Coach Allegri is not happy with the ‘goals on the road’
THE red and blue shirts of Barcelona loom again for Massimiliano Allegri today as he looks to steer Juventus into the knock-out stage of the Champions League where the Bianconeri were unlucky finalists in recent seasons.
Allegri lost his first European final with Juventus in 2015, 3-1 against Barca; and they also went down in last season’s decider, 4-1 against Real Madrid.
Juve did however beat Barca 3-0 on aggregate, drawing 0-0 in Spain, in last season’s quarter-finals.
In the current campaign the Spaniards won the home match 3-0 and now visit Turin’s Allianz Stadium, topping Group D three points clear of the Bianconeri. Sporting Lisbon are another three points behind in third but have lost the head to head against Juve.
Allegri’s history against Barca began as coach of AC Milan in 2011-12, with a draw and a defeat in the group phase, followed by a 3-1 aggregate elimination in the quarter-finals.
Allegri finally savoured victory in the following season, beating the Blaugrana 2-0 in the round of 16, but suffering a 4-0 drubbing in the return match.
He again had no luck in 2013-14, with a 1-1 draw and a 3-1 away defeat in the group phase. Milan still advanced to the knockout stage, but sacked Allegri in January and exited against Atletico Madrid on a 5-1 aggregate.
Today’s match may not be crucial for the Old Lady, but it provides a serious test as they face unusual inconsistencies in the home league they dominated for the past six seasons.
A 3-2 defeat at Sampdoria Sunday saw Juve slip to third place, four points behind Serie A leaders Napoli.
“We’re conceding too many goals, especially on the road. We only kept a clean sheet at San Siro -beating Milan 2-0 in late October,” Allegri said.
The coach is a staunch supporter of tight defending and can not be pleased that his team has let in 14 goals in 13 matches, five more than 12 months ago.
Among the teams scoring against the champions were promoted Spal and Benevento, with struggling Genoa and Udinese getting two goals despite being defeated.
Juve score more than usual, boasting the best attack on 37 goals, nine more than last year, but seem to have lost the seamless connection between midfield and defence that had become their trademark.
Veteran centre-back Andrea Barzagli, a key contributor to Juve’s record of six straight titles, pondered the squad’s issues ahead of the big match with Barca.
“We must not have the momentary lapses that we’ve had and need that extra something that we haven’t always been able to show,” the 36-year-old Barzagli said. “We have plenty of quality but what makes the difference is the desire and sacrifice.
“With Barcelona it will be difficult, but we must do it, it is crucial to go to the next round and also for moving forward in the season.
“There is nothing comparable to last year, it was another situation: our opponents will obviously want to move forward too but for us the challenge is really important.” — dpa