Allegri praises youth and admits Juventus title favourites

Massimiliano Allegri has admitted that Juventus will be the favourites to reclaim their Serie A title although he is optimistic about how his AC Milan team are shaping up.

The former Cagliari tactician took the charge of the Rossoneri in 2010 and has won one Serie A title and a Supercoppa Italiana with the Italian giants.

“I think it will be a well-balanced championship, but Juve have won the last two Scudetti and bought quality players so they have to be favourites,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Yet I have a squad made up of quality kids and, with respect to last season, we have the advantage of already having been together for a season.

“We are more of a team than we were a year ago. We’ll have Mario Balotelli from the start of the season, we’ve got Nigel De Jong back from injury. I have faith in vice-president Adriano Galliani – he usually makes a signing late on in the window.

“The youngsters have grown and if individual qualities improve then so does the team’s play,” he added. “If I play kids then it is because they are good, not that I need to launch them.

“Andrea Petagna and Bryan Cristante have started well with the first team squad. But you have to treat youngsters with balance – not overhype them when they do well or criticise them when they make mistakes.

“The kids we have need to mature, but they have qualities. I’m eager to see how [Jherson] Vergara and Gabriel do.”

Allegri was also questioned on the Milan defence.

“My defence is often criticised, but we didn’t concede that many in the second half of last season. It shows that the team is working well because if you leave your defenders isolated then the best in the world would struggle too.”