Andrea Pirlo compares himself to Massimiliano Allegri after Juventus advance to Coppa Italia finals
Andrea Pirlo compared himself to former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri after his side eliminated Antonio Conte's Inter Milan in the semi-final of the Copa Italia.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus headed into the second leg of the semi-final on the back of a 2-1 victory over Inter in the first leg. The Bianconeri put on a defensive masterclass as they held their opponents to a 0-0 draw to confirm their progress to the final.
It was a game in which Juventus showcased their defensive solidity, much like they did during the reign of Massimiliano Allegri in the previous decade. Under the former AC Milan coach, the backline of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon led the team to multiple titles.
Andrea Pirlo was delighted with his side's performances and insisted that reaching the Coppa Italia final was one of his main objectives for this season.
"I hoped so, as a debutant, it was my plan to win a Supercoppa, to reach the Final of the Coppa Italia, and the last 16 of the Champions League. A s player it was easier, it ended after the game. As a coach, you have to think about the next game immediately, you have to think for 30 different heads," said Pirlo.
Despite the good result, the Juventus manager insisted that the job was far from finished:
'But we haven't achieved anything yet and now we'll rest and prepare for Saturday's match. "
When Pirlo was questioned about comparisons to Juventus' former coach Massimiliano Allegri, the former midfielder said:
"It's nice to hear. If I have to win what he won, you can also call me Allegriano. Every match is different and we prepare in a different way. Inter have almost no shots on goal, and we had opportunities, we are very satisfied."
Andrea Pirlo heaps praise on Juventus' centre-backs after their performance against Inter Milan
Andrea Pirlo heaped praise on Matthijs de Ligt and Merih Demiral for their display against Inter Milan. The two youngsters have been in imperious form in recent weeks, and look set to take over the reins from Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini as the future of Juventus' defense.
'I have always said that I'm lucky to have four very good centre-backs. They are adapting to our way of defending and are improving. Not only Girogio's [Chiellini] return, the others are doing very well and I'm happy about this," said Pirlo.
Juventus will be buoyed after their performance in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, as they head into a crucial part of the season. Andrea Pirlo's side are still in the hunt for the Serie A title, and the Champions League.