MY ACCOUNT
Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri admits this season has not been an “easy time” for his side but that Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Salernitana was about re-paying the club.
Allegri conceded the Bianconeri were out of the title race after Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Atalanta, with Juventus sitting well off the pace.
Juve claimed their seventh league win of the season at Salernitana to move up to seventh spot with 24 points from 15 games.
“It hasn’t been an easy time, we lost to Atalanta and could’ve scored more goals this evening,” Allegri told reporters after the Salernitana win.
“I said Juventus have given us so much and it is time we have a sense of responsibility and give back to this club. We need to focus, because we’ve failed too many times against the smaller clubs this season.
“I told the lads, we had a lot of young players on the field today, so in these moments, they can suffer under the pressure. Fortunately, they held out well.”
“We’re trailing in the league at the moment because we dropped points too many times. These players have talent, but let’s not forget that only with experience, by making mistakes and learning from them, understanding when it’s time to attack or defend, that is how they develop.
“The best thing at these moments is to simplify. We tried the passing moves in training yesterday and today I focused more on the mentality. The words Chiellini said are what I said to the team. We are the ones who now must give back to Juventus, the players, coach, the fans, everyone.”
Allegri, who returned to the Turin job in May after Andrea Pirlo was dismissed following a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, called for patience.
“Naturally, we’re going to have ups and downs. I am still getting to know the players, they are getting to know me, and we play every three days,” Allegri said.
“We achieved the first target by progressing in the Champions League, now we should have a little more time to work in training.
“Things change, people come and go, but Juventus remain and will always remain. Life goes in cycles, it has to be accepted as a challenge. I accepted this challenge knowing it was difficult, because it’s impossible to win more than nine years in a row, surely?
“Now we must have the responsibility of being at Juventus and the ambition to aim as high as possible.”
