02 March 2021
It took an hour to size up the opposition and half an hour to put them to the sword as Juve got the better of Spezia thanks to goals by Alvaro Morata, Federico Chiesa and Cristiano Ronaldo. Wojciech Szczesny had the last touch of the game when he made a fine save to keep out Andrey Galavinov’s penalty in stoppage time. Here’s all the post-match reaction.
ANDREA PIRLO
“We didn’t make a brilliant start, which is normal when you’re playing every three days. We tried to manage the game and also created some chances in the first half. In the second half, thanks to some fresh faces, we were able to be more threatening and change the contest, with the wingers and midfielders making good runs into the box. We’re trying to get players back from injury, but nothing is certain. De Ligt also pulled up tonight and we’ll assess him tomorrow. We hope it’s nothing serious. Morata is key for us. He knows how to play as part of this team and attack the space in behind. We now hope he can get back to his best quickly. As for Bernardeschi, it wasn’t the first time he’s played at full-back. He needs to improve defensively, but he has a very good engine and that’s a position where he can fill in.”
ALVARO MORATA
“I’m pleased with the goal, but the three points are more important. We’re now thinking about the next match and looking ahead, while knowing that we also have a game in hand. Everyone who knows football knows that each win builds confidence and a wonderful atmosphere in the dressing room. I’ve not been among the goals, but above all, I was a bit low on strength because the last three weeks have been tough, but we’re a little short on numbers and we have to dig in. It’s not been an easy season, but there are still plenty of points to play for and we’ll fight until the end.”
WOJCIECH SZCZESNY
“As for the penalty, I expected it to go down the middle and it wasn’t a difficult save. It was important not to take our foot off the gas after going ahead because games can be turned on their heads in an instant. We played well in the second half, but we were under par in the first half, which is also down to the opposition. I’ll take the result this evening, but we certainly must improve and understand the importance of this period because the whole season will be defined by our next few games. We have a fantastic squad with clear ideas about what we need to do, also thanks to what the coach gets across to us.”
