19 March 2015
After watching his side put on a dominant display at Westfalenstadion, a visibly satisfied Massimiliano Allegri was in no mood for playing coy. "It's immensely satisfying to have gone through after two excellent performances," he beamed.
"It took us a while to get the measure of things again after Pogba went off injured but we managed to hold onto the ball well and kept things tidy at the back. We deserved this win, the lads have proved that they're up to the task in Europe."
The coach echoed Giuseppe Marotta's comments in bestowing high praise on his players: "We played really well tonight. It wasn't easy against a team that has performed so well on the European stage recently, and in the groups again this year.
"The guys just need to believe they can have their say in Europe. There are three or four really strong teams in the Champions League but anything can happen.
"Juve have come in for some criticism in the past but they have to believe in their own ability because they have technical and physical qualities. They need to be a bit more relaxed at times, understand when is the right time to do or not do certain things because you can't get away with playing badly and winning in Europe."
One of Allegri's successful tactical moves was to hand Max Pereyra the task of marking Gundogan. "It's something we worked on before the game, knowing that Sahin wasn't going to be involved. We knew that if we could keep the shackles on him we could cut off the supply line to the front four, who are dangerous because they play so close together."
The coach also extolled the virtues of a rock-solid rearguard that managed to keep Borussia at bay for 180 minutes, save for an unfortunate slip in the first leg. "We played well with four at the back. When we switched to a five-man defence the full-backs found themselves caught halfway for a while, but we sorted ourselves out again afterwards."
The coach hasn't even had time to hang his European scalp up on the wall yet and he's already looking ahead to the next target. "We must concentrate on the game against Genoa now. After that we can have a bit of a rest, before thinking about the next ones on the horizon. We have to try and get maximum points against Genoa, Empoli and Parma so that we can lock up the title."
At least until Juve get back to Turin, let's enjoy this unforgettable European night.
