Lippi dismisses crisis claim

Juventus FC coach Marcello Lippi denied there was a crisis in Italian football after no Serie A club progressed to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive season. He said: "Italian football is not really in crisis but there is a pressure here to succeed that doesn't exist in any other European league."

'Young blood did well'
On the positive side however, Lippi was pleased that his team, which started with just five regular first-team players and a host of young blood, had beaten a nigh-on full strength Arsenal FC side. He added: "I have two feelings about this match. The good one is about the younger players and about the other players that don't usually play a lot who played so well tonight."

'Great pain'
Yet, even that could not erase the disappointment of elimination from Europe's premier club competition. Lippi said: "On the other hand, we feel great pain at not progressing in the Champions League. We lost our qualification race at home against [RC] Deportivo La Coruña. We didn't take our chances in that match and there were plenty of them."

Domestic focus
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger pledged to focus on his side's chase for honours in England. He said: "We are a strong side with a strong spirit and we have a good position in the [English] Premiership. The other English sides in the Champions League have more games to play now and we can take advantage of that."

'We were unlucky'
Wenger paid credit to Juventus, saying: "We lost because Juventus had a good midfield and they took their chances," but he added, "this was an unlucky night - we lost the qualification race at home against Deportivo La Coruña. Now is too soon to analyse the reasons behind this defeat."

'Hands off'
And, in a clear warning to any clubs who might try to tempt Arsenal's stars away from the club following consistent disappointment in Europe, he said: "There are many more players who want to come to Arsenal than ones who want to leave."