Max Allegri praised Juventus for their work ethic and explained his tactics after a 2-1 win away to Manchester City.

The Bianconeri had their worst ever start to a Serie A season with fans calling for his head, but turned it all around with a 2-1 Champions League triumph at the Etihad.

Max Allegri praised Juventus for their work ethic and explained his tactics after a 2-1 win away to Manchester City.

The Bianconeri had their worst ever start to a Serie A season with fans calling for his head, but turned it all around with a 2-1 Champions League triumph at the Etihad.

“The lads put in a great performance and it wasn’t easy. We should’ve done better in attack during the first half and missed chances, while we did have a goal disallowed,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium.

“We allowed City very little and the goal came from an incident where we shouldn’t have given the ball away.

“In the second half we did better going forward and without the anxiety to get that result. Today when 1-0 down, we risked conceding a second, and Gigi Buffon was extraordinary.

“We did believe even after our Serie A start, because we’ve had about 40 shots on goal so far and never won. It takes patience. This team has only truly been training together for a week.

“In Serie A there are fewer spaces and you have to be more concentrated, whereas in Europe it’s a different game. The Champions League motivates everyone.

“A victory represents a huge boost of confidence and helps you work better. A defeat would’ve been seen badly, but we wanted to put in a good performance and turn the tide. It’s a psychological issue too and these lads showed they were up to the task.”

Allegri kept everyone guessing with his line-up, testing a 3-5-2 before eventually plumping for Juan Guillermo Cuadrado in a 4-3-3.

“I had decided on Cuadrado yesterday, as he could cause problems for City between the lines. Morata and Cuadrado worked hard and sacrificed themselves for the team.”

Yet Allegri was spotted screaming angrily at Cuadrado to get on with it in stoppages.

“We were a minute from the end, Cuadrado had the ball and should’ve gone towards the corner flag. These are situations you must learn to control better.

“Man City have great individual talents, but my lads slowed down their moves and the only times they threatened was on the counter-attack. We never allowed City to create a decent attacking move.”

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