Barcelona are like a slippery eel, Juventus are battery chickens - Allegri

The Bianconeri coach says his side needs to learn from the European champions' more expressive style of play

Massimiliano Allegri has described Barcelona as being akin to “a slippery eel” and says that his Juventus side can learn a lot from the style of play which saw the Catalan giants win the Champions League last season.

The Bianconeri fell to a 3-1 defeat against Luis Enrique’s outfit in the Berlin final in June and, as Juve look to go one step better in 2015-16, Allegri insists his players must demonstrate a more carefree nature if they are to collect a third European crown.
“After we drew level in the final they we stunned and we were growing. I felt as though we were well on top,” Allegri told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Unfortunately, they bounced back because they were like an eel; we almost had them but they slipped out of our hands. And their front three are an eel too, they are impossible to stop.
“They were very good, but we were like battery chickens. Every moment is different in football and you cannot just play the same way over and over like on an assembly line. We must restore some freedom to the players.”
Having collected the Italian domestic double, 2014-15 was still considered to be a successful first season for Allegri at Juventus. Yet when he first arrived there had been a negative response from fans who were still reeling from Antonio Conte’s resignation.
“It was normal there was some distrust towards me,” added Allegri. “It’s like when a boyfriend leaves his girlfriend, the fans of Juve had just lost their girlfriend.”
His second term might be a more difficult prospect in light of the loss of Carlos Tevez, who was officially unveiled as a Boca Juniors player on Monday. However, the 47-year-old believes it was in everybody’s best interests that the Argentine moved on.
“Carlitos was undecided. But when a player does not have the fire inside him, it is right to let him go where he wants," he added.