Mediaset journalist, Gianni Balzarini was interviewed by Ilbianconero.com. He talks about the Juventus season and in particular the current dynamics.
Coaches changes to Juventus:
« Since last year, I thought that the cycle was good for it to end, Allegri was no longer in the plans of the new club, after the resignation of the old management block. It was time to change. Thiago seemed to me to be the right profile to see if at Juve we can reconcile the duty to win and the pleasure of playing in a certain way. With Allegri, it was not so fun, perhaps in the first five years, but the quality of the workforce was different. After failing with Sarri, Pirlo had not succeeded either, even with two trophies won. At first, I was very confident with Thiago, the team seemed on the right track. Then things started to complicate themselves with the management of the captain’s armband: Gatti started as captain for four days, then not only did he lose the armband, but he even disappeared for four days. Juve with Motta did not offer a lot of game …. I said to myself: ‘If you don’t see anything in December, January, there is necessarily a problem’ … »
Thiago Motta’s departure:
« The agony should not have extended after Juve-Empoli. It was logical to change, there were no longer the conditions to continue. »
The arrival of Igor Tudor:
« Nine times out of ten, the shock always occurs with a new coach. I see a different attitude, no more desire to go and score goals. We saw something with the Genoa and it accentuated with Roma and Lecce, namely the verticalization and the speed of execution that we had not seen much before. The second goal against Lecce is an example of football. Such a goal is not by chance, but because you work during the week. There is something to see, from the point of view of character, Tudor reminds me of Conte in his way of sitting on the bench. »
Nico Gonzalez et Kenan Yildiz:
« Nico Gonzalez? With Tudor, I see him much more inside the game, he creates ‘disorder’, he does not give benchmarks. Yildiz is freer, the position behind the tip is ideal for him. »
The season of Khéphren Thuram:
« I think he is someone who could have played for Juve in the past. Or at least be a first alternative. He seemed to be an irresistible player and at some point, he was excluded: why? If someone gives you so much, I don’t understand why you have to remove it. On July 18, Motta quoted Douglas Luiz as the prototype of ductility and then? He does not play the first three days …. this is where we started to ask questions. »
L’aviniir the Tur’s Tur’s et Douglas Luizae :
« Koopmeiners will stay, while Douglas Luiz will find a way out. Koop was paid 60 million, while the Brazilian was compensated by the assignments of iling and barnenechea. Koopmeiners? I think the lack of summer preparation had an impact. Then there was the problem of the coast, in lung, these are situations that weigh. The interview with his brother where he says ‘Teun was confused’. All this affected it mentally. Look at how he exults after the goal against Lecce, he lets out crazy anger. It looked like he had marked in the Champions League final. I would not want him to enter the category of those who, when they leave Atalanta, do not come back. For me, he is neither promoted nor failed, but postponed. »
The disappointing season of Brazilian:
« A kind of Arthur 2.0. Too many injuries, he does not play three games in a row. He was expected to become a pillar, he never became. You are the star of Aston Villa, you arrive in Turin and we make you believe that you are going to become the star of Juve and then that does not happen. At that time, there are two solutions: either we break everything, or we collapse. He has great qualities: in the Premier League, he pulled penalties, free kicks, he marked from the right, from the left … »
The complicated season of Arkadiusz Milik:
« I’m sorry for him, it was said that he was the ideal attacker for Motta. He was injured on June 7, missed the European championship, was operated for the first time, then a second. Today, he has fairly serious muscle problems, as soon as he forced himself, he injured himself again. There was a lack of communication, in my opinion. Faced with a mass of supporters like those of Juve who want an attacker right away, it was necessary at that time to clarity, that is to say explaining to people the situation and that it was not easy to find an attacker immediately. It was decided not to clarify the situation, but we are now talking about a player who will never make his debut this season. »
The players to recruit?
« We are missing two high -quality players: the player who attracts attention to the midfield, who, when he has the ball, already knows that he will do something important. We need someone who looks like Pirlo. And there may be one: he plays abroad, in the jersey of Juventus … Then we need an attacker of 20/25 goals. A Lautaro Martinez, for example. An attacker with this specific type of weight. Maybe he spends a few matches without scoring, but when he does, he still scores important goals. »
