Allegri: Juventus not convincing in attack against Atalanta

Juventus came away with a solitary point from Bergamo, having had to grind out a 0-0 draw in a defensive performance against Atalanta.

Speaking after the game, the coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke a little about what his side’s goal was.

“I am happy with the point and the performance.

“We played well for 60 minutes, but we could have done more technically, especially with the final passes. We kept the ball on the ground, but Atalanta pressed high. Now, we have one week to prepare for the derby.”

As he indicated, Juve’s next game will be against local rivals Torino next Saturday, before the clubs will break again for international fixtures.

“We could have been more accurate with the ball in the first half, but the lads did well, they were united.

“Overall, we played well but we were not too convinced when we attacked.

“We had a couple of chances, including one with Nicolò Fagioli in the first half. In these situations, we should shoot but we tried to keep possession instead. We’ll work on it.”

With Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik both missing with injuries, the Bianconeri went with Federico Chiesa and Moise Kean in attack.

“Chiesa has played many games with a lot of intensity.

“If he had had the same chances a week ago, he would have been more dangerous. He always causes trouble.”

A week after his errors handed Sassuolo a win, goalie Wojciech Szczesny came up with some key saves to grab the point, including one stunning effort in the second half.

“I still haven’t seen it [on television], but it was extraordinary.

“He is among the best in Europe, surely. He had a bad night against Sassuolo, but it can happen, and we didn’t lose because of him. We had recovered, but then we conceded two silly goals.”

Allegri continues to insist on using Manuel Locatelli as a deep-lying midfielder.

“He is an important player for us and he has improved in the last two games.

“He can touch more balls when he is not marked, if he goes around the pitch, we lose a point of reference.”

Why was defender Bremer substituted off in the second half?

“It was just a cramp, he asked to be subbed off, nothing special.

“Torino don’t play European competitions like us so we have a week to prepare for the derby. We must play well and do the best we can before the international break. It’s important to remain up there, with a defeat we would have been sixth now, our self-confidence improved.”