06 May 2018
Massimiliano Allegri praised his players' second-half response after they came back to win against a stubborn Bologna outfit and keep Juventus' title charge on track. The Bianconeri went in at the break trailing to Simone Verdi's penalty but hit back after the restart thanks to a Sebastien De Maio own goal and strikes by Sami Khedira and Paulo Dybala. “It wasn't easy to win this game, even more so given the way things were panning out,” the coach began in the aftermath of the game.
“Bologna defended really well and we paid the price for a mistake at the back in the first half, but then we came out after the break and got ourselves back on track with a great second-half performance. “It wasn't at all easy though because Bologna know how to defend a lead and they're tough to break down.” The coach singled out Douglas Costa for special praise after the Brazilian wreaked havoc on the Bologna backline following his introduction at the start of the second half. “Douglas Costa has been huge for us lately because he has the ability to turn a game for you. He didn't train yesterday either because his daughter was born so I only saw him today.
“The key to victory was putting the players in the right positions on the field and understanding the different moments of the game." The result means Juventus are that much closer to seventh straight Scudetto but the boss was quick to turn attentions to Wednesday's Coppa Italia final. “The win is another big step forward as we only need three more points to be sure of the title, but we'll be back in training tomorrow and start thinking about the Coppa Italia – that's another very important target for us. “It's going to be tough against AC Milan but it will be a great final. We've come this far and now we want to give it our very best shot.”
What would it mean to win another Scudetto crown this year? “It would be the best and the hardest of the lot but that happens with every year that passes. We give our all in every competition we play in and try to win them all. Let's not forget that Napoli could finish on 93 points so it will be even harder.”
