Allegri: 'Juventus ignore controversy’
By Football Italia staff
Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri “is not interested in controversy” surrounding Napoli and Gonzalo Higuain.
The Partenopei striker has been banned for four matches after his reaction to a red card in last Sunday’s defeat to Udinese.
The decision has sparked controversy, with the player’s agent claiming Juve’s Leonardo Bonucci headbutted referee Nicola Rizzoli and got no sanction.
“I’m not interested in controversy,” Allegri told journalists in his Press conference ahead of the Milan game.
“We can’t expend energy looking backward at what is said or written during the week, not just this week where there’s been a week of controversy after Udinese-Napoli, but every week there’s some little controversy.
“I don’t want to comment on these things, because we’ve had a week where - as is always the case in these situations - there’s been so much controversy.
“That’s why we can’t afford to be distracted, I want to get to May 15 or 16 with the clear goal of being in front and getting the Scudetto.
“I’ve said many times, it wouldn’t be just a Scudetto, it would be the fifth Scudetto, and it’s not like if we lose it then five years from now we’ll have won five Scudetti in a row, football isn’t that simple.
“Juventus’ numbers this year have been great, but to make them extraordinary we have to win the Scudetto first of all, then we’ll see about the Coppa Italia.
“We have to continue on our path, we need to reach our target which is the Scudetto for which everyone gave us up for dead after 10 games because we were a team in crisis.
“We’ve won 20 out of 21 matches since, but that’s not enough for the Scudetto, to win the Scudetto will still take a lot of points.
“Roma can get to 84 points. If Roma get 84, Napoli can’t get more than 85, so therefore the Scudetto is 86 points.
“If Napoli get 88 then we need 89 for the Scudetto, as that would mean Napoli had won every game.”
Surely a team which has dropped just two points in their last 21 games won’t drop six points in the next seven?
“In football nothing is easy or set in stone. The mental battle can be changed, and that’s why we have to come away from Milan tomorrow with a positive result.
“Even if we’ll be in the lead whatever happens, the maths tells us that, there would still be six games to go so we have to keep the mental battle in our favour, above all because Napoli won’t drop-off one iota, they still have the chance to win the Scudetto and have second place to defend.
“Roma are doing great things too.
“I’ll tell you a fact which speaks volumes about what these teams are doing in the Italian League: there are 108 points available in the second half of the season, between us these three teams have taken 89 points, showing why we’re the top three.”
Gigi Buffon has said that the Coach was crucial to the Old Lady’s comeback, but Allegri has been linked with Real Madrid, who lost 2-0 to Wolfsburg in the Champions League this week.
“First of all I thank Gigi for his kind words,” Allegri replied.
“They did the comeback though, because the lads are the ones who go out onto the pitch, I only gave them a helping hand in what was definitely a difficult time.
“The club was good too in that period, as were the Coaching staff and the players.
“As for my not having signed a new contract, it’s just a matter of meeting and talking.
“There’s no problem, and I’m definitely not waiting for Real Madrid, because I’m at Juventus.
“I’m happy at Juventus, there are objectives to achieve and it’s just a matter of seeing each other and talking.”
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