Andrea Pirlo gives injury updates on Paulo Dybala and Weston McKennie, while crediting Juventus ‘hunger’ for pushing past 10-man Sassuolo.
It was far from a comfortable evening for the Bianconeri, as they lost Dybala and McKennie to injury, then were made to push to the very end to beat Sassuolo, despite Pedro Obiang’s red card on the stroke of half-time.
Andrea Pirlo gives injury updates on Paulo Dybala and Weston McKennie, while crediting Juventus ‘hunger’ for pushing past 10-man Sassuolo.
It was far from a comfortable evening for the Bianconeri, as they lost Dybala and McKennie to injury, then were made to push to the very end to beat Sassuolo, despite Pedro Obiang’s red card on the stroke of half-time.
“Dybala had a knock to the collateral ligament on the inside of his knee. We’ll evaluate it over the next few days and hope it’s nothing serious,” Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia.
“McKennie already had a slight muscular problem yesterday and he felt it again after the back-heel flick, so he stopped.
“It was important for us to give a sense of consistency by winning this evening, otherwise the win at Milan on Wednesday wouldn’t mean anything.
“We were a little sluggish at times this evening, but we became a little less organised and more determined, so we showed the hunger required to win the game.”
Sassuolo had scored a temporary equaliser in Turin with Gregoire Defrel.
“Our midfielders were too passive and the two defenders weren’t positioned properly against the striker. He was given too much space, so even though it was a good Defrel first touch, we made mistakes both in midfield and defence.”
Juventus visit San Siro again next weekend for a head-to-head with second-placed Inter.
“These games are fascinating to play for everyone, they inevitably raise the concentration levels and the tension too. We have champions accustomed to this type of big match, so we’ll prepare after the Coppa Italia midweek.
“We are Juventus and therefore have the pressure on us to win every game. We have to face every match as if it’s a final, then we’ll see where we are closer to the end of the season.”
Pirlo was asked where Juventus have improved in recent weeks, as they are climbing up the table.
“I think it’s above all in self-esteem, but also getting the movements down, as we find the movements more natural now.
“The win over Torino was a turning point, I feel, because it proved that if we don’t play every game with the right concentration and determination, we will struggle.
“It has to be in the Juventus DNA, the determination and desire to push until the last minute. We can improve our quality, we can play better or worse, but the determination is an element that must never be lacking.”