Luciano Spalletti expressed his satisfaction with the mentality Juventus displayed in securing a 1-0 victory over Udinese.
The win propelled Juve into Serie A’s top four, ahead of Sunday’s encounter between Como and Roma, thanks to Jeremie Boga’s decisive goal.
Kenan Yildiz delivered a brilliant assist and appeared to set up a second goal for Juventus midway through the second half, but Francisco Conceicao’s strike was ultimately disallowed.
Juventus ended the match with an impressive 3.3 expected goals (xG), while restricting Udinese to just two shots on target and 0.7 xG.
Spalletti’s side also dominated possession, and the Bianconeri coach, now on 299 Serie A wins, praised the control his team exerted throughout the match.
“When we see more of the ball, then we defend better,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“Possession isn’t just a superficial exercise; it is used to create chances, and that doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risks.
“You consolidate the dominance of the game, and then choose the moments when you should take those risks.
“We were perfect in that, not allowing Udinese many counter-attacks that we had to chase back.
“This reflects the mentality, as we played with the mentality of a strong team [against Udinese].
“The team did really well, maintaining that level of determination to close the game as soon as possible. We had also scored a second, but that’s fine, because we were up against a very strong opponent.”