Massimiliano Allegri admits that Juve’s elimination from the Champions League elimination has left the team feeling ‘bitter and angry.’ The Bianconeri dropped into the Europa League after finishing third in their Champions League group, and will face Nantes in the knockout stages.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as relayed by Tuttomercatoweb), Allegri confirmed which players will be returning to the squad and what he expects from their Ligue 1 opponents:
Who will recover from injury?
“Cuadrado, although he will not be 100%. Bonucci will be there, he will be called up to let him take in the team atmosphere. Then everyone is available except Pogba and Kaio Jorge.”
What is the value of this match?
“Tomorrow the Europa League starts, it’s the European path. We were eliminated in the Champions League but it can be a gateway to the next Champions League. There is the play-off with Nantes to then go to the round of 16 and try to go all the way.”
Is there anger, still, about the Champions elimination?
“Being out of the Champions League has left us bitter and angry. The Europa League is not easy, playing and winning these matches. Nantes comes from the last 10 games with only one loss against Marseille, having 6 clean sheets. They have fast, technical players, tomorrow we have to lay the groundwork to be able to go to Nantes with a good lead.”
Will you confirm the trident will start up front?
“This morning we did training, I still have to evaluate who to play for tomorrow and Spezia.”
Can possibly winning this competition weigh on your future choices?
“We are focused on the present, let’s take one step at a time. We absolutely must not lose it, it must be our strength from here to the end. In the league, in the Cup and in Europe. Work and improve on some things: ball handling has to be done better, and we have to try to recover as many points as possible in the league.”
Does playing in the Europa League on Thursday’s add something or is it a distraction?
“Europe gives a chance to fill the calendar. To go weeks without playing is boring, better to play Sunday-Wednesday or, since we can’t on Wednesday, then Sunday-Thursday. We are recovering everyone, the important squad roster allows us to play: the five changes help but playing Thursday-Sunday is not a problem. We play when they tell us!”
How much desire is there to cancel out the negative Champions League campaign?
“For me tomorrow is a Europa League debut. All the more reason we need to respect Nantes. The boys are showing they are a team, we need commitment and respect.”
How is Pogba?
“We hope to have him sooner rather than later, he is still behind. He has to be evaluated day by day, one small step at a time. Milik, I didn’t mention earlier, is recovering but still not recovered.”
You argued with a fan, you cheered like a player: do you feel different, in this situation, more inside the colors of Juventus, a leader of this club?
“I am not a leader but a coach. At the base of everything is the club, which is the foundation for all of us. There are moments and moments, in some moments things have to be done: now the compactness has to make the difference, to a team that has had 15 points taken away from them overnight there is discombobulation. And you have to find situations to pull ourselves back together quickly. In fact we lost to Monza at home, it was another blow after the reaction with Atalanta. Now we’ve reassembled, we need one small step at a time: we need to win to better prepare for Spezia.”
Does playing on multiple fronts help take your mind off the deduction?
“For us as a team group, -15 is the past, we don’t have to think about it. After the upset, we understood that there is a goal. The other things don’t concern us, we look at what happens on the field.”
How is Chiesa doing?
“The fact that he recovered after Sunday means he is absorbing the competitions he plays.”
Where does he put Europe as a priority?
“At Juventus you always have to think about winning. In the league we have to go up the ladder, tomorrow we have to win and there will be a full stadium and it’s a good signal from the fans. After the -15 they came together and are helping us a lot.”
What kind of Nantes team will it be?
“Nantes is solid, they have technical players. But let me send a hug to the Nantes player (Ganago, ed.) who lost a young son in the past few days.”
