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The UEFA Champions League is an elite competition in football. Zinedine Zidane won the most recent edition, Real Madrid's third consecutive one. This was despite his team failing to win the domestic league, La Liga, in any of those seasons. But, in contrast, there are also managers in the Champions League this season who have in the past come close to winning it, but without success.
The following are the three top managers who have performed well in domestic competitions but have been unlucky in the Champions League competition.
#3) Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus)
Massimiliano Allegri is the current manager of Juventus and since his appointment in 2014, he has managed to take the club to the Champions League each season. Allegri has also enjoyed domestic success with the club, but has failed to achieve the same status in Europe.
Allegri has reached the Champions League final with the club on two occasions of the four full seasons he has been in charge. However, he has only managed to come out with runners-up medals on both instances.
His first final with the club was in 2015, just a year after being appointed as head coach. Juventus had knocked out the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and defending champions Real Madrid to reach the final. They eventually lost the final 3-1 to Barcelona.
Allegri’s second final with Juventus was in 2017. The Serie A giants had faced top clubs such as Porto, Barcelona and Monaco on the way to the final. The but the final was another bad day for Allegri as Juventus lost 4-1 to Real Madrid.
Having lost two finals in the past four years makes Allegri one of the unfortunate managers in the Champions League this season.
#2) Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid)
Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid have defied the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga since he took over. He has won domestic trophies and the Europa League but has been unfortunate in the Champions League.
He has reached two Champions League finals with the club, but lost both. The first was in the 2013/14 season. Simeone and Atletico had managed to knock out the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea in the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. But, in the end, they lost the final 4-1 to rivals Real.
Simeone reached his second final in 2016 having won against the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who many considered favourites. The final was a repeat of the match two seasons ago against Real Madrid and was an opportunity for Simeone to avenge the previous defeat. But once again he was unsuccessful, losing the Champions League on penalties.
#1) Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Jürgen Klopp completes this list of unfortunate managers in the Champions League this season. The German has been in charge of Liverpool since 2015 and in just three years, he has transformed the Merseyside giants into serious contenders at home and in Europe.
However, he has been unlucky in Europe, failing to win the cup in either of the times he reached the finals, first with Borussia Dortmund and then with Liverpool.
His first Champions League final was in 2013 with his former club Dortmund. They had encountered some of the best teams in Europe through the competition. They were placed in a tough Group D that also had Real Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City.
Klopp met Real Madrid in the semifinals, but won to set a date with their Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich. But Klopp was unlucky in the final as Bayern scored a late goal to win 2-1.
Klopp’s second final was in 2018 with Liverpool. The Reds showed desire and determination on the way to the final, knocking out the likes of Manchester City and AS Roma, who had overturned a 4-1 defeat in the first leg to eliminate Barcelona.
Klopp faced Real in the final this time. However, the much-awaited contest turned out to be a rather unfortunate day for Liverpool. He lost Mohamed Salah, who was expected to make the difference, early to injury. Mistakes by goalkeeper Loris Karius were crucial as he gifted Real Madrid two easy goals. Klopp and Liverpool ended up losing the final by 3-1.
Each of these three have lost two finals but once again have a chance to win the Champions League this season.
