Max Allegri explains why the Juventus trident attack didn’t work against Sporting CP and lets Leandro Paredes off the hook for that substitution faux pas. ‘Football is not a mathematical equation.’
The Bianconeri rode their luck at times in the Europa League quarter-final first leg, as Sporting CP had more possession and more shots on goal, forcing saves from both Wojciech Szczesny – who went off after feeling chest pains just before half-time – and Mattia Perin.
It was Federico Gatti who got the only goal, bundling over the line after a chaotic corner that saw Dusan Vlahovic’s header cleared off the line.
“We made a few mistakes, the lads can improve, above all in the final cross when Perin made two crucial saves, we should’ve sensed the danger earlier,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia after the 1-0 victory.
“We did better in the second half with three midfielders, who gave us better width. Sporting pressed high and lost intensity as the game wore on, I had to sort of adapt Angel Di Maria to a wide role and naturally they were causing us a few problems in midfield.
“It was a good performance, it wasn’t easy to win and to keep a clean sheet.”
There was a curious moment near the end when Leandro Paredes had to delay a substitution because he ran back down the tunnel to get a new jersey, seemingly infuriating the coach. What happened?
“I was about to introduce Miretti, then Locatelli asked to come off and we changed it to a double substitution. By that stage, Paredes figured he wasn’t going to come on and had already taken off his shirt, so it all stalled for a minute. It was probably a good thing, in the end.”
Allegri started with a formation using Federico Chiesa, Angel Di Maria, Arkadiusz Milik, Filip Kostic and Juan Cuadrado together, but after an initial great chance for the Italian, they otherwise struggled.
“I always say that football is not a mathematical equation. I decided to use those three upfront, we were often left unbalanced against a strong opponent like Sporting. We also should’ve done better in the misplaced passes when developing the moves out from the back.
“I saw three forwards did well against Lazio, so I tried it again, but I think it is most important to remember the balance of the team and the various characteristics that players have when combined together. We don’t want to lose the securities we had built up over the course of the season.”
Gatti had struggled early on this season, but has gradually become a reliable figure in defence and today scored his first goal for the club too.
“It is not an easy season for us, young lads need time to grow. At times they can look fantastic, at others like they’ve never played football, it is a whole different pressure playing for Juventus. Gatti has so much energy and is like a sponge, he soaks up all the information you throw at him.”
The winners of this tie will go on to face either Manchester United or Sevilla in the semi-final, which is also wide open after the Premier League side fumbled a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Old Trafford.
The coach continues to talk about Juventus as if they had already won their appeal against the 15-point Serie A penalty, which will be heard on April 19.
“Our next objective now is to catch Atalanta in the table and consolidate what would be second place in the table. The lads did very well to believe and we need to keep believing even more. They are responding well. In football I believe that technique and talent counts, but the moral values of the individuals, the passion and heart poured onto the pitch, are the really crucial elements.”