Conte elated with Juve progress

Serie A leaders Juventus are receiving their just rewards for hard work on and off the pitch, according to coach Antonio Conte.

Juve defeated Palermo 3-0 at home on Sunday, courtesy of goals from Simone Pepe, Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio.

The win helped Juve return to the top of the table, and they hold a valuable game in hand over their nearest rivals.

“The 10 matches we have played make us realise how the hard work is paying off,” Conte said.

“But we’re only at a quarter of the championship, therefore we must keep on working and doing what we’ve been doing up to now, or even something more, if we want to try and give more satisfaction to our supporters.”

“They (the fans) were also extraordinary today yet again.”

Conte singled out his players’ aggressive mindset as one of the biggest positives from the victory in Turin.

“I’m very happy, because aside from the technical and tactical organisation, the mental attitude is essential,” he said.

“Today we wanted to attack our opponent from the very beginning and continue to attack until the end of the match.”

“I think we read the match well, I’m very happy with my guys’ attitude on the pitch.”

It was Juve’s first competitive outing since October 29, following a long break for international fixtures.

Conte could not fault the approach of his squad, who returned to club duty focused on the task in hand.

“I’m happy about it, because the guys were really good in going back to work after these 22 days,” he said.

“Even those who came back disappointed after the matches with their national teams, they were really good.”

“And I also want to thank the staff because they’re always putting the guys in the condition to be at their best.”