23 May 2021
Juventus rounded off the season with a 4-1 win away to Bologna, with a goal apiece by Federico Chiesa and Adrien Rabiot, and an Alvaro Morata brace. The Bianconeri left the Dall’Ara with three richly deserved points and a fourth-placed finish. Coach Andrea Pirlo and captain Giorgio Chiellini reacted to the final game of the campaign.
ANDREA PIRLO
“It was important to finish strongly by winning the Coppa Italia and getting the club into the Champions League, having started the job last summer. I’ve always given my all and these are the results. A player like Dybala would change the level of every team. He’s not been available for us that much, unfortunately, but we all know about his ability. If I think ahead to the future, I can see Juve getting stronger and being aware of our strengths. I’m thinking about Rabiot, who’s had an extraordinary end of the season and has shown he’s a unique midfielder on the global stage. That goes for me, too, as now I know the players better, I’ve managed to put the conditions in place for them to perform at 100%. We’re on the right track, but the desire to make sacrifices is what makes the difference. If you have that, results are easier to come by. We knew that we’d have to call upon our desire and the fire in our bellies to get results, which is just what we did.”
GIORGIO CHIELLINI
“There was so much at stake tonight. Our approach was spot on, but our fate wasn’t in our hands. We’ve reached the end of a tough season against a backdrop of countless difficulties, but we’ve finished strongly and won two trophies. We’ll be competing in a competition next season that we feel is where we belong. There were two campaigns at stake today: the current one and part of the next one. We can celebrate now and we’re also pleased for the coach. The build-up to this game was easier than others because we had nothing to lose. The defeat by Milan really awoke something inside us and we’ve picked up some key wins since then, in which we’ve shown our desire. I’m pleased. It’s right to celebrate finishing fourth because two weeks ago after the Milan game, it seemed like an impossible target.”
