TORINO. Andrea Pirlo, what responses do you expect from your Juve tomorrow in Bergamo in the direct clash for the Champions League?
«We have only one goal in mind: to get as high as possible. We compacted after the defeat against Benevento and the draw in the derby: the champions are not a suitable goal for Juve, because they were fighting for the championship, but we try to be the best in this period ».
Which key will he hit with his team?
«We worked well during the week, Atalanta has particular characteristics. We tried counter moves to avoid their fierce pressure: great intensity will be needed, but I’m confident ».
Will Dybala play with Ronaldo?
«No, because Ronaldo will not be in the match. He has not recovered in recent days from a problem with his flexor and it is too risky to take him to Bergamo after so many games: he was unable to push, we will leave him at rest for Wednesday ».
How serious is Ronaldo’s injury?
«It’s a problem that arose after the game: the flexors were loaded, he did differentiation, but then he couldn’t push as he wanted. I talked to him, he was risky after so many trips and so many games. The accumulation of so many races has created this annoyance ».
Don’t you think Ronaldo’s management was wrong in this period? He has played 9 games in a row between club and national team, but now Juve loses their best player …
«The three games with Portugal weighed on him and he only had to play two, then the goal annulled against Serbia forced him to play the third as well. There is fatigue: Guardiola said it, too many games played and the squads are too short. This leads to the injury and we also saw it in the Champions League: Lewandowski got hurt in the national team and so players are lost on the street at the key moment ».
To stop Atalanta, did you think of deploying Cuadrado in midfield?
“It can be a solution. We worked to find Atalanta’s weak points and there are interpreters who can vary ».
Will Gosens be the special watcher tomorrow? Would you like to train him?
«Atalanta followed a team path, then when the team is doing well the singles emerge and Gosens is among the many who are doing well. He is a player of great value ».
Who would you like to take away from Gasperini?
«They are all great players, then Zapata has physical strength and Ilicic is the one with the most talent. But Pessina is also doing well. We take care of the team ».
What do you think about the return of the public to the stadiums? Can it affect this championship final?
«It’s great news, but not just for football. Everything is normalizing, if the stadiums are full, even better … ».