Despite a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri felt his side could have been more clinical in front of goal, and made better use of the space created.
Cristiano Ronaldo was paired alongside Paulo Dybala, with Aaron Ramsey in behind, and although they dominated the the opening 45 minutes, breaking down Atletico was tough.
“It isn’t a problem of Ronaldo occupying spaces,” Sarri told the press. “Cristiano wasn’t playing in the centre and we never managed to occupy those spaces.
“We could have done it with one of the two forwards alternately, or we have could have made better use of the space with Ramsey.”
In terms of the game itself, Sarri felt in the first half Juventus were passing well which helped to create opportunities.
“Matches in the Champions League are more open,” Sarri said. “We had a good first half, the quality of the passing in first half was excellent.
“Fast, clean balls meant that excellent chances were created. In the second half, misplaced some passes and lost our way.
“At the end of the game we were spent physically as we came off the back of a tough match against Atalanta
“It takes consistency to play a passing game like we did in the first half. We need composure and physical conditioning.”
On Dybala’s goal, Sarri was full of praise for he Juventus No.10, whose moment of magic won the game for the Bianconeri.
“I think Dybala scored a goal that we couldn’t have foreseen,” Sarri stated. “The first thing a coach says is ‘f**k why are you shooting from there!’
“He did something extraordinary, the standing ovation was deserved. It was a wonderful gesture.”
