"We didn't play very well", says Allegri after win over Verona

Juventus earned their fifth consecutive win in all competitions thanks to Moise Kean's 55th-minute goal against Verona on Saturday night.

"We didn't play very well and I think in the last five minutes we had to go and score a second goal, keep pushing them and maintain the pressure,"

Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

"It doesn't seem like much five minutes, but all Verona needed was a long ball into the box and anything could happen. We could've been here licking our wounds if they had equalised.

"It was a complicated match, as they always are after the international break. It was a tough game and we knew it was going to be because Verona make you play badly, they press all over the pitch.

"That's why we were blocked in the opening minutes, then we managed to move the ball around and create chances.

"We could have done better once we had taken the lead and double our advantage, without giving them a chance to get near our area. It's something we need to improve on."

Despite their 15-point deduction, Juventus is in seventh place in the table with 44 points after 28 matches. They are only four points behind the fourth-placed team Milan albeit with a game more played. Juventus’ appeal against that court verdict will be heard on April 19.

"This result means we have earned 59 points on the field, closing the gap on Inter and momentarily on Milan and Lazio,"

he said.

"We've got Inter on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia and then Lazio on Saturday, so we’ve got to be ready.

"In football if you have a good run of results, that allows you to catch up pretty quickly. We have to take it one step at a time.

"The 'real' table that we see there shows we are still four points off the Champions League spots and that is a lot."

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