Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 7y

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri: Leonardo Bonucci said sorry for row

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has said Leonardo Bonucci has apologised for the row that led to him being dropped for Wednesday night's Champions League win over Porto.

Bonucci was punished by Allegri for an argument towards the end of the win over Palermo last Friday.

The Juve coach said he needed to take a stand after too many cases of players reacting badly to decisions this season.

And he told Mediaset: "This win came at just the right time and in just the right way.

"It's only normal that, over the span of a full season, you get these moments of tension -- otherwise we would all get bored.

"Everybody is sorry about what has happened. Leo has apologised and this whole thing has now been dealt with."

Allegri's decision, taken in agreement with the club, did not surprise their former midfielder Hernanes.

The Brazilian, who left Turin in the winter window, said: "It is a club where everybody has a role to play, and if you don't respect this you have to step in line otherwise you will be sanctioned by your superiors.

"This is why Juve are such a great club. I like this attitude, where everybody respects things."

Marko Pjaca opened the scoring for Juve on Wednesday and Allegri praised his "frightening transformation" in recent days.

"He's starting to get to know Italian football better," the coach said. "He's got great quality.

"He's a great player and can do some amazing things -- he just needs to learn how to make more of an impact."

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