21 September 2017
Three big points against Fiorentina and a fifth straight win sent Juventus onto 15 points at the top going into Saturday's derby clash with Torino. It's been a perfect start to 2017/18 for Massimiliano Allegri's men but the Viola were no pushovers, as the boss himself admitted.
HARD-FOUGHT BUT LITTLE DANGER
“This was an important win for us today, first and foremost because we kept another clean sheet. 1-0 is a good result. We had to fight for it, especially in the first half when we were a little stubborn, but we never came under any real threat.
“We didn't get many shots on goal in the opening half because we made mistakes when we got close to the area. When you have a night like that, when you're finding it hard to get efforts on goal, the main thing is not to concede. Sooner or later, you'll get the chance – and in the second half we had lots.
“Credit to the lads for seeing it through. Now we can focus on the derby."
BENTANCUR AND HIGUAIN
“[Rodrigo] Bentancur played really well today: he's got great technique and oozes confidence despite his young age.
“[Gonzalo] Higuain played well too. He nearly scored and he got himself into the danger zone when [Mario] Mandzukic scored our goal.
“He just needs to keep playing and the goals will come for him. He's not a fresh-faced youngster anymore: he's 30 and he knows that strikers go through barren spells and then they come through them.
“[Paulo] Dybala didn't get on the score sheet tonight but Mandzukic did. It's impossible for the same player to keep scoring all the way through the season. As I often say, the top scorer rarely wins the Scudetto.”
STURARO AT RIGHT-BACK
“We have games coming thick and fast and I wanted to give [Stephan] Lichtsteiner a bit of a breather. He wasn't dropped for football reasons, just to rotate the squad.
“[Stefano] Sturaro can develop into a big player: he played well today and defended well apart from two or three technical errors at the end due to fatigue. It's understandable though given that he's still getting used to a new position.”
NECK AND NECK WITH NAPOLI
“Napoli are getting better all the time – they really have come on loads and they'll be up there challenging for the title, just as AC Milan, Roma and Inter will be. It's going to be a long, hard-fought season. We know those are the teams we have to beat but we must keep moving forward one game at a time, trying to improve constantly.”
ARE JUVE BETTER THAN LAST SEASON?
“I wouldn't say we're a better team but we're a different team. Every season is different and there's no point trying to make comparisons.
“We just need to focus on working hard and securing our targets – the Scudetto, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia – and make sure we reach March in the best shape possible.”
