‘Angry’ Tudor defends Juventus trio: “Better than anyone else” | OneFootball

Juventus manager Igor Tudor was upset with his team after squandering the lead against Villarreal in the dying minutes.

Following the 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund on the opening day, the Bianconeri were very close to securing their first Champions League victory of the season, as they turned the result upside-down after the break, mostly thanks to Francisco Conceicao’s introduction.

Nevertheless, Renato Veiga returned to haunt his former employers, scoring the 90th-minute equaliser for the Yellow Submarines from a corner kick, forcing the Old Lady to settle for another point.

Tudor ‘angered’ by late Villarreal equaliser

After the encounter, Tudor admitted that the late goal was hard to swallow, while praising Conceicao for the great impact he made following his entry.

“I’m angry about that goal, you can’t concede it like that at the end,” said the Croatian manager in his post-match interview with Prime Video via JuventusNews24.

(Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)

“We pushed hard in the second half. We’ll take a point and move on.

“Conceicao made the difference; we did what we could. Even a few mistakes are understandable, which is a shame because there’s certainly regret.

“We worked hard for two days. There were difficulties and too much frenzy, with a bit of nervousness. Too many simple mistakes.”

Igor Tudor hails Juventus defenders

The Juventus defenders have been under scrutiny as of late due to the elevated number of goals the club has been conceding.

However, Tudor insists that Federico Gatti, Pierre Kalulu and Lloyd Kelly have been some of the team’s performers thus far this season.

“In my opinion, the three defenders are doing better than anyone else. We’re lacking a bit of nastiness on the second balls.

“The three at the back have held the fort every game: Kelly, Kalulu, and Gatti, who scored a great goal. I liked that.

“When you concede a goal in the last minute, there’s always disappointment. We always build on that, we always work hard.”

Juventus have now registered four straight draws across all competitions. Their next clash is against Serie A leaders Milan on Sunday, which will be their last contest before the international break.