Buffon hails Juventus´ defensive strength

Gianluigi Buffon lauded Juventus’ defensive strength after their hard-fought 1-0 Serie A win over Napoli on Saturday.

Champions Juve leapfrogged Napoli into top spot in the table with their 15th-straight league victory, which came courtesy of Simone Zaza’s late strike.

Massimiliano Allegri’s team have now kept eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, and captain Buffon is thrilled with their record.

“Even if he’s [Andrea Barzagli] 35 years of age, I’d never hesitate once about playing him in the most important match of the season so far,” Buffon told the club’s official website.

“The same goes for Leonardo [Bonucci] and Giorgio [Chiellini], who complete what is a truly formidable and tight-knit department of our team. 

“I’m fortunate to be playing just behind a group of incredibly talented defenders, who are, of course, helped by the hard work put in by the midfielders and strikers in front of them.”

Juventus went top of the table for the first time this season following Saturday’s result, but Buffon has stressed they have won nothing yet.

“With a quarter of an hour remaining, we really had to dig deep. A draw would not have been a bad outcome, but I always kept hope that a magical spark from somewhere could see us take all three points,” he added. 

“Had we lost, it would have been tough going to claw our way back. Needless to say, there are still 13 matches to go and plenty of opportunities for twists and turns over the remainder of the campaign.”