Massimiliano Allegri Admits 'Everything Went Wrong' as Juventus Are Dumped Out of Coppa Italia
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was gracious in defeat in the Coppa Italia quarter final, as Atalanta deservedly knocked out the holders with a 3-0 win in Bergamo.
Individual defensive mistakes from Joao Cancelo and Mattia De Sciglio gifted two goals to Atalanta, who were the better team in all areas of the pitch and simply wanted it more.
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Speaking to Rai Sport after the final whistle, as quoted by Calciomercato, Allegri said he had no complaints about the result: "We had a bad first half on Sunday, then there was a reaction. However, everything went wrong tonight. We gave away the first and third goal.
“Our opponents deserved to win – they had more energy and perhaps more mental strength.”
The Juventus manager was sent to the stands in the aftermath of Atalanta's second goal after confronting the fourth official, but Allegri conceded that he was deserving of a sending off.
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"My sending off? It was right to send me to the stands, I was nervous. Compliments to the referee, at that moment I paid for my anger. These situations create more attention for the next game."
Juve's defence was the architect of its own demise, but Allegri has defended De Sciglio, whose horrible back-pass allowed Zapata to stroll through and put the tie to bed with five minutes to play.
"I'm sorry for De Sciglio, he had done well up until the mistake. Chiellini came out right away, but injuries are part of the game," he conceded.
Giorgio Chiellini was forced off with an injury midway through the first half and from that moment on Atalanta gained a foothold in the game and never looked back.
“But as I’ve said, that’s football. If you react to them in the right way, these nights can do you good and help you to raise your level of focus. Obviously, that needs to start on Saturday with a win over Parma," Allegri concluded.
I Bianconeri will not secure a fifth consecutive Coppa Italia this season and will now turn their attentions to the Champions League and Serie A, in which they hold an 11-point lead over second placed SSC Napoli, and face Parma on Saturday night.
