Juventus fell in a 2-0 loss at home to Barceloan on matchday two of the Champions League, with the visitors dominating the game at times.
Speaking after the game, coach Andrea Pirlo was disappointed but decided to look ahead.
“We knew it would be tough against a team that plays football well, that is used to playing at this level, while we are a work in progress.
“Ultimately, it is a combination that will help us grow and improve in the future.”
Pirlo struck a note of frustration, especially around the team he had to select, and once Merih Demiral was sent off, there was practically no chance of a comeback.
“I hope to have more players again soon, because I don’t have many options and the ones I start end up playing almost 90 minutes twice a week. That is not easy for them, especially when they are young and inexperienced.
“It’s frustrating when you have ten men, since you can’t go pressure them, otherwise it just ends up being empty. That’s what the guys didn’t realize when we went down to ten. “
Juventus struggled to create chances, in addition to Álvaro Morata’s offside hat-trick.
“The plan had been to extend a little more to the defense of Barcelona, but we tended to be too close together and to all play in the same line.”
Juve insisted on using Paulo Dybala for all chance creation with Federico Chiesa reduced to a peripheral figure in the game.
“It’s true. We tried to keep Chiesa open, then we pushed Adrien Rabiot to a more advanced area, with Juan Cuadrado pushing up in the second half. The idea had been to get Sergi Roberto out of his position, as he fights if he’s out position, but we could never really do it. Players ultimately make the decisions on the field.
“We need to be quicker in the way we move the ball to create one-on-one situations, but we didn’t make it tonight.”
The question has often been asked: Has Juventus’ midfield experienced a massive drop in quality since Pirlo’s departure?
“Soccer clubs have eras, we had great players with a lot of international experience. They are now largely younger, so it will take a while to get them to that level.
“They tried to create something there, but we have to work and improve until we can play against Barcelona in terms of level.”
