Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri felt that the tough match they faced against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night will hold them in good stead for their preparations of the return leg in March at the Westfalenstadion.
The Bianconeri faced some heavy pressing in the first half which resulted in them making a few mistakes, one of which led to Marco Reus’ equaliser, but managed to exert control over the proceedings which ultimately led to them winning the game 2-1.
a It was a fair result, though we coulda ve had more goals and had far more scoring opportunities. I thought we had a good second half and allowed Borussia practically nothing,a the Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
a We know their qualities, as they like to play with pace and run into spaces. The Champions League will always be a balanced encounter and we defended in an organised manner.”
a We didna t make the most of two or three counter-attacks when we clear on goal, as we got the final ball wrong.
a It was a big test against a great side and the lads did well. Now wea ll focus on the head-to-head with Roma in Serie A and after that think about Dortmund.a
a To break down Borussia you need technique, precision and intensity. It was a very tactical game and I think we had more chances than they did.”
a We prepared this tactic, to invite Borussia forward, clog the midfield and therefore create spaces behind them. At this level you cana t try to dominate your opponents, so we aimed to make the most of their defensive weaknesses.”
a Borussia were very intense in the first half, but lost some of that over time and we emerged with more chances to increase our lead.”
a They were arranged in a slightly different way, playing 4-3-3 and trying to attack our full-backs. We emerged well from those situations, though we were closed up more down the right and shoulda ve done better.a
a I leave this game with few doubts and many certainties. The team needs to grow and it was an important test after a difficult group phase.”
a In the end we got the result by playing good football against a side with specific characteristics, so we adapted to those.a
Andrea Pirlo had to replaced before the end of the first half and Allegri confirmed that he had a calf injury which makes him a doubt for the big match against Roma where a win would see Juventus practically closing out the title.
a He went off with a calf problem and will be evaluated tomorrow morning. Wea ll see.a