I´ve won six Scudetti! – Juventus boss Allegri defends tactics

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri hit back at criticism regarding his playing style by reminding his detractors that he has won six Serie A titles.

Former Inter defender Daniele Adani took aim at a number of Italian coaches in Europe for what he perceives to be a negative approach to matches.

Allegri was among those to be accused of setting out his side in the wrong manner after Juventus crashed out of the Champions League with an aggregate defeat to Ajax in the quarter-finals, losing the second leg 2-1 having taken the lead through a Cristiano Ronaldo goal.

Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Inter on Saturday, leaving the Italian champions with one win in their last five matches, though that solitary 2-1 victory over Fiorentina sealed an eighth successive Serie A title for the Bianconeri, five of those coming during Allegri’s five years in charge.

The 51-year-old also won a Scudetto during his spell at AC Milan, which he used as ammunition to respond to outspoken Sky Sport Italia pundit Adani.

FT: Honours even in the Derby d’Italia #InterJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/7Sb1O3N988

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) April 27, 2019

“In Italy, everyone has become a theorist of football and that is a real problem, like you reading your books,” he said in an interview with the Italian broadcaster. “Now you shut up and I’ll talk, you don’t know anything about football.

“You just sit there behind the desk, you read your books, but you don’t know anything about the practicality of the sport. I’ve won six Scudetti.

“Against Ajax, we suffered with their counter-attacks, not their style of football, and that made it look as if they had an extraordinary game, whereas they were better in Amsterdam. The same goes for tonight. It’s natural that when you misplace a lot of passes, you run risks.

“Sometimes you need to improvise and the idea you had in July has to change completely. There is a difference between playing well and winning, but it’s not as small as it seems.”

Juventus return to action with a home match against local rivals Torino on Friday.