Juventus director Beppe Marotta insists there is no “crisis” ahead of tonight’s Champions League showdown with Sporting CP.
It kicks off in Turin at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this game and Chelsea-Roma on the LIVEBLOG.
The Bianconeri were reported to have a crisis summit after picking up one point from the last two Serie A rounds and their first home defeat since August 2015.
Juventus director Beppe Marotta insists there is no “crisis” ahead of tonight’s Champions League showdown with Sporting CP.
It kicks off in Turin at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this game and Chelsea-Roma on the LIVEBLOG.
The Bianconeri were reported to have a crisis summit after picking up one point from the last two Serie A rounds and their first home defeat since August 2015.
“The club is always present at training every day, so it’s normal there was an exchange of ideas with the players, but we can’t talk about this as a crisis,” Marotta told Mediaset Premium.
“We conceded just two goals more than at this stage last season in Serie A, but also scored more, so it’s a different approach that makes us more attacking and therefore run risks at the back. We need to calibrate things a little better and defend stronger on set-pieces, but it’s not a big issue.”
The line-up for this evening has no players who were signed over the summer, so did Juve make the wrong decisions?
“I have to say that new signings are made not just for the present, but also the future. Federico Bernardeschi isn’t even 24 years old yet, so it’d be wrong to suggest we signed him to take the team on his shoulders. A player is fully mature at 26 or 27.
“We have to give him time to settle, to understand what it means to wear this jersey and prepare him to represent the club in future.
“Let’s not forget this is a squad that won everything there was to win in Italy and reached the Champions League Final. Our investments were made for the present, but also for the future.”