Andrea Pirlo is starting to see his Juventus vision take shape after the 2-0 win at Sampdoria, while Federico Chiesa is settling after the ‘big step up’ from Fiorentina.
The Italy international scored the opening goal at Marassi, while Aaron Ramsey turned in the Juan Cuadrado counter in stoppages.
Andrea Pirlo is starting to see his Juventus vision take shape after the 2-0 win at Sampdoria, while Federico Chiesa is settling after the ‘big step up’ from Fiorentina.
The Italy international scored the opening goal at Marassi, while Aaron Ramsey turned in the Juan Cuadrado counter in stoppages.
“Chiesa is a young player who joined a big club, facing international matches for the first time, and it was a big step up for him, so he was a little shy at first. He’s settled now, gained in confidence and has improved a great deal,” Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s good that he is finishing off the moves that we attack, and he ought to do it more often, making the most of his runs from deep.”
The second half was spent largely protecting the 1-0 lead, almost parking the bus, as Juve seemed content to rest on their laurels.
“It’s a pity we didn’t kill off the game in the first half, as we had the chances to double our lead. It’s only normal with a one-goal gap that Sampdoria would push harder, but Wojciech Szczesny didn’t make any particularly difficult saves. We got the second goal eventually, although we should’ve done it earlier.”
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to find the net for the third consecutive Serie A match.
“Ronaldo gave his contribution again today with his passes for both goals, so the important thing is that the team wins.”
There were reports Juventus were seeking another striker in the January transfer window, but Pirlo insists there was no need.
“We have many versatile players who can take on different roles, such as Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski and even Ramsey, while Paulo Dybala should be back in action soon.”
The Bianconeri are beginning to hit real form now, winning every match in January except for that 2-0 against Inter.
“When the defence keeps a clean sheet, it also means the midfield and attack have started the press. We’re improving, but can do even better.
“We are starting to find our form and making the movements more automatic, because in the first few games they were practically test runs, as we didn’t really have a pre-season training camp.
“It took a little longer than usual, but we’re finding our feet now and will keep improving.”