Allegri: Juventus did not counter Ajax enough

Juventus' inability to punish Ajax on the break was a source of frustration for the Italian team's boss, Massimiliano Allegri.

Published : Apr 11, 2019 08:33 IST

Massimiliano Allegri believes his Juventus players did not do enough to hurt Ajax during the 1-1 Champions League quarterfinal first leg draw on Wednesday.

The runaway Serie A leader was second best for much of the first half but went into the break ahead after Cristiano Ronaldo's superb header moments before the interval.

It was caught off guard at the start of the second period, however, as David Neres found the leveller that Ajax's enterprising play deserved.

Allegri concedes that his side was on the back foot for much of the contest and says he would have liked his players to have eased the pressure by hitting the host on the break.

"Ajax are in the quarterfinals, they pass it very well in tight spaces and push a lot of men forward," he told Sky Sport Italia .

"They were pressing us hard and created spaces, but we didn't hit them on the counter as much as we should've done.

"I don't think we were distracted on the goal, but we did concede straight after the break and Ajax gained confidence, while we were a little in shock.

"I introduced more technically-gifted players [Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa] as it was time to work our way out of their pressing with more precision and technique."

Daniele Rugani replaced the injured Giorgio Chiellini at the heart of Juve's defence alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Allegri says he was delighted with his contribution.

"I was confident Rugani would do well as he's one of the best defenders in Italy," he explained. "He is extraordinary when defending but just needs to improve a little when building from the back."

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