The Juventus coach: “Sorry for Pogba, with that football loses a lot. In Naples, the matches never end. Chiesa and Danilo are back, in midfield I count on Alcaraz but also Miretti and Nonge.”
Juventus coach Max Allegri is gearing up to face Napoli in a crucial match for the Bianconeri, who need to build on their hard-fought win against Frosinone and redeem themselves from last year’s heavy 5-1 defeat. “We’re coming from a tough February, where we only won against Frosinone,” said the coach in a press conference. “Let’s make sure March is better. It’ll be a very tough game, we need to step up defensively or we risk coming out bruised. The loss last year? It’s been five years since we won in Naples, so it would be nice to do it again.”
ALLEGRI’S FULL PRESS CONFERENCE
On the importance of the match
“It’s a very tough game, Napoli has great technical quality despite their current anonymous position in the standings. The team has prepared well, we know the challenge ahead. It’ll require a great performance.”
On Chiesa and the injured players
“Chiesa had a day of light training due to a knock, but he’ll be available tomorrow. So will Danilo. Kean will be back next week, as well as Perin. McKennie will give it a try. Regarding Rabiot, we need to see how his foot reacts.”
On Danilo in midfield
“We have Alcaraz, Miretti, and Nonge as midfielders. Plus, Danilo has only had one training session. It’s pointless to risk him considering the many direct clashes ahead, including the Coppa Italia semifinals. We still don’t have enough points to secure Champions League qualification, so everyone needs to be at their best.”
On the current period
“Let’s hope March is better than February, let’s make sure it is. The Frosinone match was tough, we conceded avoidable goals. We definitely need to do better on that, or else we risk returning from Naples battered.”
On a possible contract renewal with a pay cut
“We haven’t discussed it with the club yet. I have one year left on my contract, and the most important thing is to finish the season well. They’ll let me know about Juventus’ future when they decide.“
On the Club World Cup and De Laurentiis’ comments
“I won’t comment on the president’s words. All I can say is we still don’t know if we’ll participate in the next Champions League. We need at least 13 more points because the threshold is 70. As for the Club World Cup, it depends on other teams’ results.”
On securing second place
“We need to do everything to finish second because it would improve our last year’s standing. Speculating about the future doesn’t make sense. We need to focus on Napoli, then Atalanta, to play in the Champions League next year. It would be an added value technically and especially economically.”
On Djalò
“I’m happy with his acquisition, but we need to be patient because he’s returning from a cruciate ligament surgery.”
On neutralizing Kvaratskhelia
“I haven’t decided the lineup yet, but Napoli has many strong players. It’ll be a tough match, requiring great attention to get a result.”
On last year’s 5-1 defeat
“More than anything, it’s been five years since we won in Naples, so it would be nice to do it again. Osimhen’s return has bolstered their confidence. It’ll require a team effort, great caution, and we need to play well in their half. I don’t know Calzona, but he did well with Barcelona and Sassuolo, having worked with Sarri for many years, so his characteristics might be similar.”
On Pogba
“I messaged him the other day. I’m personally sorry, and technically football loses an extraordinary player and a very good guy whom I had the fortune to coach. As for the rest, I can’t comment on the verdict.”
On Bremer-Danilo
“We need to focus on the players we have available. Defensively, it’s about defending better as a team, not about absences or presences.”
On facing Napoli
“As I said before, we need to be proactive when we have the ball in their half. I’m confident in the team’s performance, the boys are in good shape and eager to play a good game.”
