2 giorni fa
4
The Bianconeri coach speaks from Hong Kong: "We still need a couple of players, but I have faith regarding the goalkeeper." Locatelli: "The Europa League is a target."
After the formalities with sponsors and local fans, Juventus are preparing to take to the pitch in Hong Kong. Tomorrow they face Chelsea (13:30 Italian time), but today saw the Bianconeri's first official words from their summer tour. Starting with the latest transfer market reinforcements, coach Luciano Spalletti explained: "Having players with new enthusiasm is always an advantage for the team, and we know them because we've been following them. Considering the first two reinforcements, we now have a stronger squad that we need to work with; I'm satisfied with what the club has done. Alajbegovic is young but already shows great promise and was a favourite of the director, while everyone in the dressing room had told me about Kolo Muani being a special lad. Now we still have a couple of situations to resolve, and regarding the goalkeeper, I have faith in the work of the directors, who have remained in Italy specifically to operate as effectively as possible."
All According to Plan
—
The focus then shifted to Kenan Yildiz, who has had a slow start between his post-World Cup rest and shaking off old niggles: "We are very happy with him," Spalletti continued, "we will assess his involvement during the match; we're trying to have him available for a few minutes. His recovery is as we expected, which means the medical staff have done their job well." The Bianconeri coach then went on to describe the path he intends to take in this new season, which by necessity must be one of redemption: "Last year we had a good run, the team played productive football; the objective is to build on what we did well for long stretches and continue that style of play, but without the lapses that cost us Champions League qualification: we need to add something more." Obviously, after Basel, Nice, and Standard Liège, the challenge against Xabi Alonso's Chelsea represents a test of a different calibre: "I expect a very strong team with a good coach, who is capable and knows this sport very well. I've seen some snippets of their friendlies, and you can already see the quality and strength of the group. It will be a demanding match, and we'll see if we're already 'in' the league and 'in' the season, because we'll have to start strong immediately."
The Captain's View
—
Manuel Locatelli had opened the press conference earlier: "Last season's sixth-place finish has stayed with us and must motivate us. We always tell ourselves that we need to do more, talk as little as possible, and work hard to achieve our objectives. The Europa League must indeed be a target, just like every other competition you face when playing for Juventus. Being the captain of Juventus is a big responsibility, but also a privilege, and yes, I'd also like to become competitive with the national team again. Douglas Luiz? He's a strong player and I've always appreciated him; he's a good lad and he's working very hard. I have a lot of respect for him."
This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it
