"It would be nice if they had to move the Coppa Italia final," Juventus coach Max Allegri admitted last Tuesday. You could be forgiven for thinking that when they scheduled it for June 5, the FIGC had little confidence in a representative from Serie A reaching the Champions League final, which is due to be played in Berlin the day after.
Allegri's team will definitely be at one of them after Juventus booked their place in Rome, where they will meet Lazio, by accomplishing something they had never done before in their illustrious history: advance to the next round of Italy's domestic cup competition after losing the first leg at home.
The subsequent 3-0 win at Fiorentina ranked as arguably Juventus' greatest show of strength this season as a second string without the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez put in a performance that matched the best of the first team.
Accused in the past of having a "short bench," never had trust in the team's depth been so high, nor could the timing for that conviction to develop have been any better. The players were different but the mentality was the same and so was the result. Juventus triumphed 3-0 on the road in another delicate eliminator just like they did in Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 last month.
After the win in Florence, Giorgio Chiellini talked about how Juventus have matured. "Think about it," he said, "A couple of years ago, aside from the old guard -- Buffon and Pirlo -- there were very few players on this team who could boast international experience and who had a number of big 'in or out' games behind them. That increased after our [2012-13] participation in the Champions League and the next one when we also played in the Europa League. Even though it left a bitter taste in our mouths, we needed it to get more experience.
"With a defeat in the first leg to come back from and a hostile and intense atmosphere to play in, maybe two years ago we would have managed the game in Florence completely differently," Chiellini continued. "The same goes for both legs against Dortmund as well. We walked out on the pitch at the Westfalenstadion calm, self-assured and convinced that we'd have our say. It was exactly the same at the Franchi."
For the first time, there's even talk of a treble in the media, although you won't hear it voiced from the coach or the players. While granting the fans have every right to dream, Chiellini has insisted: "We have to live in the present." Most Juventini, however, are either cautious or superstitious. You won't catch them pronouncing the word triplet. It has been left to the papers instead.
