Juventus coach Igor Tudor spoke to DAZN following his team`s significant 5-0 loss against Manchester City, offering his analysis of the match and the reasons behind the heavy scoreline.
Reflecting on the outcome, Tudor admitted, “Yes, it`s a bad feeling, we lost. Conceding five goals is never nice. However, certain things need to be acknowledged regarding their quality. In this moment, and considering how we approached this game – having already qualified, wanting to rest some players and give others minutes – they truly played well, too well. Credit to them.”
He detailed the difficulties faced on the pitch: “We suffered; we weren`t able to win the ball back effectively when we pressed because they were excellent. When we dropped deep, they were equally impressive, they possess real quality. With the ball, we struggled; their pressing was so effective that we couldn`t play out from the back. For us to have done better, we would need to be at full strength, completely fresh, and have prepared specifically for this match, then perhaps it could be a different game. Given the circumstances today, this is how it unfolded.”
Addressing the perceived gap between the teams, Tudor was candid: “We paid for everything; we needed to be perfect. Furthermore, when they acquire players, they spend 100 million, 50, I don`t know how much, and ultimately, that`s the reality. They simply have much stronger players than us. This is the truth, and it must be stated, not as an excuse, but just a fact. Football is beautiful because in a single match anything can happen… But, as I said, many conditions need to align, which didn`t happen today for us to perform better.”
Tudor dismissed the notion that the defeat diminishes Juventus`s overall progress or readiness for the next stage of the tournament: “Diminish? Not at all. We are talking about arguably the best team in the world, with one of the best coaches of the last 10 years, alongside Real Madrid. When you discuss footballing quality, there is no one superior to them. We even had a chance to score when it was 3-1.”
He concluded by emphasizing the team`s response: “This result doesn`t take anything away from us. I told the players there`s nothing to blame them for. That`s football; sometimes it`s harsh, you move on, there`s another competition. We`ll put this game behind us, rest, and look forward.”