Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri admits 'nobody expected us to get to Berlin’, and reveals a message from Antonio Conte.
The tactician was speaking to the media ahead of the Serie A clash with Inter tomorrow, but questions inevitable centered on the Champions League and Coppa Italia finals.
“I think the club’s objectives were always clear,” Allegri explained in the Press conference.
“To retain the Scudetto, to win a fourth Scudetto, would always have been a wonderful thing, because it’s not easy to win four in a row.
“After that, we wanted to be in the top eight in Europe. The minimum objective was to go through, so we achieved that.
“As for the Coppa Italia, it’s normal that it was a secondary objective, because the first objective was to win the Scudetto.
“The Champions League was a dream, and having gotten to the final I think it was a dream at the beginning and even now.
“It’s normal that in terms of objectives the Champions League comes first, but at the moment it’s the third, first and foremost because it’s the last one we’ll play for.
“The first objective was the Scudetto, then the Coppa Italia. In the Champions League nobody expected us to get to Berlin.
“We have achieved an important milestone, a remarkable achievement. It’s rare in the career of a player or a Coach to get there, maybe some get there several times, but for them it’s an objective at the beginning.
“We got there too, playing a great game in Madrid, and more importantly we got there with the steady and gradual growth of the team.
“There have been many games where we played well, then there was an important game like in Monaco where we didn’t play well but took home the result.
“Then there’s Madrid, where we could have won, they could have won and it eventually ended in a draw. That’s what matters to us, and we got to the final.”
One of those who would perhaps not have expected the club to make the final is former Coach Antonio Conte, who famously left in the summer and had said “you can’t eat with €10 in a restaurant which charges €100”.
“Antonio sent me a message after we won the League,” Allegri told the journalists.
“So now you have an exclusive, and you’re all happy.
“I think this team has important attributes, players who are European and world-class, so it’s normal that we could reach the Champions League final.
“Of course, in addition to being good it also takes a bit of luck. I think this team still has room for improvement, with the things we do in the game and the speed of our movements.
“I believe we can still do that.
“Then, of course, having good players helps, because without the players you can hardly achieve the important results which Juventus did in the three years of Conte and the one year of Allegri.”
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