Cassano: 'Juventus were scum in the two European Cups'

Italian football legend Antonio Cassano criticized Juventus and coach Allegri for their defeat in the Europa League semi-final.

"Juventus only had two counter-attacks and two chances from set pieces," Cassano said on May 19th about the events of the Europa League semi-final second leg. "Juventus is always like that. They go to the Champions League and look like a pile of rubbish. Now they're playing in the Europa League, and the same thing happens."

On May 18th, at the Sevilla stadium, Juventus took the lead in the 65th minute, but couldn't hold onto their advantage. The home team needed only six minutes to equalize. In the fifth minute of the first extra time period, Erik Lamela headed in the winning goal, securing a 2-1 victory for Sevilla. The Spanish team advanced to the final with a 3-2 aggregate score.

Juventus (in pink) conceded a goal from a header by Lamela in their match against Sevilla on May 18th. Photo: Reuters — Juventus conceded a goal from a header by Lamela (in white) during their match against Sevilla on May 18th. Photo: *Reuters*

Regarding the reasons for Juventus's failures, Cassano believes that coach Allegri is responsible. He argues that every time Juventus loses, Allegri blames others and cites objective reasons. The Italian coach has not won any titles since returning to Juventus in 2021. "For the past two years, they haven't played a single decent game," Cassano asserted.

Regarding Sevilla, Cassano believes that reaching the Europa League final was a well-deserved result. The former striker praised Sevilla's ball control when under pressure. "It was a game of a Spanish team," Cassano said. "From start to finish, there was only one team playing football: Sevilla."

Match summary of the Europa League semi-final second leg: Sevilla 2-1 Juventus.

During his first stint managing Juventus from 2014 to 2019, Allegri won five Serie A titles, four Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups, and reached the Champions League final twice. However, he hasn't been as successful since his return in 2021. Last season, Juventus finished second in both the Italian Super Cup and the Italian Cup, fourth in Serie A, and were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16. This season, things have been even worse. Juventus were knocked out in the Champions League group stage, the Europa League semi-finals, and the Italian Cup semi-finals.

Allegri's team is currently second in Serie A 2022-2023, with 69 points after 35 matches, eight points ahead of fifth-placed AC Milan. However, the risk of being pushed out of the Top 4 still exists. Juventus is awaiting the outcome of the appeals court's financial fraud case. If found guilty, the club could have at least nine points deducted. In the initial trial, they were deducted 15 points.

Juventus have been facing financial difficulties since 2020. Last summer, they had to sell De Ligt to Bayern and were unable to renew the contract of Paulo Dybala, the top scorer of the 2021-2022 season.

Juventus still holds the records for 36 Serie A titles, 14 Italian Cups, and nine Italian Super Cups. Internationally, they have two European Cup/Champions League titles, one Cup Winners' Cup, three UEFA Cups/Europa Leagues, two European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups.

Thanh Quy (via Instagram, FI )

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