Chiellini: ‘Juventus disappointed and proud, lucky Kelly wasn’t me’
Juventus director Giorgio Chiellini spoke to the media rather than Luciano Spalletti after Champions League elimination to Galatasaray. ‘It’s fortunate Lloyd Kelly was there and not me’ on the red card.
The Bianconeri knew it was extraordinarily difficult after losing the first leg 5-2 in Istanbul when down to 10 men, and it seemed impossible when they had Kelly sent off here too at the 48th minute.
Despite that, they still clawed their way back with another two goals after Manuel Locatelli’s penalty, from Federico Gatti and Weston McKennie, to force extra time.
They had a huge chance to win it with Edon Zhegrova, but the extra man ultimately showed with late Victor Osimhen and Baris Alper Yilmaz goals to send Galatasaray into the Champions League Round of 16.
Chiellini takes the heat after Juventus exit
“Luciano is not here, because I think it is only right that a director is here tonight,” Chiellini told Amazon Prime Video Italia.
“We are exhausted and disappointed by this result, despite the performance. At the same time, we are very proud for the way we played.”
There was applause at the final whistle from the Juventus fans, who recognised the incredible effort that their team put in to turn this situation around.
“The feeling we must have is that this is a starting point to rediscover the spark that we’ve been lacking, as we go into the final weeks of the season,” continued Chiellini.
“If we want to look at Spalletti’s tenure, we got one and a half games wrong since he arrived. We haven’t been very fortunate when it comes to the incidents, but we have to keep going.”
The last time Juve sent Chiellini to speak to the media rather than Spalletti, it was to protest the Pierre Kalulu red card against Inter in Serie A.
How did the Bianconeri judge the Kelly red card, which was not just a second yellow, but changed to a straight red via VAR despite seeming entirely accidental?
“Let’s just say it’s fortunate Kelly was in that situation and not me,” replied the former Italy defender. “There’s nothing more I can say on that.”
Juventus had already been in crisis going into this match, managing only one draw from their last five competitive games, and their lack of fighting spirit was the main criticism.
At least that cannot be said tonight, as down to 10 men for over an hour, they only capitulated late on.
“We need to keep faith in these players and this coach. There is a process and that can mean a few negative results, despite good performances,” continued Chiellini.
“There are 12 games to go this season, where there is a lot at stake. The team is ready, we saw that tonight, and the growth process continues even with a few slip-ups and obstacles in our path.”
Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray
Are there regrets at the way the Champions League campaign went for Juventus?
“Not right now, we ended the league phase in good form, including a victory away to Bodo/Glimt, which we saw how difficult that was now. We beat Benfica, who troubled Real Madrid.
“The regret is that we could’ve gone further with a little more concentration, but now we have to concentrate on Roma this weekend and the remaining matches,” concluded Chiellini.