On Saturday, Juventus will host Roma at the Allianz stadium in Turin. The Bianconeri manager Andrea Pirlo gave his pre-match press conference on Friday, where he spoke about his dangerous opponents, and reserved some praising words for his ultimate star, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is celebrating his 36th birthday on this day.
“It will be a match against a team that plays one of the best football in Italy. It will be necessary to be in a good form and make very few mistakes in order not to give them the freedom to launch counter-attacks,” said the Italian tactician as reported by Calciomercato.
In the first meeting between the two sides earlier in the season, the Giallorossi took the lead twice via Jordan Veretout, but CR7 equalized on both occasions, as the match ended 2-2.
“I talked to my colleagues about the first match. We weren’t sending McKennie on the corner kicks yet and we were putting Kulusevski on the receiving end. Over time we realized that instead we had to do it the other way around because Kulusevski is not great at heading the ball, while McKennie is a good jumper, but back then we still didn’t know the players we had at our disposal.”
When asked about Ronaldo, Pirlo only had positive words for the birthday boy.
“I already knew that he’s an incredible professional, but after coaching him every day, I was surprised to see his passion and the way he still enjoys himself as a footballer. It’s the main thing when you’ve won everything and broken every record, it means you’re a hero. Like Buffon, Bonucci , Chiellini … ”
“When we lose I naturally get angry like anyone else. Against Inter (in the league), it wasn’t the real Juve, but fortunately there was the Super Cup right away. After raising our first trophy, we gained our confidence and strength back”. Added the former Milan midfielder.
“Chiellini helps a lot from the mental aspect, as he’s a player whose used to winning, he knows how to grit his teeth. He’s a great resource for the team.”
The young tactician also confirmed that Paulo Dybala and Aaron Ramsey have been ruled out of Saturday’s match due to injuries.
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