Juve head home again

By Paolo Menicucci

It is no secret that winning the UEFA Champions League was Juventus FC's main goal this season. And Fabio Capello and his players have not hidden their huge disappointment after the 2-1 aggregate defeat against Liverpool FC in the quarter-finals.

European freeze
Having won the Italian title 27 times, ten more times than AC Milan, Juventus's status as the most successful team on Italian soil is not in danger. However, unlike the rampant Rossoneri, the Turin side seem almost incapable of winning outside their national borders.

Final stumbles
Despite reaching the final seven times, Juventus have only won the European Champion Clubs' Cup twice - once with a 1-0 win against Liverpool on the tragic night at the Heysel stadium in 1984/85, and once in Rome in 1995/96 as they overcame Ajax AFC after a penalty shoot-out.

Season priority
After the return leg against Liverpool, Capello, who played in the first final that Juventus lost, against Ajax in 1973, admitted: "The Champions League was a priority for our season, both for myself and for the whole club, so we are obviously very disappointed."

Domestic successes
Like Juventus, Capello has won a huge number of domestic titles as a coach, but has always struggled to win the Champions League. The 58-year-old has won five Italian titles - four with Milan, one with AS Roma - and a Spanish title with Real Madrid CF before joining Juventus last summer. However he has won the Champions League only once, in 1993/94 when Milan defeated FC Barcelona 4-0 in the final.

'We tried everything'
Perhaps that made it all the more frustrating to bow out against Liverpool this season. "We tried everything against Liverpool but there were no spaces for us to attack," he said. "They were often defending with ten players. If we had played like that, it would have been labelled as the usual Italian catenaccio."

High hopes
Juventus went into the second leg with high hopes despite a 2-1 defeat at Anfield in the first leg. Having won their first five Champions League games of the campaign 1-0, the Bianconeri had every reason to feel confident of gaining a similar result and progress through to the semi-finals.

Nedved floored
However, it was not to be and Pavel Nedved was arguably the most disappointed Juventus player after the 0-0 draw against Liverpool. The former Czech international was eager to reach the Champions League final after missing the defeat on penalties against Milan in 2002/03 due to suspension.

Lecce success
Juventus returned to Serie A with a 5-2 win against US Lecce at the weekend to move three points clear of Milan at the top of the table, but Nedved remained subdued. "It was difficult to face a game against Lecce after the sad night in the Champions League," he said. "Only winning the Scudetto again could help me to forget this huge disappointment."

Ultimate target
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon agreed. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy to turn the result around," he said. "Now we will get more of a break between games than Milan in Serie A, but we would have preferred to carry on in Europe. You have to win the Champions League to be considered a great player."

Big-eared prize
While another scudetto would be a treat for fans, most would concur with journalist and Bianconeri supporter Simone Stenti, who wrote: "We would happily swap ten Italian titles for one more European Champion Clubs' Cup." Such thoughts will be on Juve's minds again as they resume their hunt for the trophy with the big ears next season.