Football
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'Not easy' for Juventus to back up after Champions League win - Max Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri insists Juventus' commanding victory over Genoa was not easy to deliver.

The reigning Italian champions extended their lead at the top of the Serie A table to 11 points by brushing aside hapless Genoa 4-0 at Juventus Stadium, furthering their pursuit of a sixth straight title.

Ezequiel Munoz's own goal set the tone for a one-sided encounter in Turin, with Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Leonardo Bonucci all cutting through the Genoa backline with relative ease to score.

But head coach Allegri was quick to remind those who predicted such a walkover that it had come in the wake of a gruelling Champions League shutout at Barcelona, where on Wednesday night Juve ground out a goalless draw to reach the semifinals.

He said after the match: "The boys played this game in the right way, and it was not easy, because after that Champions League game we were always going to suffer a dip in energy and concentration.

"Instead they demonstrated important qualities including strength of character.

"We are not a perfect machine because there is still room for improvement, but the team are having a really great season.

"Earning 83 points with five matches still to play, reaching the Coppa Italia final and the semi-finals of the Champions League is quite extraordinary."

Juve's run-in will see them tackle three top-half rivals: surprise package Atalanta, city rivals Torino and second-placed Roma, who can reduce the gap to eight points at Pescara on Monday night.

Allegri said: "We're not going to talk about the title because we still have the clash with Roma and as long as things can change, I won't think about the Scudetto.

"Now we have a few days in which to rest and then we must prepare for the match against Atalanta, which will not be easy.

"Between Bergamo and Monaco there are four more days, so we'll have time to recover and prepare for that Champions League semifinal.

"As it stands we've not won anything, so we will follow the path one step at a time."

His Genoa counterpart Ivan Juric told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "We tried to play football against them, but they punished us for the very first mistake we made.

"I can't take anything away from my players, they're giving everything they can at a time like this.

"There are five cup finals left to play. We'll have to fight to stay up and it will be really difficult."

Genoa are six points clear of the relegation zone but have won only one game since mid-December.

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