playing catch up. Consistency is what’s needed to climb back up the league. We’re still yet to win back-to-back Serie A games and it’s crucial we start doing so. We also need to return to winning ways on the road.”
The opposition
“Empoli play a decent brand of football and the Castellani’s never an easy venue to get a result from. It was tough for us last year but we managed to win both matches. It will be quite a hot day and we need to bear this in mind considering Tuesday’s energy-sapping game in Germany.”
Paulo Dybala
“Paulo’s come on leaps and bounds, both from a technical and physical perspective. He applies himself, wants to learn and after struggling at the start, he’s improved a great deal.”
Mario Mandzukic
“I’m asking a lot of Mario. He’s already shown what he’s capable of at the start of the season, now he simply needs to get back to doing what he knows best.”
Daniele Rugani
“He just needs to be patient. We mustn’t forget that we’ve got four of the best defenders in Europe in the form of Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci and Caceres. Rugani must keep working and training as he’s done up until now. He’s the future of Juventus.”
