Pirlo: Juve were more organized in win over Dynamo Kyiv

After a frustrating draw over the weekend, Juventus got back on track with a controlled 2-0 victory away at Dynamo Kyiv to get their 2020-21 Champions League off to a good start.

Speaking after the game coach Andrea Pirlo stressed the importance of starting off on the right foot.

“It was important to put in a more solid performance compared to Crotone. We were able to try a few things on Monday and were more organised this evening. We could’ve made more of some of the first half chances, but controlled the game well after taking the lead.”

Before he had to leave the game early on after aggravating a previous injury, Giorgio Chiellini appeared to be in the middle of a three-man backline.

“It came from a rotation we wanted to have on the right, with Kulusevski cutting inside to let Juan Cuadrado break forward.

“They were putting pressure on Leonardo Bonucci’s runs forward, so we put Giorgio in the centre. His injury forced us to change things, but Merih Demiral did very well.

“Chiellini had this muscular twinge in the flexor. He already felt it after international duty, so was rested against Crotone. We’ll evaluate it now.”

Juventus looked very fluid on the attack, with players moving around freely.

“What I wanted was to have many players going into attack. Chiesa can play on either flank, Kulusevski or Aaron Ramsey can play as a trequartista behind a striker.

“Let’s not forget we have Cristiano Ronaldo out and Paulo Dybala is not in good shape, so the attacking structure can change, but the players are in the right positions.

“Chiesa is suited to what we wanted to do. He isn’t meant to be a fifth midfielder, but a wide attacker, while when defending he becomes a fourth midfielder. He can play on either side and does it very well.”

Paulo Dybala finally got a chance to play, getting almost the whole of the second half.

“You could tell he was not 100 percent tonight, he needs to play in order to slowly get back into shape.”