Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli hopes to score in tomorrow’s Turin Derby against Torino and explained why he’s happy with the role he plays in the team. The 25-year-old has taken on added responsibility in the Bianconeri midfield this season and speaking with La Stampa, he explained why reaching 100 appearcnes for the Old Lady was a dream for him since childhood:
“I would like to score again in the derby, also because I miss scoring, but that moment is indelible. I had just arrived at Juve and it was a combination of emotions, also because the next day I asked Thessa to marry me”.
“100 appearances? It’s a great satisfaction: as a child I dreamed of wearing this jersey and it seemed something impossible”.
“Best match? When we won in a comeback in Rome in January 2022: it seemed lost, I had also scored and it was very important for confidence. The worst? The final we lost in the Coppa Italia against Inter. I wasn’t able to give my best and I’m still sorry now”.
“The Derby? They are tough, they have a very good coach and they make you play badly. It will be a physical game and then in the derby you always need something extra. No, I only know Juventus fans in Turin and they only talk to me about Juventus (smiles,ed)”.
“The ambition is to return to the Champions League, a competition that we deserve. Last year we reached the goal, amidst a thousand difficulties. If we can do something more in the spring, we will. When you look at the others, you feel bad and it bothers you because it was taken away from us…. But we have to find the motivation within ourselves.
“No cup competitions? It can give more, but also take away. Now we can’t do anything wrong in the championship. The players have changed and we have lost experience. A new cycle has opened with many youngsters: they need time, but it’s clear that at Juve there isn’t any.”
“Club leaders? Chiellini, Bonucci and Dybala have passed on so much to me on a human level and what it means to be at Juve. Now things have changed and I have to teach the younger ones, setting an example every day.”
“De Zerbi and Allegri? They are opposites, but unique. I’m very close to De Zerbi because he changed my life: I was a kid who had to go through that kind of experience at Sassuolo and take the hits to get back to a big team. Then I arrived at Juve and I found a person with a mentality that impresses you. I like to listen to people who are winners and he is one: people can say what they want, but Allegri has always won.”
“To Brighton with De Zerbi? We talk to each other often, but my will is to stay here for a long time and Roberto knows that. In the future we’ll meet again: I hope so and I know he hopes so too.”
“Regista? Now I have to bring balance the team: I have a big responsibility and I have to be there all the time, but I’m doing well. Number 5? I’m old school and numbers are important. It was Pjanic’s, I studied it and we even spoke: he inspired me, as did Casemiro and Kroos”.
“Who would I have asked for an autograph from as a child? Del Piero, but I would still ask him now: he was and is my idol”.
“Milan? I came back to Milanello for the first time a month ago with the national team: I hadn’t been there for the pain, but now I’m more serene. I always blamed others and found alibis, but one day I opened my eyes.
