Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci believes it was ‘right’ to resume the season but also that ‘it’s best to just finish it there’ in case of another stoppage.
Juve are set to restart their campaign next week against Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, and Bonucci gave an insight into his club’s preparations, amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
“I wasn’t scared, I’ve always been healthy,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci believes it was ‘right’ to resume the season but also that ‘it’s best to just finish it there’ in case of another stoppage.
Juve are set to restart their campaign next week against Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, and Bonucci gave an insight into his club’s preparations, amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
“I wasn’t scared, I’ve always been healthy,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I didn’t show any symptoms, but many of my teammates were worried. We had the tests and that helped reassure us.
“Now, with the contagion curve going down, we just have to be responsible and stick to the essential rules that we’ve been given.
“I think it was right to resume the season. Football, especially in Italy, is important. Of course, we’ll miss the fans.
“Walking out to a full stadium, hearing the reactions of the fans is completely different from the lunar atmosphere of a competition with empty stands and strange silence.
“But for Italians, even just watching their favourite team on TV can give them relief. It can transmit to you the feeling that you’ll return to a normal life soon.
“There’s a risk of injuries. We’re athletes who aren’t used to taking such a long break midseason and restarting as if we were back on a preseason retreat. It’s never happened before.
“When we stop, in the summer, we have an objective, the dates we plan our preparations around.
“We’ve stood still for 70 days, not one. From here, we’ll have to play three times a week. The risks are obviously high. But what could we do?
“I’ve been impressed by how seriously my teammates took our training matches. No-one let themselves go, came back overweight or without any appetite.
“Everyone’s condition was acceptable anyway and then the individual training took care of the rest.
“We’ve improved since training together and playing matches in training. The coach is satisfied. He says: ‘I like it when the ball moves about like this…’
“After 70 days, to see how everyone wants to start again is testimony to the professional and human quality of this squad.”
The FIGC plans to use an algorithm to decide the outcome of Serie A 2019-20 if COVID-19 forces another stoppage, but clubs are against the idea – and so is the 33-year-old.
“I hope the season ends normally. If not, a lot of stories, controversies and appeals would arise…
“I’m not in favour of other hypotheses. If we stop again, it’s best to just finish it there and not assign anything.
“We hope to get to August 2 with a title winner declared, hoping it’s Juve…”
Bonucci was then asked about Lazio, the Bianconeri’s biggest Scudetto challengers, and facing Olympique Lyonnais – whose domestic campaign is already over – in the Champions League.
“We’re concerned about Lazio. They’ve already taken a trophy from us this season, they’re a good team and Inzaghi’s a great coach.
“However, after this period of inactivity, it’s difficult to make predictions right now. Maybe those who were in form before the break are no longer, or vice versa.
“It will be beautiful, exciting, like a league that starts again with a defined starting grid. We’ll have to extract all the mental and physical resources within us for this new beginning.
“We were lucky enough to play against Inter in the conditions of the restart. It’s certainly odd.
“Fans cheering is part of football. It weighs on the focus and emotional reactions of the players.
“This is where the mental resources I was talking about come in. We’ll have to make up for the things that are missing.
“We’ll have to do well not to be affected by all this. It’s easy to think that we’ll face a team in difficulty, but we mustn’t do that.
“We’re playing for 90 percent of the season in one game. It’s too important to yield to unnecessary and dangerous underestimations.
“We too, in August, will be coming from an impressive tour de force, so we’ll need to have maximum focus.”