Double presser for Juventus in Riyadh ahead of the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio. Leonardo Bonucci took the floor first: “The recent loss against them taught us that details and episodes can make all the difference. We could have sealed it and then few things turned against us and allowed them to prevail. We are aware we will be facing a team that is in great form, but we are trending positively too. We are hopeful for tomorrow, our target is always the maximum one.”
“We are used to this kind of games, but each has its own development. It will be an important fixture. We want to play better than how we did in Rome, where we allowed some chances that they were able to exploit. A good result would improve our morale. We hope to go into the break with one more trophy in the museum.”
On Ciro Immobile: “He is in a great moment, he is scoring a ton and working with the rest of the team, like with the Azzurri. We will need to be very attentive because he is excellent in attacking the spaces, but he is not their only weapon. They have great elements and a coach that gave them a precise identity. It is a strong group, we will have to be perfect.”
“It is nice to wear the captain’s armband but it does not change all that much, I have always made myself available to the group and always needed its support to give my best and the same will happen tomorrow. Giorgio Chiellini will be with us as well and he will be important in the locker room. We talked to each other after the previous Lazio game, we needed to rediscover our enthusiasm and the desire to suffer together in the difficult moments. We have done that well in the following matches. The squad is fine physically and mentally, I am sure we will have a great showing.”
“We re-watched the tilt, they have a very precise idea on how to attack us and will have to read it and move better as a unit to absorb their deep cuts. It is an area where we are improving and it is part of the growing process we are undertaking with the new coach. We changed the way we interpret matches, but we are at a good point. We have not peaked yet but we are getting close.”
“We certainly have conceded too much for a team that wants to have the best defence. It must bother us and push us to improve. Some came from individual errors, so the style did not play a part in those.”
On Arabia: “There is a lot of the enthusiasm, like in previous game. Sebastian Giovinco told me that the people here is very fond of football, I hope we will be able to send our fans home happy.”
Coach Maurizio Sarri spoke next: “I am having fun in practice and during games lately. It is key for me, it means that we are offering the type of football I want and, despite our flaws, we can ameliorate a lot. Our ultimate objective must be utopic, we must aim at perfection, so we can always be unhappy and thus motivated.”
“We are being very consistent, we lost just one game. We played great in the first halves in the last two games, then got too long in the second ones. It is part of the journey and a little bit of the scheme, because it is demanding in certain positions. Maybe in the final portions we are not so sharp and able to keep the proper distances between the lines.”
On Massimiliano Allegri’s remarks: “Do not tell the presidents that the schemes are nonsense. The coach must not revolutionize the players to have the style he wants, but he must impact the overall organization of a squad mirroring the traits of the footballers. These are personal opinions and ways to read the same job.”
On the trident: “I have no idea, some players were tired, we will see whether the situation improved today, otherwise I would have to make several changes.”
“I played in three finals last year, so this is on a par with those. There is a trophy on the line, it is a special game we must care about in a particular way. We need extra motivations and they could come from something that happens during the 90 minutes.”
“I have stopped following politics years ago and never cared about the sports-related ones either. I am very attached to traditions, but I believe in innovation and want to see what kind of environment will be there at the stadium tomorrow.”
On the injured players: “Giorgio Chiellini will not be back before February, Wojciech Szczesny is healthy, Aaron Ramsey, Douglas Costa and Mattia De Sciglio have returned, then it is a matter of conditioning. Only Chiellini and Sami Khedira are hurt.”
“We have conceded two goals in the past three matches, one at the 95th minute. The reality is different than what it looks, even though we are making some mistakes. We changed a lot in the back, but weirdly we concede mostly when we sit back. It is tough to figure out, we are working on it. Luckily, we have room for improvement.”
“I do not think that the Lazio game was a watershed moment and this is a one-off. They are very dangerous is this scenario, they are strong technically and physically and it is incredible how they did not qualify for Champions League last season. They have one of the best midfields in Italy and the most prolific scorer. But I do not think this result can influence the rest of the season.”
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