MY ACCOUNT
Massimiliano Allegri was pleased with Juventus’ improved “attitude” as they ran out 2-0 winners over Bologna at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Saturday.
The Bianconeri were held to a 1-1 draw by Venezia in their last Serie A outing, but they cruised to all three points against Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side thanks to goals in each half from Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado.
Juve have now kept five clean sheets in Serie A since November – a joint-record among the top five European leagues in this period, level with Inter.
The performance was a marked improvement from the one at Venezia, and Allegri wants plenty more of that from his sixth-placed team as they bid to climb the table.
“Everyone collaborated when defending, which is how it ought to be,” he told DAZN. “Compared to Venezia, we had a better attitude from the start, but we need to do more going forward.
“Bologna have a lot of quality, so it’s natural they were going to have some chances. We did well here, but cannot lower our guard now, as there are many head-to-head clashes coming up in January before the Champions League resumes.
“It is a good result that keeps us in the running for fourth place, but we mustn’t lower our guard now. It’s a long journey, with many young and inexperienced players. We knew from the start it would not be easy to finish in the top four or challenge for the Scudetto.
“We’ve got one game left in 2021, then we look forward to these exciting clashes in January.”
Midfielder Arthur was replaced after 61 minutes by Manuel Locatelli, with the former Barcelona man looking less than impressed with the decision.
Allegri expressed no regrets over the call and had some words of advice for the Brazil international.
“We still need to improve our reading of the game and various moments of the match, for instance just before half-time Arthur made this vertical pass when it was the time to hold on and control the possession,” he explained.
“It’s different at Barcelona; he was in a three-man midfield and not accustomed to sitting in front of the defence.
“He also is used to taking a lot more touches than we do here. I think if he plays in front of the defence with the right mentality and his technique, he can do well.
“His head was wobbling as he ran. He seemed tired so I took him off.”
