Turin: Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri said that the Italian football champions must turn their attention to the Coppa Italia final against rivals AC Milan on May 21 after another Serie A victory over Carpi. A 25th win out of 26 in the league and a 10th consecutive clean sheet at home in Serie A are all records to have evoked a sense of pride in Allegri after Sunday’s victory. “I’m pleased with the win and especially the clean sheet. Given we’d already wrapped up the league, it wasn’t easy to keep up our usual level of intensity,” Allegri was quoted as saying by club’s official website on Sunday.
“We didn’t play to our usual standard today so we need to increase our focus for the last two fixtures leading up to the cup final against Milan.” Whilst reiterating his positive relationship with the club’s management, Allegri admitted that he had also been touched by the reception of supporters from the stands during the game. “I really appreciated that and I thanked the fans for the warmth and respect they have shown me. They’re a real 12th man here at the Stadium. We’ll continue to work hard so that Juventus obtains excellent results,” he said.
Allegri reserved praise for a few of his promising squad members, including midfielder Mario Lemina, whose initial season-long loan deal at the club was made permanent on Friday, defender Daniele Rugani and goalscorer on the day Simone Zaza. “Mario (Lemina) is young and talented, but he still needs to learn more from a defensive perspective. (Daniele) Rugani has gained a great deal of composure with the ball at his feet, as he has adapted to a Juventus side which plays on the front foot. “Zaza, meanwhile, needs to keep working hard every day to improve his game as is normal at a big club such as this,” the tactician added.
