Juventus v Udinese Calcio - Serie A

The man scored against Udinese.

DeFodi Images via Getty Images

In early January, after an incredible run of form, the Bianconeri climbed to second place in the table after a tumultuous season.

It is testament to the resilience of the squad and their coach that they have done so despite a lot of turmoil.

The Bianconeri had just three wins in the first nine rounds of the season. After losing five of their six Group Stage games, the Bianconeri crashed out of the European Championship.

The team rallied and unlocked a version of themselves that seemed impossible in those early weeks of the season despite the poor results.

Indeed, Saturday evening saw the Old Lady notch a 1-0 victory at home against Udinese, and while that result would be unremarkable in isolation, it actually marked the eighth victory in a row for the Bianconeri.

Despite a lengthy injury list, the side is still able to score 14 goals at the other end of the pitch, while keeping a single goal.

One fact that cannot be underestimated is the impact that the return of Federico Chiesa can have on this side, and it was no surprise to see the Italy winger proving to be the difference in Saturday's victory.

Allegri and his men have kept going. The football has been effective, with the Coach taking time in his post match interviews to praise the mental and physical strength of his team.

We need to raise the bar in terms of performance. We didn't have the right concentration against Cremonese, it was better with Udinese, and we had more chances in the second half.

Good fitness levels and mental strength helped us win the game. Technical skill is important, but if you don't want to give too much extra, you won't win these games.

According to WhoScored.com, the statistics show that Udinese only had one more shot on target than the other side of the field.

Juventus v Udinese Calcio - Serie A

It's a huge boost for Max Allegri and the rest of the team.

Getty Images

Some of the recent wins have been close, with five of them being by just a single goal.

The 2015/16 campaign saw Napoli get off to a great start, only for the Bianconeri to come back and win the title.

Next weekend sees the Bianconeri take on the only team above them in the table, with a visit to league leaders Napoli waiting. If another title bid were to happen, Allegri is aware of the need to improve.

According to Allegri,Napoli are the favorites to win the title, but we want to consolidate the top four.

The season is almost halfway done and we are doing well. The performances are more important than the results or targets. The minimum goal is a top four finish, so we have to take it one step at a time.

That may well be a Coach trying to downplay the importance of Friday night's game at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Max Allegri knows that extending their win streak to nine games would blow the title race wide open.