Juventus coach Max Allegri had no complaints after their 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan.
An own goal forced by Nicolo Barella separated the two teams.
But Allegri said: “We knew it was a difficult match. The first half was balanced, they scored this goal, we missed one with Vlahovic.
“It opened up after the break and was more entertaining to watch too, as they are dangerous when they go on the counter-attack. We must improve, but I can only congratulate my lads for what they did.
“We did not expect to be in this position in June, as Inter and Juve were coming off very different campaigns. We are pleased to be doing so well, angry about this defeat, but I always said Inter were the favourites for the Scudetto and I stand by that.
“If we do well to win a few games and stay close to them, that’s good. Milan are in the mix too and the unexpected is always around the corner.”
“I cannot reproach my lads, it can happen in a season that you go through a negative period. We have to focus on the next game against Udinese and playing in the Champions League next season.
“Inter have a lot more experience, we had not played a top of the table match in three years, so we paid the tension of the occasion. It is a step forward in the growth process that we needed to make.
“There is a long way to go this season and many points up for grabs, so we must be quick to emerge from this crisis. The lads did well in the second half and fought hard against a very strong team.”
