Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri said after clinching a fourth-straight Serie A title on Saturday that his team never lost sight of their ability to win the Scudetto.
The Old Lady picked up a routine 1-0 win over Sampdoria thanks to an Arturo Vidal goal but the impact was massive, with Juventus pulling 17 points clear in the table with four league games remaining.
Focus can now switch to the Champions League semi-final clash against Real Madrid next week, but for now Allegri was happy to revel in a historic title triumph.
"We believed in the championship from the start," Allegri told the club website. "We have been in the lead since the early days.
"Clearly in the season we can get difficult moments but we must not lose sight of the certainties. For example, when we drew with Inter (in January) then we went on to win against Napoli, maybe not playing very well but taking home an important victory.
"We have been good at understanding the periods of the season. Each game is useful, even those in which we concede goals, we need to keep up the concentration.
"To grow you have to go through lots of defending. There is no shame, because they play well in defence and apply great match play on offence."
Former AC Milan boss Allegri succeeded Antonio Conte as Juventus manager last summer and quickly proved his mettle in Turin - the club have just three defeats so far this season.
Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta gave credit to Allegri for battling through the criticism around his appointment and delivering success when it was required.
"When he arrived Allegri was greeted by kicking, spitting and eggs," Marotta said. "This made us realise immediately that we would be facing a captivating challenge.
"The coach is a great manager and a team leader. Max led the team with regard to the goals. I do not think you could ask for more than that."
Source: PA
