Max Allegri praised Gonzalo Higuain after beating Fiorentina and reiterated a sixth consecutive Scudetto is the prime Juventus objective.

Sami Khedira’s header was wiped out by Nikola Kalinic on a corner, but Higuain made the perfect debut by coming off the bench to score the winner.

“The team played a very good first half, especially as we’re not in optimal form yet. I think we should’ve scored more than two goals, as Fiorentina only created one real chance.

Max Allegri praised Gonzalo Higuain after beating Fiorentina and reiterated a sixth consecutive Scudetto is the prime Juventus objective.

Sami Khedira’s header was wiped out by Nikola Kalinic on a corner, but Higuain made the perfect debut by coming off the bench to score the winner.

“The team played a very good first half, especially as we’re not in optimal form yet. I think we should’ve scored more than two goals, as Fiorentina only created one real chance.

“From a possible counter-attack for us, Alex Sandro lost the ball and we conceded on the corner,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.

Higuain was mocked for his weight when first arriving from Napoli for €90m, but seems to have slimmed down a little and proved he could still find the net after just three touches.

“He’s in better shape, just as everyone is. We have five new players and need to become a team. I am very happy with the first half. We defended in a fairly organised manner in the second half too.

“When he gets half a chance, he scores a goal, as you saw tonight. And he’s not in shape yet, but above all needs to improve his understanding with his new teammates.

“There was some fatigue, especially as Khedira had only been training for a couple of weeks. He was decisive in the two situations by running into space.

“When we had the game in hand, we didn’t hold the ball as well as we should’ve done. We needed to keep the pressure on and force them to defend around their own penalty area, which we didn’t do.

“I was worried we’d get stretched out, as Fiorentina relish running into spaces, but we kept it tight.”

Juventus have invested heavily this summer, even with Paul Pogba’s departure, so what are their targets?

“A sixth Scudetto would be legend, so that is our objective. After that there is the Coppa Italia, Champions League and Super Cup. The real target is to improve on what we did in the past.

“I will make choices based on every single game. After the break for international duty, we’ll have eight games in a month and that’s when we need everyone in good shape.

“The objective is always to reach our physical, mental and tactical peak in March. This season that’s even more important.”

Allegri was asked what kind of player he is targeting as a midfield reinforcement, but kept his reply vague.
“Someone good.”

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