Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri offered a robust defence of his record after watching his side concede a two-goal lead to draw with Tottenham in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Indeed Allegri claimed that Juventus, twice beaten finalists in the last three competitions and Serie A winners in each of the last six seasons, and Tottenham were a “step below” the continent’s top sides despite the enthralling nature of their 2-2 draw.
Two goals from Gonzalo Higuain inside the first 10 minutes had seemingly set the Italian champions on course for the quarter-finals but Spurs fought back in style as Harry Kane struck after half an hour before Christian Eriksen struck a second-half free-kick.
Juventus had their chances to win the tie, most notably when Higuain blasted a penalty against the crossbar with the lead still at 2-1, but a frustrated Allegri insisted he had never expected his side to win the tie in the first leg.
“If someone thought Juve could win this 4-0, then they were way off track,” Allegri said in his post-match press conference. “Perhaps reaching two Finals in three years was damaging to some people.
“I will not accept that tonight's 2-2 draw could depress the Juve fans. There are some scary ups and downs in the mood here.
“This really irritates me, because people have no idea of how teams function. The primary objective is the Scudetto: it's not easy. Then we'll try to go forward in the Champions League. It was always 50:50 with Tottenham and it still is.”
He added: “Juve and Tottenham are sides who can have ambitions going forward, but compared to Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid are a step below.
“In fact, I’d add PSG and Manchester City to that list.
“Next season it will be even more difficult. The best teams reach the Final and Juventus have had three extraordinary campaigns.”
Juventus travel to Wembley for the tie’s second leg on March 7 needing to win or draw scoring three or more goals to qualify.
