Pirlo: 'Tactical plan worked with Barca'
Pirlo: 'Tactical plan worked with Barca'
Andrea Pirlo explains the tactical plan that allowed
Juventus to dominate Barcelona 3-0.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo was motivated against his eternal rival’ Leo Messi.
The Bianconeri needed to win by two clear goals other than 2-0 in order to cancel out the 2-0 Barca result in Turin.
They achieved it fully, with a pair of Cristiano Ronaldo penalties and an acrobatic Weston McKennie volley,
becoming the first ever Italian side to score three goals at Camp Nou in UEFA competition.
“It was important for our journey that we pick up where we left off in the derby.
When you start with that focus, concentration and determination, then the quality emerges,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
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We had prepared the match to create superiority in midfield with three against their two, the midfielders like McKennie able to push up, as we knew they had difficulty stopping them pushing up through the middle.
“The tactical plan worked and then the players did really well to make the most of the scoring opportunities.”
There was a special moment other than the two penalties, as at the 81st minute Ronaldo tracked back into his own penalty area for a great defensive tackle on Messi.
“Ronaldo was very motivated to put in a good performance here against his eternal rival, so when you’re that motivated, it becomes simple,” smiled Pirlo.
“There are many games in a season and it’s easier to get fired up for fixtures like this, but we mustn’t lose sight of the real target, which is Serie A, so we have to be this concentrated and committed there too.”
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Ronaldo: 'Never saw Messi as a rival'
Cristiano Ronaldo insists he has ‘never seen Lionel Messi as a rival’ after Juventus achieved the ‘Mission Almost Impossible’ by
beating Barcelona 3-0 at Camp Nou.
The Bianconeri had to win by two clear goals other than a 2-0 result, to cancel out the victory Barca achieved in Turin and take top spot in the group.
They did exactly that with a pair of Ronaldo penalties and Weston McKennie volley, while Gigi Buffon neutralised all seven Messi shots on target.
“It was Mission Almost Impossible,” joked Ronaldo when talking to Movistar.
“The key was to start strong, as within 20 minutes we were already 2-0 up, so from that point on we really believed that we could do it.
“This victory is going to be such a confidence-booster, we needed a win like this against a big team.”
Barcelona were unhappy with the first penalty, awarded when Ronald Araujo got into a tangle with Ronaldo.
“I couldn’t say, as I didn’t see it on television. Sometimes soft penalties are called, but I don’t want to get into that, because the referee’s job is always tough. When you score three goals at Camp Nou, there can be no doubt you deserve to go through as the group winners.”
This was the first time Ronaldo faced off against Messi since he moved to Juventus, as he was out with COVID-19 during the Turin clash.
“We’ve been in the awards ceremonies for 12-13 years now and I never saw him as a rival, that’s all stirred up in the media. We always got along perfectly well and if you ask Leo, he’ll tell you the same thing.”
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Paratici: 'We love Pogba very much'
As relations between Paul Pogba and Manchester United deteriorate again,
Juventus director Fabio Paratici notes ‘we love him very much.’
Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League this evening thanks to a 3-2 defeat at RB Leipzig.
Pogba was on the bench, but came on and changed the game, scoring one of the goals to stage a late comeback, even if it was not enough.
After the final whistle, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hit out at agent Mino Raiola.
“As soon as Pogba's agent realises it is a team sport the better. I don’t want to spend energy on that. You have to ask Paul if he is happy or not, I’m not going to speak for him. Paul is focused on doing his best for the team.”
Juventus director Paratici was also asked by Sport Mediaset if the Bianconeri were interested in Pogba.
“That is not the right question, I think it’d be rather costly
. We love him very much, we know he is a great player, but right now he is at Manchester United.”