Former Juventus coach Marcello Lippi is impressed by Massimiliano Allegri this season.

Allegri has taken Juve to a new level this term.

"I see myself in him," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "He came to Juve more or less at the same age I did, he has the same concreteness I do, and he has the same drive to make the team more modern. We have points in common.

"You can see his intelligence - he came in on tip-toe, in an environment where a certain type of football was being played, without rocking the team's certainties.

"Then, with slightly different ideas, he gradually gave his own identity to the team.

"As for my comments about Allegri not having Conte's 'competitive fury', it was not a comparison in terms of quality. I just wanted to highlight certain differences in their approach to football."