Del Piero: ‘Inter were average in Bodo/Glimt defeat; Juventus face titanic challenge’

Juventus and Italy legend Alessandro Del Piero has delivered a frank assessment of Inter’s shock Champions League elimination at the hands of Bodo/Glimt, while issuing a rallying call to the Bianconeri ahead of their own daunting second leg against Galatasaray.

Speaking on Sky Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, the Juventus legend was generous in his praise for the Norwegian side, but pulled no punches when it came to analysing Inter’s performance.

“Bodo played an exceptional game, their teamwork, desire and passion for the sport made the difference,” he said.

“But Inter were too passive. These are matches you win by doing something more than average, and tonight Inter played an average game. Often that is enough for them, but tonight everything went wrong.”

Del Piero: ‘Inter average, Juventus face titanic challenge’

Del Piero was particularly struck by the atmosphere inside the stadium and felt Inter failed to rise to the occasion.

“There were 80,000 people there, it only takes a moment to ignite a crowd like that,” he said.

“Their performance, not exactly lifeless but without that something extra, gives you pause for thought. It is a shame, because Inter had the tools to go through.”

Attention then turned to Juventus, who face Galatasaray on Wednesday holding a 5-2 deficit from the first leg, a mountain Del Piero described in stark terms.

“Juventus face a titanic challenge, far greater than the one Inter had,” he said.

“They need to give a response of pride, win the game and produce a superior performance. They need a spark to change the current trend, because they have lost several matches recently. It will be extremely difficult for them to go through, even if we all hope they do.”