19 October 2015
There was to be no winner on the night in Milan following this evening’s tight 0-0 draw between Juventus and Inter at the San Siro but Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri still had reason to be satisfied with his side’s dogged showing as he faced the media in the aftermath of Sunday’s game.
Reflecting on a well-earned point for his men, while acknowledging that his charges will need to improve in front of goal if they are to start forcing their way up the table, the Tuscan remained optimistic for the season ahead.
Speaking to the Sky Sport Italia cameras Allegri began: “We needed to be as clinical in front of goal as (Andrea) Barzagli was at the back for us tonight. We got into some good positions this evening, as we have done all season, but nine goals in eight games isn’t title-winning form. We’ve still got plenty of work to do.”
While a point does little for either side’s standing in the league table, Allegri was nonetheless content with the quality of his side’s defensive showing to shut the Nerazzurri out, earning a valuable clean sheet in the process.
“A point doesn’t do a lot for us but on the plus side we stopped Inter from scoring and winning and we did so by defending very well. In front of goal, of course, we need to improve, but defensively we were very good tonight.”
Further forward, although Juventus were left ruing missed opportunities in the final third, with the likes of Mario Mandzukic returning to action and Alvaro Morata and Simone Zaza getting off the mark in recent weeks, Bianconeri fans will have good reason to be hopeful of an upturn in fortune in coming games. In the aforementioned strikers, Allegri has a host of options and a selection of valuable attributes at his disposal.
“Morata has the qualities to play with any of our other forwards. Dybala on the other hand is a player in the process of evolving his game. He’s a fine dribbler and he’s working on becoming a more traditional frontman, capable of worrying defences in the penalty area with his physical attributes.
“Mandzukic works very well with wingers either side of him and a second striker in support. Then there’s Zaza, who is dangerous on the counter-attack.”
With a solid defensive base on which to build, key names returning to fitness and an array of talent across his frontline, Allegri wrapped up the interview by underlining the need to stay calm with such positives on Juve’s side. After all, the season doesn’t end until May.
He concluded: “Tonight’s game won’t decide the fate of the championship. So long as we’re in contention for the title come March, I’ll be happy. Slowly but surely we’ll force our way back into the title picture by remaining calm and building up some consistency in our results.”
