Luis Enrique 'elated' after passing final test
sábado, 6 de junho de 2015
Sumário do artigo
Luis Enrique admitted to feeling "elated" after leading FC Barcelona to the European summit at the end of a "difficult year", while Massimiliano Allegri turned his focus to the future.
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Corpo do artigo
Luis Enrique, Barcelona coach
This final was spectacular, against absolutely top-level opponents. They gave us a lot of trouble and we suffered a lot, but we created chances. It was extraordinary because of what both teams contributed, and of course we've written history again for Barcelona.
We started perfectly, scored with our first chance and had more openings. [Gianluigi] Buffon was at his best as usual, and in the second half Juventus came back into it and had us under pressure. For about ten minutes we were under the cosh but we came back and overall we were on top and deserved to win.
This is our 60th match [this season] – six defeats and four draws. Those figures show that this has been one of Barcelona's best campaigns. In the last ten years, this has been the most successful club in Europe. These players have shown hunger for victories and they've shown they enjoy it so much – they enjoy making the supporters happy and that's been key.
Neymar had a very, very good season last year, his first in Barcelona and Europe, but this year he's been spectacular. He's grown immensely, in terms of his statistics and performances; he's shown he's one of the best players in world football.
When we thought about getting Luis Suárez to reinforce the team, we knew of his great qualities, but of course we had our doubts – we didn't know if he'd adapt to this team, to a different philosophy. His statistics and performances show that he's one of our best signings. We paid a lot of money for him, but he's shown a lot of hunger to win trophies.
There'll be a great celebration tomorrow. It's been a difficult year, a transitional year, but I want to thank all those people who trusted me, and all the people who supported me within the club and my family – I'm elated.
Last year we won nothing; we had injuries and new staff. After that difficult year, the team has come together and done the things right throughout the season. They've overcome difficulties and tough times together; together we're stronger and that's when individual quality comes out. I had no doubts about my work, the work of my players or of those who work with the first team at Barcelona – or the supporters.
Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus coach
At the end of the game, I thanked the team for the wonderful season they've had, but not just for that – also because of the game tonight. They played an excellent game, and showed great personality, technique and skill. It was a great final, but unfortunately when you play against great players, you think you have things under control and then they manage to get away from you. They did that when we were controlling the match and just about to score.
We have some regrets, but we come out of this final with greater self-esteem and awareness of what we can do, and with the intention of improving – with the knowledge that we can play in Europe with great technique and personality. That was evident. We're certainly sad, because it's not every year you get to the final of the Champions League, but I don't have anything to reproach the team for.
You either win or lose a final – there's no return game. But as I said to my players in the dressing room, the enthusiasm people had for Juventus in Turin and around Italy is positive for the whole of Italian football – and that's due to these boys, here in Berlin.
We had a chance to prevent Barcelona from winning the third leg of their treble, but they were extraordinary, and we weren't able to contain them. I told Buffon that I had a good feeling from the bench and sensed we could win it, but Barcelona got away the moment we made a mistake and conceded a counterattack. They have three excellent forwards when they counterattack, and we paid the price.
It's a disadvantage [to concede the first goal], but finals are never over until the end of the game. We could have done better in the first half but we were patient when Barcelona were controlling the ball and we had a couple of good chances, while giving them three.
We can still improve – not necessarily the results, because that would mean winning the league, cup and Champions League. What we can still improve is the quality of our game, and improve what we have. Consolidate and strengthen our game, and stay among the top eight teams in Europe on a regular basis – that's really important.