Allegri: The goals will come for Juventus, it’s not a concern

Juventus climbed to the top of the Serie A table once again after a workmanlike 2-1 win over Cagliari on Saturday, keeping the pressure on Inter Milan who play Sunday against Frosinone.

Speaking after the win, coach Massimiliano Allegri was satisfied with the result that did see Juve’s shutout streak finally end at 615 minutes.

“It was important to win, as it would put us in a strong position in the table. It is never easy to win games, Cagliari are in excellent form.

“After going 2-0 up, we stopped moving the ball around quickly enough and then conceded a goal from a corner. We had to concede sooner or later, fortunately it was not a goal that influenced the result.

“I thought we struggled a bit for the first half-hour, but after that the legs were moving a bit faster. We should’ve scored earlier, but still remained compact and made the most of those set plays. We knew Cagliari were good in the air, so it would be difficult.”

The goals have dried up for Juve over the last month or so, what did he put that down to?

“I am not worried at all. We have started creating more chances, the goals will come and it’s not a concern.

“We need to be more efficient, calmer in making the final ball, but the spirit is extraordinary. The squad know that they need that to bring home the victory.

“While at the start of the season we got a bit frustrated when not finding the net, now we remain solid and consistent.”

Weston McKennie has worked his way into becoming a starter in midfield this season, what did Allegri attribute that to?

“Wes is having a good season, I think he is maturing too after the experience on loan. I spoke to him too, he has physical strength that helps cover for a few technical errors, but when running into space, he can be devastating.

“I told him at the start of the season that this was a very important year for him, he would be a wing-back and so he had to run back and forth. He put himself at our disposal.

“What I learned is that at Juve you must keep a low profile, work hard and create the normality of winning. That brings balance and calm. We must work on our limitations and try to make them into strengths.”

The international break will be a tense one, as the first game back will be a showdown between the top two.

“In a one-off game anything can happen. Inter are certainly the favourites to win the Scudetto, along with Milan and Napoli. We must try to remain up there above all to have the advantage over fifth place.

“Inter were built to win the Scudetto for a few years now, they haven’t managed it yet, but are the favourites this season.”