Allegri: As time goes on Juve will get better

Juventus ceded possession to hosts Lazio, but still looked the side most likely to win and did come away from the nation’s capital with all three points after captain Leonardo Bonucci neatly dispatched a pair of penalties in a 2-0 win.

Speaking after the game, Allegri admitted that had indeed looked away when Bonucci was taking the two spotkicks.

“I never watch the penalties!

“We had a good game, but we did waste too many scoring opportunities, because this is a team with great potential and the ability to reach the opposition goal, then we are too hasty.”

Dejan Kulusevski came in for a scolding from the coach after giving away the ball late on with Juve trying to secure the game.

“You go to the corner flag with that ball, you don’t try to dribble everyone. These are the things we need to learn, we always try to do too much, go for a back-heel or a solo run, they are unnecessary and wasteful.

“It wasn’t easy for him, he needs to be more decisive in the box, as he had a few chances and needed to take a moment to think and make the right choice.”

Allegri once again had the better of Maurizio Sarri, who had replaced Allegri at the Bianconeri when he had left two years ago.

“It was Juve against Lazio, not Allegri against Sarri, but football is also strategy. There are moments you need to keep the ball, moments when you have to counter, moments when you must defend.

“I thought Lazio would keep the ball for 70-80 per cent, but we did well to keep 46 per cent, so that was an improvement. As time goes on, we’ll do better. It’s the kind of thing you can only learn with time and a run of victories.”

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has often starred against Juve in previous games against Lazio, but was kept quiet in this clash.

“Rabiot, Locatelli and McKennie worked really hard in midfield. Rabiot has a great engine, he could’ve played another 90 minutes, and he did really well to limit Milinkovic-Savic.”

Allegri was forced to make an early change after an injury to Danilo.

“I admired the spirit we showed, the only chances we allowed for Lazio were on the counter because we had so many players going forward trying to score. This is why I say that the chances need to be finished, because otherwise you are open to conceding.

“We lost Danilo early, I introduced Kulusevski and there was the risk of being unbalanced, but the lads did really well.

“I have never seen a great team win with complacency. You must always respect your opponents and put in the effort, and we dropped points this season because we didn’t have the same attitude against them that we did in the bigger games.”