21 February 2015
Massimiliano Allegri praised the attitude of his players after witnessing them bounce back from last week’s disappointing draw in Cesena with this evening’s “fundamental” 2-1 triumph over Atalanta.
The visitors, who took the lead on 25 minutes, made the reigning champions work hard for all three points and Allegri was pleased with the reaction his men showed after falling behind.
Speaking to the media at Juventus Stadium, the 47-year-old began: “There are no easy games in the league. This evening we picked up a fundamental triumph at a crucial moment of the league campaign.
“The team showed a strong reaction and did well to see out the win, something we didn’t do in Cesena.”
There still remain several areas to work on for a man who recently encouraged his team to “aim for perfection”, with goals shipped from corners continuing to represent a particular gripe of his.
“We should have used the ball better and we conceded another goal from a corner, as we did against Milan. But it’s good for us to win games in this way, it brings us back down to earth and makes us realise that you can’t always win 3-0 if you’re going to lift the league title.”
The undisputed man of the match award belonged to game changer Andrea Pirlo, whose contribution was hailed as “magic” by his boss.
“We saw some magic from Andrea, a man who has two magic feet. When he strikes with his right foot he gives the ball an incredible flight.”
An intriguing encounter with German outfit Borussia Dortmund is next on the agenda for the Bianconeri, who approach Tuesday’s last 16 first leg tie in decent fettle according to their manager.
“We go into the Borussia game in good shape. Tuesday’s the first of two ties and we need to play well from a technical point of view. I’m not worried in the slightest about the match. They will be two wonderful encounters and will most likely be decided in the final minutes.”
