Allegri praises Juve spirit in poor display at Roma

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri enjoyed the character if not the quality of his side’s performance in Sunday’s 2-1 Serie A defeat at Roma.

Bosnia-Herzegovina duo Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko were on target in a deserved triumph for the capital club, although Juventus hit back through Paulo Dybala three minutes from time despite having Patrice Evra sent off.

That set up a frantic finish, with previously under-employed Roma goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saving superbly from Leonardo Bonucci in stoppage time.

Allegri was left to rue the fact that his team, who also lost on the opening weekend to Udinese, failed to hit their stride until the closing stages at the Stadio Olimpico.

“We reacted well, even though we didn’t show a positive attitude at the beginning,” he told a press conference.

“It wasn’t a great performance, aside from the final 10 minutes. We made too many technical mistakes and in the second half, when a change was there to be made, we conceded from a free-kick. 

“But our strong reaction is what we need to bear in mind when we get everyone back after the international break.”

Despite losing the opening two league games for the first time in Serie A history, Allegri is refusing to panic at this early stage of the campaign.

“I’m not worried about our zero points in the league, that’s something that can happen in football,” he added.

“Yes, we have to catch up, but we’ve got all the time and quality to do so. We need to remain calm, clear headed and run through what didn’t work for us.”