Pirlo not satisfied by Juventus side despite big win

Juventus might have beaten Udinese 4-1, but despite the scoreline the game was close, especially early on.

Speaking after the game, coach Andrea Pirlo wasn’t entirely satisfied by what he had seen from his side.

“It wasn’t the best Juventus, as we were coming off a bad defeat to Fiorentina, so started quite timid and nervous, especially when their forwards ran towards us. We gained more confidence as it went on.

“I was not satisfied with the initial approach to the game, as we were still feeling the fear of our last defeat to Fiorentina. The timing of the movements weren’t right, especially on the wings.

“We knew that Udinese would try to sit back, counter and wait for our mistakes, but we did well with the preventative marking to ensure they couldn’t do that.”

The coach gave Paulo Dybala a big hug at the end of the game.

“We need Dybala, he needs us. He worked very well during the week in training, we could tell during the match that he was in better physical condition and we kept him on to the end because we hoped he would score that goal.”

Federico Chiesa had a good game getting a goal as well.

“When we defend, he needs to stay more central. With Paulo there, he can attack with more width and create the space for the other midfielders to push up as well.”

Aaron Ramsey also played well, and looked to have scored before seeing it called back for a purported handball.

“When he’s in good shape, Aaron is a very important player. He’s intelligent, he knows which positions to find on the pitch. Unfortunately, he had so many problems in recent years that he needs a lot of rest between games.”

Alvaro Morata pulled up injured just before the game, would he miss the upcoming Milan clash midweek?

“We’ll see what the situation is with Alvaro Morata and if he can play on Wednesday, but I doubt it.”

The coach was also asked what he said to his players after Juve’s first loss of the season just before the winter break.

“It was a conversation. I spoke, so did the players, we discussed the delicate moment and having faith in what we’re doing every day in training, which has to be accompanied by determination and intensity.”

The January transfer window is about to open, will Juve be looking to add a striker for squad depth, and what were he his thoughts on Olivier Giroud from Chelsea?

“The window opens tomorrow, we already discussed with the club what we want to do and if there are any opportunities. We hope to do something over the next few days.

“He’d be handy!”

Leaders AC Milan are ten points ahead of Juve (who have a game in hand) with the two sides meeting on Wednesday.

“I went to visit Stefano Pioli and see some of his training sessions last season, as I admire him as a coach and was curious to see what he was doing there. He’s reaping the rewards of that work now.”