Juventus boss Max Allegri said Barcelona were “like a slippery eel” in the Champions League Final, but “if we’d believed more…”
The Bianconeri were beaten 3-1 by Luis Enrique’s men, but the second goal came against the run of play and the third with the last kick of the game, so the result did not accurately reflect the match.
“After the equaliser they were stunned and we were constantly getting better. My sensation was that we’d score and win at that point,” Allegri told Gazzetta TV.
Juventus boss Max Allegri said Barcelona were “like a slippery eel” in the Champions League Final, but “if we’d believed more…”
The Bianconeri were beaten 3-1 by Luis Enrique’s men, but the second goal came against the run of play and the third with the last kick of the game, so the result did not accurately reflect the match.
“After the equaliser they were stunned and we were constantly getting better. My sensation was that we’d score and win at that point,” Allegri told Gazzetta TV.
“Unfortunately, Barcelona scored, because those three in attack are like a slippery eel. It’s just impossible to get a grip on them.
“This Barcelona doesn’t keep as much possession as the older version, but above all you need to be psychologically prepared. They wear you down and you have to wait, not letting them hit you. We only did that to a degree.
“I think we needed another Final to have the total confidence that we could beat them. We’d won the Scudetto a month earlier and every day we were asked questions about those three strikers. In the end that gets into your head and you convince yourself that they are unstoppable.
“The big regret at the final whistle was above all that we didn’t fully believe in ourselves, because we were facing Barcelona, the strongest side in the world.
“Everyone expected us to lose 3-0, instead like this it was harder to swallow.”