TURIN, Italy — What a difference a year makes.
Last season, Juventus crashed out of the Champions League group stage following defeat at Galatasaray, while a month later AC Milan sacked coach Massimiliano Allegri after a 4-3 defeat at Serie A minnow Sassuolo.
Now Juventus, under Allegri, is in the Champions League final after drawing 1-1 at Real Madrid on Wednesday.
A treble is within grasp of the Serie A champion.
"Maybe at Madrid, in the heat of the moment, we didn’t realize what we’d done," Allegri said. "Reaching the final is an extraordinary achievement which rarely happens in the career of a player or a coach.
"Nobody expected it at the beginning of the season, it was something unthinkable, but we got there deservedly, with a great game at Madrid. Ours has been a gradual and constant growth. We didn’t play well at Monaco but we got the result. At Madrid, we could have won or they could have."
The final on June 6 will be Juventus’ first since 2003. In that time, Barcelona, which it will face in Berlin, has won it three times.
"We have a good chance but it won’t be easy," Allegri said. "This Juventus team has an important worth, on a European and world level.
"We have been good but also a bit lucky. We can still improve, in our style of play, and our passing. The aim at the beginning of the season was to win the (Serie A) title again, our fourth in a row, so at the moment we can be more than happy."
Juventus has exceeded expectations under Allegri, whose appointment was met by protests from the Bianconeri fans. He was seen as the opposite of Juventus hero Antonio Conte, who surprisingly quit in the off-season and was later named Italy coach.
Allegri has urged his team to put aside the Champions League final, and focus fully on domestic matters.
There’s fierce rival Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia on Saturday, then Lazio four days later in the final of the Italian Cup — a competition it hasn’t won in 20 years.
"The league games will help us work, and keep in good shape, then we have the final of the Italian Cup, which is our second target of the season," Allegri said.
"The first was the league title, while the Champions League was a dream. Now clearly it’s become the priority, but we mustn’t take our eye off everything else."
Allegri also revealed he received a message of congratulations from his predecessor, as well as from Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani — although not from the club’s 78-year-old owner, former Italy premier Silvio Berlusconi.
"I got so many messages, it made me happy," Allegri said. "I am pleased for the club and for the Juve fans.
"Conte wrote me a message after we won the league, Berlusconi is not used to sending text messages, but Galliani wrote to me and complimented me — I still have great relationships after three and a half years at Milan."
