Maurizio Sarri has vowed the pressure on his work at Juventus is "normal" and said he always fully expected president Andrea Agnelli to scrutinise his results.

The head coach had dinner at the weekend with Agnelli and sporting director Fabio Paratici, in the wake of Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Hellas Verona.

Juventus also suffered a rare loss at Napoli in late January.

There have been claims that Juventus could look to bring back Massimiliano Allegri, who has not moved on to a new job since leaving the Turin giants at the end of last season.

Allegri delivered five successive Serie A titles, but the club's run of eight in a row is coming under threat from Inter, who head Juventus on goal difference after 23 games.

Sarri stressed the dinner meeting had been long planned, and was initially due to take place on February 2 after the Fiorentina game.

In a news conference, he quipped: "If I hadn't wanted to be under scrutiny I would have applied to work at the post office."

Sarri added: "I see the president often, and every now and then we go out for dinner. It was something that was already planned. Andrea says he wants to introduce me to the best restaurants in Turin, but we never talk about a single game, rather about everything.

"It is normal that my work is always under scrutiny. We are in February and we are fighting for every competition, which is in line with the initial goals. It is clear that we come from a bad game, but with external rather than internal repercussions."

While the meeting at restaurant Il Bastimento triggered speculation in Italy, Sarri, in his first season at the club, is determined to prove he can meet the demands of his job.

Juventus are entering a crunch stage of their season, beginning with Thursday's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg at Milan.

They face Lyon in the Champions League last 16, with the first leg in France on February 26, before a March 1 date with Inter that could be pivotal in the Serie A title race.