Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri appears to have taken a swipe at AC Milan when asked about his side’s early Champions League exit.
Allegri spoke at his pre-match press conference ahead of Juve’s game against Lecce and he was asked about the team’s failure in the Champions League after the defeat against Benfica ended their chances of making the last 16.
“In life these things happen, I can’t find the right word, you find it. I just think about working as we are doing, with commitment and dedication,” he said (via TMW).
There are teams that have been eight years without playing in the Champions League, this can also happen. We must not get frustrated otherwise we will not get out of it. We know tomorrow how important the game is, it is a difficult and complicated game regardless of the Champions League, as a team, with compactness.”
The eight-year stint he is referring to is almost certainly a jab at Milan who did not qualify for the Champions League until the 2021-22 season after having last participated in the 2013-14 campaign.
It has certainly been a difficult start to the season for the Bianconeri because – in addition to their European exit – they are 8th in the Serie A table and already 10 points behind the leaders Napoli, suggesting a return to lifting the Scudetto is some way off.
