Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri saw improvements after their 2-1 defeat of SPAL.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opener, on target for the 11th Serie A game in a row, with Aaron Ramsey's lob before an Andrea Petagna penalty.

“It's the same situation we had in the last game, many scoring opportunities and we kept it alive to the end anyway," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.

“I get the sensation the team is clearly improving, it's just a pity we don't kill matches off. It's good to see we are creating opportunities with a certain degree of consistency, including rattling the woodwork seven times in our last three games."

Giorgio Chiellini had his first start since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in August 2019.

“He had an hour today, 20 minutes in the last game and during his presence on the field, we did not concede a goal. He can't play every three days, that's for sure, but over the last 10 days he has improved a lot and returned to fitness much quicker than expected.

“If he continues to improve at this rate, he could play one of the big matches coming up. We have to see how Giorgio reacts to the strain, so it's not an issue of choosing the right game so much as the right moment when Giorgio is in good shape."