Allegri: Good to have Marchisio back

Juventus put in a commanding performance to win 4-1 against Sampdoria and bounce back after a midweek loss. After the game, manager Massimiliano Allegri spoke to the press about his pairing of Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain.

"The two strikers system worked quite well, with Mandzukic next to Pipita.

"Higuain played a good game and I'm happy for Mandzukic who deserved the goal and did very well.

"Together Higuain and he moved well. It was the second game they played together and they did better than they did in the first.

"We have to work on their understanding and it was important that they were playing together. With the [next] game against Napoli, we will see if we play only one or even both of them."

There was a moment in the second half when Sampdoria pulled one goal back and looked more likely to get the next goal than the hosts.

"The boys were very good from the start. We unlocked them at the beginning, but then made a mistake which reopened the race. But then we closed it again and suffered no major problems.

"It was important to win again in view of the challenge against Napoli."

On the other performances on the day -

“Neto also made two or three important saves. It was good to have Claudio Marchisio back. In terms of positioning and tactical intelligence, he’s very valuable to the team.

“We develop the football well when we move the ball quickly and that’s what happened today. When we slowed down the tempo, we allowed Samp back into the game.”

What was his thinking with starting Dani Alves in a three-man backline -

“He is so good on the ball and had a good game. He is a player who can fill that role.”

The Bianconeri have another big game on Saturday, against Higuain’s former club Napoli -

“We need to improve the quality of our football. It will be an important match, but not as decisive as the meeting in the second half of the season.”