Mr. Massimiliano Allegri spoke to DAZN after this afternoon’s 3–2 win against Torino. Here are all his words.
“I try to stay calm, but like this you make me lose the will. I’ll quit coaching.” Do you remember saying that to Doveri?
“That was just the heat of the moment (laughs). I’m getting older, I wouldn’t want my heart to give out. At that moment the match was very important for us. We were coming off a defeat against Lazio, and in the first half we faced a Torino side that was very good for the first half hour. Above all, we were forcing things too much through the middle and conceding too many counterattacks. In the second half the boys improved physically as well; it wasn’t easy after conceding the equalizer right at the end of the first half.”
On the 4-3-3:
“The front three… our balance player is Saelemaekers. When we defend he has to act as a fifth defender, and when we attack he has to be part of the front three. Sometimes he gets to the end of the match a bit exhausted. Today, after a while, I immediately moved Pulisic out wide, we needed more space on the pitch because they had a very strong central block.”
What was behind your celebration at the end?
“The importance of the match, we’re at the end of the season. When the league starts, you think about analyzing performances, but from March onwards what happens? First of all, you have to focus on winning the match, and then look at the table. There’s no more time to fix things later. Today it was important to win. We had lost against Parma and Lazio, and it wasn’t easy to win today. Torino played a very good game.”
Now the match against Napoli:
“We’re looking behind us. It’s one less win needed to reach our main objective. Then of course, with this table, it will be a great evening of football and sport in Naples, second place against third place.”
On Füllkrug:
“In the first half he struggled a bit. Players who don’t play much, who come in… it’s not easy. In the second half he did better. It’s normal, like Jashari, who was criticized a bit after Sunday, when you don’t have continuity, it becomes harder, especially physically. Ricci, on the other hand, because of his physicality and mentality, is someone who can come in from the start or in the last half hour and immediately get into the rhythm of the match. Some players struggle a bit more, but Füllkrug had a good second half.”
What did you think of Pavlovic’s goal?
“That’s just how he is. He played a very good match tonight. He’s grown a lot—he has character, spirit, and he defended very well in open space. Even on the first corner, if instead of glancing it he had attacked it directly, it would already have been a great chance. He’s improving a lot and I’m happy.”
What will you ask from your attackers this week?
“This week I won’t ask anything from anyone because there’s the international break. I told them, ‘Please don’t ruin my break—that’s the only thing I ask of you.’ But the attackers will start scoring again at the decisive moments once the break is over.”
