Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri insists his players are eager to prove themselves in Saturday’s Derby della Mole against Torino.
The Bianconeri have come in for substantial criticism after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat away to Sassuolo left them 11 points off Serie A leaders Roma.
Nevertheless, Allegri believes his side can silence their critics by beating the Granata at the Juventus stadium.
“It’s a derby so there are no favourites,” the Juventus coach said in his pre-match press conference.
“The last two matches against Torino have been closely-fought and great to watch and tomorrow will be no exception.
“It will be difficult one for us, especially right now because it’s always tough against Torino. They don’t concede a lot and are good at taking the pace out of the game.”
Allegri also maintains that the true test of a team’s character is their ability to respond in difficult situations and he believes the Old Lady can get past their stuttering form to again demonstrate their quality.
“Nobody saw Wednesday’s defeat coming. Ultimately, I believe these moments are part of the team’s growth and they should be tackled with positivity and responsibility, fully understanding the situation we’re in,” added Allegri.
“We’ve got so much energy in the dressing room and we need to take it with us onto the pitch. At the same time, we have to remain composed because the team cannot be nervous. Being nervous doesn’t help you at all, it only ruins things.
“So let’s leave that to one side, we need to take the matches as they come and try to play good football.
You do go through tough periods like these, but you just need to make sure you do better than you have been doing.”
