“It would be nice to play 90 minutes at a high level, but we also have our weaknesses,” said the Croatian.

“You can’t lose in the last seconds with a goal from a corner kick… It’s a shame because we had the game in hand, we pushed hard in the second half. We’ll take this point and move on.” More regret than anger. Igor Tudor takes home another draw (the fourth in a row in all competitions for the first time since last November-December) and makes very little progress in the Champions League standings, with just two points after the first two games.

Weaknesses—  His Juve had turned the game around in Vila-Real, first with Gatti’s overhead kick and then with Conceiçao’s strike, but in the 90th minute, they were punished by former player Renato Veiga. “What did I say to the team at halftime? The usual practical things about what we could do and to be positive. Conceiçao came on in the second half and made the difference. We did what we could, but it’s a shame about the last-second goal, which always causes a lot of regret. We are working on set pieces. We shouldn’t have conceded that goal from a corner. Too many mistakes,” the Croatian reiterated to Prime. Returning to the difficulties encountered – in a first half in which Villarreal crushed Juve and at the end of the second half when the Bianconeri weren’t clear-headed enough to maintain their 2-1 lead – Tudor explained that “we had prepared for this game as best we could, but then difficulties arose: some players were a little tired, Cabal got injured, then there was too much frenzy, a little nervousness, and a few simple mistakes…” This is the list of critical issues that condemned the Bianconeri to another draw with two more goals conceded by a defense that is no longer a wall (11 goals in 5 games) but which Tudor defends in front of the cameras: “Am I worried? In my opinion, the three defenders are doing better than everyone else. We’re lacking a bit in winning second balls, but those three at the back keep the ship afloat every game. I also liked Gatti today, I’m happy for the nice goal he scored. The boys are angry, which is normal. But the team is there. It would be nice to play 90 minutes at a high level, but we also have our weaknesses.”