Juventus suffered heartbreak in Berlin on Saturday evening, but president Andrea Agnelli has nothing but praise for the personnel at his club.
Having already secured the Serie A title and Coppa Italia, the Bianconeri were hopeful of completing a famous treble when they lined up in the UEFA Champions League final in Germany. Unfortunately for them their opponents Barcelona were also in the same position, having won La Liga title and the Copa del Rey, and the Spaniards emerged as deserved 3-1 victors.
As disappointing as this was for the Italian champions, there is much to be proud of at reaching their first final in this competition since 2003. And speaking in the aftermath of the defeat, Agnelli was eager to praise those involved in their recent successes, including head coach Massimiliano Allegri, although he also hinted that there may be some changes in the summer.
“It’s a privilege for me to be in charge of a group of leaders, each one doing a very professional job in their area of expertise,” he said. “I’d like to thank Massimiliano Allegri for the way he’s come in and taken over at the helm in a historic period for Juve. Club, coaching staff and players are all part of the same entity: everyone is useful but no one is indispensable.”
One of the biggest tasks possibly facing Juve in the coming weeks will be to keep hold of Paul Pogba, the France international who is attracting interest from a host of clubs. Chelsea, Manchester City, former club Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been credited with an interest, and now Barcelona have also indicated they would be in the running should he be up for grabs.
Although the Camp Nou giants are currently unable to sign any players due to a Fifa transfer embargo, president Josep Maria Bartomeu told Telefoot: “Paul Pogba is a great player and it’s true he is one of our objectives. Obviously we are interested in Paul Pogba, but I cannot say any more than that. We cannot sign anybody before January next year, so I can’t say more.”
