While Juventus gave their title bid a boost with victory on Saturday evening against Milan, Massimiliano Allegri was keen to focus on the points left to play for rather than those already obtained.
“We’ve still got a long way to go in order to win the Scudetto,” he began: “It’s not over until it’s mathematically impossible for the teams below to catch us.”
Turning attentions to tonight’s performance, the Tuscan tactician admitted that his charges had been slow out of the traps, but improved markedly after conceding Alex’s 18th-minute opener.
“We didn’t start too well, but we picked up notably after falling behind. We might even have finished the first half with the lead, but credit to Milan who played well and forced Gigi Buffon into a brilliant save.
“In the second half we did well especially in terms of stretching their defenders and, following Buffon’s block, we had far greater control over proceedings.”
A control, which Allegri stressed his side needs to maintain as they look to finish the campaign equalling their record of five straight Scudetto titles set in the 1930s.
“This is a true group effort that derives from the club’s support of the manager and players, who have been excellent from the tenth matchday onwards.
“Winning five Scudetto titles in a row isn’t something that happens every five years, but we’ve the chance to do so this season. We need to stay calm and courageous, but also enjoy the ride, taking each match at a time. The ability to focus on the game at hand has undoubtedly been one of our main strengths.”