Pirlo insists lessons have be learned from Inter defeat

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said last month’s Serie A defeat to Inter Milan taught his side some important lessons which set them on their way to a four-match winning streak in all competitions ahead of a rematch in the Coppa Italia semi-final first-leg on Tuesday.

Pirlo’s side lost 2-0 in the San Siro two weeks ago, putting in a performance the rookie manager described as the “worst of my time here so far”.

Since that loss, Juve have won four games on the trot without conceding a goal and Pirlo feels the defeat was the wake-up call his side needed.

“The defeat taught us a lot,” Pirlo told a news conference. “It taught us that when we are not on the right track, we are not ourselves.

“From there we started again with great performances. We were lucky enough to immediately meet Napoli who gave us the test we needed.

“However, we must not settle down because we are only at the beginning and we still have many games to play.”

Inter disposed of rivals AC Milan in the quarter-finals last week and Pirlo, coached by current Inter boss Antonio Conte at Juventus and with the Italian national team as a player, is fully aware of the task that awaits on Tuesday.

“We will try to put your ideas into play,” Pirlo added. “But we know the coach well and therefore we have prepared ourselves for what may happen.

“Inter are a very good team with very fast players. We will have to play a careful game.”