29 April 2017
Paulo Dybala bemoaned Juventus’ underwhelming first-half showing against Atalanta on Friday night as they were held to a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
"Our approach was wrong in the first half," said the Argentine striker after the game. "We did a lot better after the break and it was a shame to concede right at the death. It leaves a bitter taste.
"It’s not easy to come away from this ground with a point," he insisted. "Not many sides have managed it thus far, but we wanted to get the three points and send a message to Roma."
Dybala laughed off suggestions Juventus had been distracted by their upcoming Champions League semi-final against Monaco.
"We were completely concentrated on this game. We knew that Atalanta were going to be tough opposition. We’ll think about Monaco from tomorrow," he said. "It won’t be easy.
"They have young players like Kylian Mbappe, who is only 18 years old but has already come so far. We’ll have to make sure we don’t let allow him any freedom. I want to help the team as best I can."
Last but not least, Dybala urged his team-mates to stay focused as they close in on a sixth straight Scudetto crown.
"We know that the league still needs to be won," he said. "Roma know that they can reach us. It doesn’t matter that we’d won nine games in a row – our mentality is about winning every single match."
