Marcello Lippi sees Juventus as among the favourites for the Champions League – “the team has definitely grown”.
The Bianconeri face Porto in the first leg of their Last 16 tie tomorrow, and the last man to lift the trophy for the Turin side believes they can go all the way.
Marcello Lippi sees Juventus as among the favourites for the Champions League – “the team has definitely grown”.
The Bianconeri face Porto in the first leg of their Last 16 tie tomorrow, and the last man to lift the trophy for the Turin side believes they can go all the way.
“Is heresy to say that Juve are among the favourites? No,” Lippi said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “It would be wrong to say that since they reached the final in 2015 and they’re stronger now, that means they’ll win. That’s a forced equation. There are important signs though.
“They have the one big thing which I insist on: self-esteem and the belief that you can play big games with big teams.
“Juve have already taken this path: Borussia [Dortmund], Real Madrid, with Bayern they came back by a miracle last year, the same with Barcelona who, if things had taken a different turn, could have lost that final.
“Then there’s another important detail: the favourites are no longer ‘impossible’ like before. Barça are risking elimination, Bayern swept Arsenal aside but that’s not a decisive test…
“Porto are a very good team, well-Coached by Nuno [Esprito Santo]. They have a good attitude and solidity.
“That said, there’s no doubt a concentrated and attentive Juve, aiming to establish themselves this season, will prevail. Starting with the away leg.
“Aside from maybe Madrid and Barcelona, home advantage counts for less than it once did. And Juve certainly don’t suffer away from home.”
Massimiliano Allegri has adopted a 4-2-3-1 shape recently, and Lippi praised the Coach for his innovation.
“Allegri is acting with a lot of intelligence, which not all Coaches do. Some think they have to immediately make their mark on a team by changing formations, systems and the status quo. So actually they weaken them.
“Allegri came to the 4-2-3-1 at the right time, at first it didn’t make sense to abandon the 3-5-2.
“Juve have an a striker who scores in every game [Gonzalo Higuain], [Paulo] Dybala who reminds me of [Omar] Sivori and [Mario] Mandzukic is enhanced in his new role.
“Then there’s [Gianluigi] Buffon, the defence, and [Claudio] Marchisio who are always certainties.
“The formation has held up well against strong teams like Inter, I don’t think Allegri will completely abandon it with Porto. The front-four will be there, maybe with an extra midfielder.
“Is the attack like mine, with Vialli-Del Piero-Ravanelli? There are a lot of similarities, above all in attitude, mentality.
“There’s one major difference though: mine had three great strikers but also three real midfielders in [Didier] Deschamps, [Antonio] Conte and [Paulo] Sousa, who today are a CT, a winning Coach and an emerging one."