Ahead of the Bianconeri's final fixture of 2023 against Roma at the Allianz Stadium, Coach Massimiliano Allegri addressed the media in his usual pre-match press conference, touching on his squad, the opponents, the future and more.
THE OPPOSITION
"We are enjoying a good moment, but we need to keep our feet on the ground, which will be fundamental. There are two matches left un til the end of the first round, we currently have 40 points, but we're aiming to do even better. Roma are a 'grumpy' at the moment, but have one of the best coaches ever on their bench, they are good at getting you out of the game and they have quality in attack. Great attention is needed, as well as patience and compactness, and we must not think of overdoing it. They are a group with ambitions, they arrive here following a 2-0 win over Napoli and against Inter at San Siro they lost only due to a late goal. I expect a balanced match - very interesting matches always emerge between Juventus and Roma."
TEAM NEWS
"Apart from Mattia De Sciglio and Moise Kean, who are still far from returning, there are no major concerns. Alex Sandro will take about 10 days to fully recover. Tomorrow will be a tough match, but the Italian Cup match on Thursday against Salernitana is also fundamental: we want to get through because that too represents a seasonal objective. I don't know yet who will play on the right, I will decide tomorrow whether to field Timothy Weah or Weston McKennie. Federico Chiesa is also better, he is an important player for us. On the right Filip Kostic is in form, but I know that Samuel Iling-Junior is always a solid alternative."
FUTURE OBJECTIVES
"I'm happy with the work done this year, but we can't stop because we have big goals to achieve. We need to keep pushing with a low profile, we know how essential it is to qualify for next season's Champions League. We always play for the result, like everything. Logically, this can also come through our performance. In the last few games we have conceded a few too many goals due to carelessness that isn't like us, and therefore we must continue to sort out these details. We talked about it among ourselves, you should never be afraid of conceding goals, otherwise careless mistakes will arise."
YOUNGSTERS' PATH
"We are following a growth path. We must never get too excited or easily depressed. I'm working with good lads, this is a great credit to be attributed to past seasons. Juventus has an internal patrimony in terms of players which gives us a strong base for the future: there is great talent here at home and also with the various players on loan at other teams."
DUSAN'S GROWTH
"Vlahovic is a quality investment. He has great room for growth, last Saturday he scored an extraordinary goal, he is 23 years old and has a future career of at least 10 years at a high level. He is often only judged for the goals he scores, but for me personal goals are important especially when they are made available to the team."
COMPARISON WITH MOURINHO AND ANCELOTTI
"It always gives me great pleasure when I am compared to the 'old school' coaches, together with Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. Personally I believe there are a thousand variables in football, there is no absolute truth. Ancelotti is an extraordinary coach, who continues to win and is still doing a wonderful job. For Mourinho, the results speak for themselves: he has always achieved them, then you may not even like him, but the rest matters little. Being compared to them is a source of great pride. The first time I faced Josè I was coaching Cagliari, I was still a 'child' and he was already a winning coach with Inter."