22 December 2018
Juve's 1-0 victory against Roma means they maintain an eight-point lead over second-place Napoli and have now set a new points record in the top European leagues – no team has ever picked up 49 points from their first 17 matches before. And yet... after the game Massimiliano Allegri sought to play down his side's achievements.
“We haven't won anything yet,” the coach observed. “We're doing well and we're now 'winter champions' but we need to make sure we have a big advantage on 29 December.”
Allegri nonetheless recognised that the Bianconeri performed well on the night.
“The lads kept things tidy at the back in the second half while [Robin] Olsen made some good saves down the other end. Overall I'm pleased because it was a good performance.
“We needed to put pressure on Roma to make it tough for them psychologically, but after we'd taken the lead there were a few situations we could have exploited better. Still, all things considered we played a good game. We managed the second half well.”
The boss then singled out Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala for praise.
“Mario is a key player. His combination of technical and physical attributes make him an extraordinary player.
“Paulo fared well too. He allowed us to bring the ball out of our half.”
