Tribal Football

Motta insists Juventus deserved victory over Lazio; praises Yildiz, Luiz

Carlos Volcano
Motta insists Juventus deserved victory over Lazio; praises Yildiz, Luiz
Motta insists Juventus deserved victory over Lazio; praises Yildiz, LuizAction Plus
Juventus coach Thiago Motta insists victory over Lazio was deserved on Saturday night.

Juve won 1-0 thanks to Mario Gila's own goal, with Lazio also having Alessio Romagnoli sent off. Afterwards, Motta was adamant the points were deserved for Juve.

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How important are the three points?

"Important and deserved victory against a team that plays very well. It is not easy for anyone to face Lazio. We found an important goal, but with some well-made plays. Those crosses are very difficult to defend, while other times we made easier crosses to defend. A complicated match, but an important and deserved victory."

 

On Kenan Yildiz?

"He played a great game with his teammates. In the first half we wanted him to play differently with Juan coming from behind. In the second half we tried to free him up for the 1vs1. The action starts and he stays in that situation instead of opening up the field and doesn't wait for the ball to come back. It's normal for it to be like this. He's eager, he's young, he's putting in the effort in training, the match, he's focused. He also played well today."

 

Is it the victory of the group?

"Very proud of everyone. Even three weeks ago, after Gleison's injury, we said that we all need to give something more. The boys are doing it every day to be able to arrive at the game ready to put in a performance like that. Winning against Lazio who are doing very well now. This victory gives great value, it's a victory and we leave it behind. Now we have to recover and then on Tuesday it will be a great challenge. They want the ball, they want to play well, they play very offensively. We have to be at 200% and put in a great performance."

 

Why Andrea Cambiaso as captain?

"Same thing as Gatti. Andrea now, not only with us, but also in the national team, shows that he is improving every day. Doing well with a great attitude, it is not easy to play low, high, play as a midfielder. These are all situations where you can be in difficulty. It may be that someone finds excuses: Andrea is the opposite. Playing in different positions with different teams, he does not complain. He grows. He gets excited. He transmits this positivity of moving forward. This is why today he was captain."

 

Did Danilo change the game both technically and in terms of character?

"Danilo's entrance changed the game. He came in very well. He changed the pace from behind and we really needed that. His entrance changed the game today. You can see that starting the action from behind helps the whole offensive phase. I'm happy for him and for the team. Both he and the team continue to work well, to give something extra to perform like tonight and get a positive result."

 

Will you recover anyone for Tuesday's Champions League tie?

"I don't know. We'll see tomorrow. We have two days to recover those who played tonight and the others who were injured. We'll see. Conceicao who was suspended, others out due to injury. We'll see. If we can, good. If not, good too. Whoever is there will give their all and something more. Help the team to get the most."

 

Why all these difficulties in scoring?

"Slow pace? Sometimes yes. We need to improve our organization. To attack better. To persist. Not to become an attack to attack and then immediately lose 60-70 meters. Then in the recovery of the second half we played and recovered, creating a good solution to conclude. It means that when we were left with more players we lost our organization. It happened with Cagliari too, we lost 60-70 meters, we need to maintain this balance and persist."

 

How did you rate Douglas Luiz's game?

"Very good. Played well. Great attitude, helped both offensively and defensively. Making mistakes like everyone else. Now continue, insist, try the next one. He often does it well because he is a high-level player. I liked it a lot."