Juventus coach Max Allegri disagree’s that the team was built to win this season, saying if he had wanted to win easy, he would have gone elsewhere. The Bianconeri boss was speaking after their 1-0 defeat to Milan at the Juve Stadium, a loss that means they won’t be playing in the Champions League next season. Speaking with DAZN in his post-match presser, the coach pointed to the off the pitch difficulties that the club has faced, and insisted that despite everything, he and his players have played a good season:
The limitations were seen, but the team put pride into it. Do you think some of that pride is a little bit for you as well?
“After the game I thanked the boys, because they put together an important season, extraordinary, we have to try to close it with honor in Udine, because this is a season I don’t think I would wish on anyone, precisely because in difficulties, they gave us the points, then took them away, on and off the pitch. Tonight I think there will be nothing to talk about, because the game was about what we could do. It had been an abnormal season, that I think is there for all to see. Then if you look at the standings and say that Juventus had a bad season, we should accept it, but we don’t accept it, because anyway Juventus scored 69 points with all the difficulties and we don’t talk about what happened on the pitch.”
The team put in effort, but they ran out of nervous energy. You put three attacking players, did you expect more today?
“We ran out of energy, the season ended in Seville, unfortunately, it’s bad to say, but that’s how it is, at the level of mental energy, which is what counts. Tonight we also did well, in the first half we had 2-3 situations, little lucidity near the area, then we made a mistake on marking on a cross and Giroud scored an amazing goal. But it was a goal we could have avoided. So much talking about tonight’s game and the year is meaningless, because it was a really abnormal year anyway. In all this I thanked the boys for everything they did because it was not easy. Another group of guys would not have 69 points, but 50, so you have to be proud and thank them for what they did. Having said that I remember that Juventus had 69 points and at the moment, if we evaluate what happened on the pitch, we will still be in the Champions League, playing games like we did the last ones.”
How will this end? What is the first thing Juventus needs for next year?
“Right now right now I just need to rest. Now we have 2-3 days to recover, then we need to go to Udine trying to honor this last game as best we can. Then calmly and with clarity we have to make choices and go again. But with all these things there is a good base, it’s not all to be thrown away, because anyway we misunderstand the fact of the 59 points, of the last two games, with everything good that has been done during the season. The mistake we can make is not to have lucidity, to keep the good that is at the base, and then build what will be the future of Juventus. And above all to know, we hope, that this year, before August 20, they will tell us if there will be any more penalty points, that they won’t make us spend another year being tarred all over the place.”
What is it that makes you say that with you at the helm in the next two years what good we have seen, will be even better?
“Because I think we’ve done a good job, five young players have played this year, so even at the capital level, for the club…. it’s true that we don’t play Champions League, but that’s not our responsibility, otherwise we would be behind the one that’s behind us, if they had given us the points back … or not taken the points away, because that’s math. When I came back, I knew it would be difficult to win, I’m not that stupid. If I wanted to win I would have gone maybe elsewhere. I didn’t go because towards Juventus is a family…”
In your opinion, is this Juventus not built to win?
“I have always said that, I maybe see different things, wrong things, according to you, Juventus is always built to win, but that is not the case, there are teams that have been six years without getting into the top four, Juventus has to try to stay in the top four because of what we have done. Then the others are all words that come and go, because so much right now of Juventus’ season is failing, even though anyway Juventus is momentarily in third place, played a Europa League semifinal and a Coppa Italia semifinal. Looking to see also what happened on the pitch, on objective things on the the pitch we were also a little bit penalized, however this is part only for other teams, for Juventus a little bit less. We have to be strong, because it’s part of life and football, football gives and takes away from you, this year it has taken a lot from us and we will definitely come out stronger, in total tranquility. Let’s say that teams got into the Champions League because of the fact that they took 10 points from us, on that I think we can all agree. Right?”
Yes, waiting for the last 90 minutes. How soon can we see a winning Juve again?
“Let’s not confuse ambition with being ready to win. Juventus made an important cycle, then it’s been 3 years since they won and this year anything and everything happened. Let’s end the season in the best possible way.”
