Juventus head coach Igor Tudor admitted his side were “too frantic, nervous and misplaced too many passes” as they settled for a 2-2 draw against Villarreal in Wednesday’s Champions League clash. Despite concerns over defensive fragility, Tudor praised his defenders, insisting they were performing “better than anyone else.”
The Bianconeri fell behind before fighting back to take a 2-1 lead, only to be denied victory by 2024-25 loanee Renato Veiga, who scored from a corner in the 90th minute.
Following the match, Tudor opened his post-game interview with an apology to Juventus supporters. “I’m sorry, it’s part of the game. You can’t lose a match in the last seconds from a corner like that. We’ll take this point and move on,” he said.
Tudor acknowledged the team’s struggles with composure. “We worked and prepared as best we could, but there was too much frenzy and too many nerves. Too many simple passes we got wrong.”
Juventus looked more composed in the second half, thanks in large part to half-time substitute Francisco Conceicao. “Chico came on and made the difference. We did what we could, even with some mistakes. Unfortunately, they scored in the last few minutes”.
When asked about concerns over conceding goals, Tudor defended his backline. “The three defenders are doing better than anyone else. We need to win more second balls. The three at the back held the fort for the whole game.”
Tudor also highlighted Federico Gatti’s performance: “It was a great goal, he had a great game. There’s always a feeling of regret when you concede a goal in the last minute. It would be nice to play 90 minutes at the highest possible level, but it’s not easy. We have our weaknesses, too.”
Juventus will look to regroup ahead of their next fixtures in both Serie A and the Champions League.
