Massimiliano Allegri Says Always Winning with Juventus Would Be 'Boring'

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has said life would become "flat and boring" if his team won every match.

Pressure continues to mount on the former AC Milan boss following the 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday. Allegri faced the press ahead of the Sunday's Serie A contest against Bologna, but many of the questions directed to him were on the topic of Atletico and the return leg on March 12.

Per Football Italia, the tactician said it's a good thing his team has time to prepare for the Rojiblancos:

"We have 20 days to prepare for this match with great enthusiasm, the maximum adrenaline rush and it must be a wonderful evening. I don't know if we'll go through or not, but we have to do everything to make it happen.

"That also means winning the next three Serie A games to ensure we're in the best condition come March 12. Tomorrow we face a Bologna side with a new coach who have a different spark about them now.

"I say we are fortunate to experience these next 20 days, because life is made of these things. If we won every game, life would become flat and boring.

[…] "If we were to play Atleti again this Wednesday, for example, we'd certainly get eliminated. We need this period to recuperate and sort issues out, bit by bit. I like this sort of experience more than a 0-0 draw. Now we can go out there and see what happens."

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Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin gave Atletico a two-goal advantage heading into the second leg, and the Spaniards dominated Juventus for much of the game.

Allegri was outcoached by Diego Simeone, who made all three substitutions before the Italian made even a single change.

The Champions League is Juventus' focus this season, and failure in Europe could reportedly result in Allegri losing his job:

The Bianconeri invested heavily in star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, hoping the 34-year-old was the missing piece to end their European struggles. Juventus rank among the world's top clubs but haven't won the Champions League since 1996.

An exit in the round of 16 would be the team's worst performance in the Champions League in three years, and despite Juventus remaining unbeaten in Serie A, it would likely mean the end for Allegri.

Former Real Madrid boss and Juventus midfielder Zinedine Zidane has been linked with a return to Turin, and blogger Arjun Prandeep would approve of the choice:

Allegri's latest comments following the defeat to Atletico go directly against the famous words of honorary president Giampiero Boniperti, who said: "Winning isn't important at Juventus, it's the only thing that counts." The club has used that quote as a motto, even incorporating it in their jerseys at times.

Despite the pressure on Allegri, a win against Bologna could temporarily take them 16 points clear at the top of Serie A before second-placed Napoli face Parma.