Juventus defender Federico Gatti spoke to Sky Sport following his team’s 2-1 victory against Como, addressing key incidents from the match. The game, which took place on Friday at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, saw Juventus secure a late win thanks to Randal Kolo Muani’s brace, including an 89th-minute penalty.
Gatti expressed frustration with the goal conceded by Juventus, stating, “There’s a lot to improve. We conceded a goal that shouldn’t have happened with incredible ease. These are three crucial points, with more important matches coming up in the next few days.”
The defender was particularly vocal about the penalty claim from Como, which was denied by both the referee and VAR. Gatti was surprised by Como coach Cesc Fabregas’ protests, saying, “Fabregas’ protests? It’s strange coming from someone who has played at such high levels… asking for a penalty for every slight touch. In today’s football, we defenders are excessively penalized. We can’t do anything, and the real impact is never understood. If we give penalties like these, let’s just stop playing. If they whistle these penalties, we’ll stop playing football altogether.”
Gatti further elaborated on the challenges faced by defenders in modern football, particularly with the implementation of VAR. He emphasized the difficulty in determining the extent of contact, stating, “I put my arm to be an obstacle for the player, not the ball. The trouble with VAR is you can’t tell the extent of the touch.”
Reflecting on areas for improvement, Gatti added, “Sometimes we’ve lost points that we shouldn’t have. We can’t concede the goal we did today. I come from football where you’d kick the ball out of the stadium to end the game. These are things we need to improve on.”
