On the night of April 11, Allegri was loudly cursing in front of the visitors' dugout at the Bernabéu Stadium.
He was furious!
He had never expected Real Madrid to field such a conservative formation at home.
Just like in the first leg, Real Madrid still appeared to be using a 4-3-1-2 formation. But the difference was that away from home, Real Madrid had played proactively, whereas at home, they had become unusually conservative—one could even say downright cowardly.
Courtois was in goal. The back four consisted of Marcelo, Vermaelen, Javi Martínez, and Azpilicueta. The three holding midfielders were Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Modrić, while the strike partnership was Yang Yang and Mbappé.
But in the attacking-midfield position, it was neither Hazard nor Isco. It was Kanté, of all people!
Allegri was practically going crazy. Had Yang Yang and Zidane taken a knock to the head? How had they come up with the idea of playing Kanté as an attacking midfielder?
The guy was clearly a holding midfielder, an out-and-out ball-winning machine, for heaven's sake!
A ball-winning machine!
Did they know what a ball-winning machine was?
It meant keeping him obediently at the back and not letting him charge forward all the time. Got it?
Every time Kanté charged upfield, or even pressed toward Juventus's defense or the wings, Allegri felt like he was about to lose his mind. He wanted to rush onto the pitch and tell the English referee, "Hey, buddy, that bastard committed a foul! He's a holding midfielder—how can he run over there?"
But the last shred of his reason suppressed his fury, leaving him with no choice but to curse again and again.
I can't beat you on the pitch, but can't I cuss you to death?
In the visitors' dugout, Assistant Coach Marco