Every word: Allegri defends Nicolo Fagioli after emotional reaction to defeat against Sassuolo

Juventus suffered a disappointing defeat against Sassuolo on Sunday, with a final score of 1-0 at Mapei Stadium.

Speaking to DAZN after the match, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance, noting that they had only played well for 60 minutes out of the 90-minute game.

“We need to improve,” Allegri said. “It was an important passage, we could have put the Milan teams at 11 and 9 points. Then we have different games, Lisbon, Coppa Italia, Napoli. We need to pick ourselves up, play different game segments.”

Allegri also stressed the importance of focus, noting that the team needed to better approach key moments in the game in order to prevent goals.

“We must focus on the championship, then on the cup,” he said. “Some are returning, Chiesa and Pogba who entered better. We need to better approach the moments, we conceded a goal and were inattentive on the corner.”

When asked about his decision to bring in Chiesa and Pogba as substitutes, Allegri explained that Chiesa had been “loaded on his legs” and had “done little to nothing,” but had ultimately played well.

As for Pogba, Allegri noted that the player was still working to regain his full strength and would likely play for only 30 minutes in future games.

Allegri also defended Juventus player Nicolo Fagioli, who was seen crying on the sidelines after the defeat.

“He is a responsible boy, everyone makes mistakes,”Allegri said. “But he is not guilty of the defeat. Everyone is responsible, we could have taken a step forward and it didn’t happen.”

Looking ahead to the team’s next game, Allegri stressed the importance of winning, noting that there were some games that Juventus simply could not afford to lose. “We had to put the Milan teams at 9 and 11 points,” he said. “But this passage must be made, there are games that Juve must not play but win.”