TURIN (ITALPRESS) – “We had a very good week, I saw the guys very well in training. Those who will be there are ready to play a great game against a strong opponent that is doing well, with many strong players.” So said Thiago Motta, Juventus coach, in a press conference ahead of the match against Gasperini’s Atalanta, scheduled tomorrow at Allianz Stadium at 8:45 p.m.
In case of success, the Bianconeri would hook the Bergamasks in third place: “If it is a decisive match? We are focused, we know the level of our opponent,” added Motta. We will have to be at our best to compete with them. We have to have the focus only on the match, putting everything we have inside to get the victory. We are not thinking about anything else but Atalanta, we must not lose energy on other things.”
Then on injuries: “Rouhi, Bremer, Milik, Cabal, Douglas Luiz, Conceicao and Savona will not be there tomorrow.” Motta is well aware of the great pitfalls that this challenge hides, but he has great confidence in his group: “They are a very particular team. They press forward on the man and go hard, but they also have the ability to change in markings, which is not an easy read during the game. They play very good soccer and we saw that in the last minutes of the first match. They have aggressiveness and they don’t allow you to play, we will see if they compete aggressively tomorrow or even press the goalkeeper. There are so many variables that make them a strong team. We have to continue to create scoring chances, both on the lanes and centrally. As long as we create the probability of winning the game increases, just as we have to increase precision in the goal area, but we have to insist on this line. It’s from day one that the players are working hard, playing in a team like ours is a great responsibility, but if it becomes a burden we give an advantage to the opponent. We must have balance, I have great confidence in my guys.”
Motta also addressed the individuals, “Koopmeiners I have always seen him well and he has helped us on many occasions. Criticism is part of our work and we always have to keep improving, which is what he does. With Verona he came in very well and scored goals and I am happy for him. Yildiz has important room for improvement, he has never stopped. He is a humble boy who has to keep working the way he is working.”
Finally, on Gasperini, whom the former coach of Spezia and Bologna had as a player: “He is a very strong coach, I have great respect and admiration for him. He doesn’t have to prove anything anymore, he is very competitive, a complete coach who in many years of his career has always done a great job. With Atalanta he is doing something special. He is a great coach on a national and international level. I thank him for what he did at a difficult time in my career after an injury, with him I found the desire to play again.”
– Photo: Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
