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With the Champions League looming large on the horizon, the biggest worry in the minds of Juventus fans is just how they are going to stop Lionel Messi from scoring. Even their coach Massimiliano Allegri thinks man-marking Messi is ‘practically impossible‘.
Last Sunday’s Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao saw Messi scoring yet another incredible individual goal after beating four defenders with relative ease. It was the kind of goal that the Juventus coach could not stop admiring.
“What did I feel when I saw Messi's goal against Athletic? What he did on Saturday was exceptional," Allegri said.
When asked about how he is going to try and stop Messi, Allegri said that man-marking Messi was not the right approach.
"Man-to-man marking of Messi, while he's on the move is practically impossible. We need to have conviction and anticipate his moves," the Italian said.
“One needs patience and strength to play Barcelona”
Allegri understands the complexities of defending against an attacking trio that consists of Messi, Neymar and Suarez, who have a scary tally of 120 goals this season in between them. Add to that the quality of Iniesta from the midfield, and it becomes a Herculean task.
"We're aware of the quality of Messi, Neymar and Suarez and especially that of Iniesta," Allegri said.
Even as the odds are stacked against them, Allegri wants Juventus to prove it to the world that they can compete against this Blaugrana team.
He added, "We know that Barca are a quality team and play a brand of football that is unique. We want to show and prove to the rest that we can compete against this Barcelona team. Messi and Neymar play in a different way to any other forward pairing in the world. We need to play a tight game.”
Allegri is of the opinion that the final would be a tougher battle than the semi-final where they knocked out defending champions Real Madrid as this is a one-off match.
"It's great preparing the tactical side of a Champions League final. It's a privilege to coach this team. To win on Saturday, we need to play even better than we did against Madrid. That was a two-legged tie -- not on Saturday," Allegri said.
"Playing against Barca is unlike playing against any other rival. One needs plenty of patience and strength.”
