Max Allegri says football can be ‘deadly’, praising his Juventus team for their late goal in a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. The Bianconeri wasted a number of chances, despite having two Moise Kean goals chalked for a contentious offside decision and a dubious foul called in the build up to the goal. Speaking with Sky Sport Italia, Allegri pointed to his players spirit, saying they believed in the win, despite the goal coming in the 96th minute of stoppages:
“I smiled because football is deadly. 95 minutes to win the game, you create many chances and in the end you score. The great thing about the team is that they believed in it. The goal came because Szczesny wasn’t in a hurry to score and he played the ball on the ground, Miretti spread the ball over Gatti and there was one minute left: time to make two plays. The boys were very good and lucid, after having played a good game”.
“Kean? e didn’t deserve the substitution. He was cautioned and had two goals cancelled out, it wasn’t his night. He played a good game technically. I’m very happy with him: he’s a different player in terms of structure and mental level. He can still improve.”
“The Serie A table? We look at it because we have taken points behind, there are direct matches. We have to look at fifth place. It’s a satisfaction for the boys because there were three on the pitch who had been at the top of the table in the past. An extraordinary group that again tonight put technique, heart and order into the game. We are starting to play more solid games on a mental level. It’s a good sign.
“Kean has improved a lot in the last two years. He has grown a lot, especially this year. I think it’s a mental growth and also a technical one because he’s working a lot. And he has the staff to thank for that, who focus on the improvement of individuals.
“I have a soft spot for Yildiz. Today when he came on he was so quick that he went too far past Milik’s ball. He’s a player who understands the game, Miretti had a good game: he faked and when I see players like that who point to the man… You see very few players like that today. He’s a guy who has quality. Juve have a squad of serious players who understand their limitations and work on those, then there are others.
“Juve in these 10 years have worked very well and it is thanks to the youth sector: they are really good at choosing players. But we must not lose balance when working with young players. Without forgetting Fagioli, who we won’t have until the last game.”
“A young, but hard-working team: I really like this definition….. you have to fight and play well technically, so people get excited by this too. It’s also in Juve’s DNA to achieve certain victories through struggle and suffering: we’re not ashamed of it, it’s a quality we carry with us because winning games is not easy. ”
“The title? All things in life should be desired. Going to the field and improving every day is important . You have to desire to play and win games like this one against Verona, like the next one against Fiorentina. Then we’ll see in the end, but we’re still a long way off. We are growing, the team has always remained orderly, without overdoing it: they have managed their strengths well.”
