Canny Allegri has Barca in sight
Print Edition
JUVENTUS has shown an uncanny ability to change its approach according to the circumstances and coach Massimiliano Allegri now has to decide which version of his side he wants to face Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final next month.
Juventus, the first Italian side to reach the final since 2010, has won Serie A by playing a possession-based, attacking game, with a diamond in midfield and pressing deep in the opponents’ half.
In the Champions League, it has alternated between that approach and what critics describe as old-school Italian style, in which it fields three central defenders, packs its team into the last third of the field and strikes on the break.
Allegri often switches between the two styles during the match as he did in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Real Madrid which gave his team a 3-2 semifinal aggregate win.
With Real pushing forward for a winner, Allegri took off playmaker Andrea Pirlo and brought in Andrea Barzagli as a third central defender.
Juventus also played with the three-man defense for an hour in its tie away to Borussia Dortmund, picking off the Germans on the counter-attack on its way to a 3-0 win, and the whole of its quarterfinal second leg at Monaco.
One of Allegri’s favorite phrases is about “administering the match”, an ability which he regards as fundamental in his players.
They carried out his instructions to the letter at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, although they have occasionally allowed their attacking instincts to get the better of them.
In a recent Serie A match at Torino, Allegri criticized his team for continuing to pour forward after scoring an early goal, allowing its neighbor to hit back for a 2-1 win. “There are certain phases in the game in which you also need to wait and be patient,” he said at the time. “You have to know how to read the game and handle the result.”
Allegri now has to decide which approach to start with in Berlin in the final on June 6, where his side is the clear underdog against the attacking might of Barcelona.
“A lot of credit must also go to Allegri, as he has always changed the menu, by which I mean the formation,” said France’s Patrice Evra, who will be playing at his fifth Champions League final after one with Monaco and three with Manchester United. “Now, we’ll see which menu he has in store for us in Berlin.”
Meanwhile, Italian sports press yesterday screamed the ‘Sky is the Limit’ for Juventus against Barcelona.
The sports press was unanimous in its belief that Juventus — which remains in contention to emulate Inter Milan in 2010 by winning a treble of league, Cup and Champions League — can defy Barcelona and go all the way.
“Fiesta!” was the headline on the country’s biggest sports daily, La Gazetta dello Sport, above which was written: “Juventus go crazy against Real, now we’re off to Berlin.”
An editorial by Andrea Monti said the sky is now the limit for Allegri’s men: “Juve have booked the eighth Champions League final in their history and can now dream of a third trophy.
“We’ll see what happens with Barcelona, but last night Juventus embarked on a stellar journey. And (goalkeeper, Gianluigi) Buffon’s finger, pointed into the dark of the Madrid night sky, has shown the direction they’re taking.”
With a twist on one of Juventus’ several monikers — the ‘Old Lady of Turin’ — he concluded: “The sky, young Lady, is now the limit.”
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