19 August 2017
Massimiliano Allegri was rightly pleased with his side's performance as the Bianconeri kicked off the new Serie A season with a 3-0 defeat of Cagliari.
After the game at Allianz Stadium, the boss described his team's approach as “spot on”, explaining that he was especially happy with their defensive display, and singled out Mario Mandzukic for some special praise.
THE RIGHT FOOT
“It's good that we've got off on the right foot. I'd seen lots of good signs before today but when you win matches it helps you train in the right frame of mind. We got our approach spot on today.”
DEFENSIVE SOLIDITY
“We defended well out there, especially after the penalty. Before then we let them in a few times, including the move that led to the penalty itself.
“When you defend in an orderly manner, you're less likely to allow your opponents shots on goal. Likewise, when you're conceding too many goals, it means something's not working.
“All things considered we performed well at both ends of the pitch today. We do need to improve our build-up play though – not just from the back but in all areas of the pitch.”
SUBSTITUTIONS
“I think our subs had a big impact on the game today, much like they did in Rome last week – only on that occasion we went and messed it up.”
FIRST TIME WITH VAR
“We'll have to get used to waiting for the decision. In this case it was a penalty against us but fortunately we have the best guy around in goal – he sorts out all sorts of problems for us.”
MARIO'S IMPORTANCE
“Mario brings physicality to the side both when we're attacking and when we're defending. The whole team benefits from that. He's a hugely important player for us.”
