The Bianconeri coach defends his team after the 5-2 defeat against Manchester City: “I have nothing to say to myself or my players, even if it`s a bad result.”
“They have much stronger players than us, and I`m not looking for excuses,” stated Igor Tudor, showing no despair after Manchester City dominated Juventus 5-2 to secure first place in Group G. “This defeat doesn`t diminish anything; we played against the best team in the world. I have nothing to blame my players for. We`ll take this hit, rest now, and move forward.” In essence, the focus is on the round of 16 – turning the page and quickly forgetting the heavy loss in Orlando. This is the Juventus imperative.
“We Paid for Every Mistake”
“It`s never good to concede 5 goals, but we must acknowledge their quality and how they prepared for this match. When they want, they spend 100, 50 million on signings; they are the best in the world. Today we wanted to rest some players and give minutes to others who aren`t fully fit because they haven`t played much, and that`s how it went. We suffered. We couldn`t win the ball back; we stayed deep and didn`t play well when we had possession. That`s just how it was in this moment. We paid for everything; we had to be perfect, but they were always first to the ball.”
Savona`s Condition
“At this moment, it`s a different level from ours. Anything is possible, you can even win, but you have to be at full strength, fresh. I have nothing to say to myself or my players, even though it`s a bad result. That`s how it is; the guys gave everything, and I told them: you forget quickly because the tournament restarts. We`ll see who we get and go strong. The draw doesn`t worry me because all circumstances have to align for us to do better. Let`s remember that City has been the best team in the world for 10 years. Real in the round of 16? They`ve won a lot, but they [City] are the best.” He concluded with an update on Savona, who was substituted halfway through the second half due to an ankle injury: “How is he? Not good; we`ll see tomorrow.”
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