Allegri rallies his Juventus troops to keep going despite Inter defeat

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has urged his side to put their Coppa Italia defeat to Inter Milan behind them and focus on their upcoming fixtures.

The Derby d’Italia first leg delivered a thrilling contest that ended in a 1-1 draw, and the only difference in the second encounter was the scoreline.

Federico Dimarco gave Inter the lead on the quarter-hour mark, but it proved to be the defining goal that knocked Juventus out and sent Simone Inzaghi’s men to the final.

This was the second time in a row Inter edged out the Bianconeri in the Coppa Italia, having beaten them when they clashed in the final last season.

However, Allegri bemoaned his side’s slow start to the contest which saw them concede an early goal but is keen for them to quickly move on from the disappointing result.

“The feeling is that we did a first quarter of an hour asleep,” Allegri said (via Calciomercato). “Overall we had a good game, but we threw little on goal, and we couldn’t make it to the Coppa Italia final.”

Juventus had lost just two of their previous 15 games, winning 12 and drawing just two, but they have managed just one victory in their last five matches across all competitions.

However, Allegri refuses to accept that his side are suffering from fatigue, insisting they have to get back to their best, especially with a European semi-final ahead.

“We have to recover our energy,” Allegri added. “In the last five games, we have lost four. We have the Europa League semi-final. 

“We have to roll up our sleeves, and tomorrow, we have to start working again with more malice, we have the third place to defend, and we have to keep AC Milan and Roma away.”

Having seen their previously deducted 15 points returned, Juventus are now firmly in the running for a place in next season’s Champions League.

They return to domestic action with a trip to Bologna looking to strengthen their grip on third place in the Serie A table as they lead Milan and Roma by three points and Inter by five.