Defeat could be good for Juventus, says Barzagli

Andrea Barzagli thinks Juventus’ shock loss at relegated Verona on Sunday could end up helping them.

The Italian champions had won 25 and drawn one of their previous 26 Serie A matches, but crashed to defeat, with Luca Toni netting from the spot on his final professional appearance and Federico Viviani sealing the win prior to Paulo Dybala’s late penalty and Alex Sandro’s red card.

Gianluigi Buffon, Patrice Evra, Mario Mandzukic, Alvaro Morata and Paul Pogba were among the big names not in Massimiliano Allergi’s team, but Barzagli wants the loss to serve as a wake-up call.

Juve still have to face Sampdoria in the final league match of the season, before meeting AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final on May 21 as they search for back-to-back domestic doubles.

“We played sloppily and our approach was wrong,” Barzagli told the club’s official website.

“Losing is never easy to take especially when you are as accustomed to winning as we are. That said, this loss may be good for us and give us a wake-up call ahead of the last two matches of the season.

“When you win the Scudetto with a handful of games to play, these lapses in concentration can always happen. We will put this behind us and make sure we train well and prepare as best we can for the Coppa Italia final.”