Juventus must ‘park the bus’ against FC Barcelona

                               

Gianluca Vialli says Juventus may need to ‘park the bus’ against Barcelona in the Champions League final next week.

The Italian champions saw off Real Madrid in the semi-finals to clinch their first European final since 2003 and will face the champions of Spain in Berlin on June 6.

But Vialli, who made over 100 appearances for Juve and helped them to their last Champions League title in 1996, believes the Old Lady will have to adopt the approach of Jose Mourinho’s Inter or Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea if they are to defeat Luis Enrique’s side.

“They will have to defend with so many men behind the line of the ball, even if that means parking the bus like Mou and Di Matteo,” Vialli said.

“Barcelona are stronger, don’t forget that. They’re best encountered in a one-off game, as they’re rarely below-par twice.

“If you have people like [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Luis] Suarez, you can do a lot of damage.”

Vialli hopes some of the Juve players will be inspired by their surroundings when they return to Berlin – the scene of Italy’s World Cup triumph in 2006.

“It’s being played in Berlin, and champions like [Gianluigi] Buffon, [Andrea] Pirlo and [Andrea] Barzagli can call on the memories of the 2006 World Cup final,” he said.

The former Italy international also rejected suggestions that Juventus’ return to the top of the Europe signifies a rebirth of the Italian game.

“I would not say that. In Italy there is a huge gap between Juventus and the other teams.

“In England, the Premier League is much closer and more competitive, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to talk about the rebirth of Italian football.”