Coppa Italia – Allegri: ‘Football is wonderful, in an instant everything can change for or against you’

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes that finals are always a ‘50/50 affair’, amidst claims that Atalanta are the favourites heading into Wednesday evening’s Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Juventus boss conducted his customary pre-match press conference on Wednesday, following on from his Atalanta counterpart.

Allegri knows that the Old Lady have to improve on some of their recent performances, but, while assessing the season as a whole, he is pleased that the team have come good on their original goal, which was to finish the league season in the Champions League positions.

Allegri’s thoughts: Post-Salernitana, Pre-Atalanta

To begin with, Allegri was asked for his thoughts on Sunday’s lacklustre 1-1 draw at home to already-relegated Salernitana.

“Well, let’s hope for better tomorrow evening,” he said, with a smile, as reported by TMW.

“We have reached our Champions League goal, and now we have an amazing final to play, against a team that is playing very well and I would also like to congratulate them for reaching the Europa League final.

Allegri is not overly fussed with the team news coming from the opposition camp when asked for his thoughts on Gianluca Scamacca.

“Tomorrow, regardless of tactics and technique, we need availability on the pitch and to win as many duels as possible. We know that there will be tough moments in every game and we will have to counter attack in the best possible way.

“Coppa Italia finals are always a 50/50 affair, you have to take it in your stride, knowing that the matches don’t always end as you expect them to.”

Are Juventus really underdogs in the Coppa Italia final?

When asked if he truly feels as though Juventus are the underdogs heading into the Coppa Italia final, Allegri replied: “Football is wonderful. In an instant, everything can turn for or against you, just like in this season.

“At the moment, everybody thinks Atalanta are favourites, and for us, tomorrow could be our last final. It will take clarity, calmness and concentration, and the better team will win. Then we will all shake hands.”

Reporters pressed the coach for his opinion on what would make the 2023-24 season a success for Juventus, and whether a win against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final would change the perception of his team’s campaign.

A little snappily, he replied: “I repeat, to the point of boredom, that our main objective this season was to compete in the next Champions League. There are moments in life when you can’t win, but you can still reach a positive. We’ll see if we win tomorrow, but participating in these sorts of events isn’t for everyone.

“We’ll need to be good, maybe a little bit lucky, and we’ll try to bring it home. But our goal was the Champions League.

“We’ll play with a lot of respect for Atalanta, as we have done in previous finals. Matches can only be won on the pitch, we need to try and get everything on our side. But we need conviction to bring the trophy home with us.”