Massimiliano Allegri explained his decision to drop Gonzalo Higuain for the Derby della Mole and thanked Juventus centre-forward Mario Mandzukic.
Paulo Dybala bagged a brace with Miralem Pjanic and Alex Sandro on target in the 4-0 result, but Daniele Baselli was sent off after just 25 minutes.
Massimiliano Allegri explained his decision to drop Gonzalo Higuain for the Derby della Mole and thanked Juventus centre-forward Mario Mandzukic.
Paulo Dybala bagged a brace with Miralem Pjanic and Alex Sandro on target in the 4-0 result, but Daniele Baselli was sent off after just 25 minutes.
“At last we’re starting to run a bit. The lads had a really good game, including the opening 20 minutes, then once Torino went down to 10 men we controlled the match,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium.
“Even then, we allowed a couple of situations that could’ve been avoided. We slowed the tempo a bit too much after the break, but still created a great deal.
“It wasn’t easy, as this Torino side is tough to beat, but it was the best way to prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League game.”
The big surprise in the line-up was Higuain left out in favour of Mandzukic as the centre-forward, moved from his habitual wide role.
“Higuain was on the bench because there are many games and I preferred to give him a rest. He’s an important player for us, there are moments when things work better at one time than another. There will be times when everyone gets time out, otherwise we won’t be able to maintain our consistency.
“Tonight I preferred to leave him out, he has already scored two goals this season and will score many more. He just needs to rediscover – or perhaps he never lost it – the calm of not feeling the need to score at all costs.
“I thank Mandzukic for his performance. I’m sure he could happily play in midfield too, he’s got physicality and technique, so can do a job anywhere.”
Dybala has now scored 10 goals in the opening six rounds, only one less than throughout all of the last Serie A season.
“When we’re in control, we must try to avoid injuries. For example, Paulo Dybala kept the ball for too long in the second half and drew the foul, when he should’ve passed or shot immediately.
“Dybala is doing very well, but I know there are periods when the others will score goals, so we have to work to improve both as individuals and as a team.”
Juventus and Napoli are top of the table with a perfect record after six rounds, so is the Scudetto race between them?
“Napoli are playing very good football and getting results, which after all is what really matters. People only remember those who finish first, not second or third when playing well.”