31 March 2016
Giorgio Chiellini says he hopes to make his return to Serie A action when the Bianconeri take on Empoli this Saturday at Juventus Stadium.
The defender, who has seen the second half of his season hampered by a recurring calf injury, is adamant the problem is now behind him and says he is now looking forward to helping Juventus in their quest for a fifth consecutive Scudetto and 11th Coppa Italia.
The club’s vice-captain covered a variety of topics during this afternoon’s interviews with Mediaset and Sky, ranging from the team’s recent good form to the talents of young guns Paulo Rugani and Paulo Dybala.
Here is a selection of his thoughts:
Raring to go
“I missed just one game last term but unfortunately it was our most important match of the season and perhaps the biggest of my career to date. Sadly I’ve been out for longer this time around but I need to congratulate my team-mates on the way they’ve kept pace with and leapfrogged Napoli over these past two months, drawing just one game and narrowly missing out on a Champions League last eight place against the second strongest team in the world. Now I’m feeling good, I hope to return on Saturday and keep going right through until mid-July.”
The run-in
“Now comes the most important part of our campaign. There are eight league games and the Coppa Italia final remaining and it’s better to be in front and have it all in your own hands rather than rely on results elsewhere. We’ll aim to win everything, knowing that it won’t be easy, without thinking long term and just focusing on each game at a time. We approach the next set of matches on the back of a sensational run and we’ve shown we deserve to be where we find ourselves in the league. Having said that, we have a chasing pack that refuses to give in - it’s down to us to keep them as far away as possible.”
Paulo Dybala
“Paulo’s an extraordinary talent. We already knew it last year, but when you have the opportunity to train together you’re able to truly gauge just how good a player is. He’s improving month by month and he’s got a great future ahead of him, especially because he’s a calm and intelligent lad.”
Daniele Rugani
“Daniele arrived as a 21-year-old, has come on a great deal and is on the right track for a guy who has 10-15 seasons at Juventus ahead of him. When you arrive here you can’t expect to play every game in your first season, that’s also how it was for me. He’s developing steadily and he just needs to keep on going.”
Massimiliano Allegri
“The boss is a very intelligent person and transmits a sense of calm to the team. Only coaches are able to see certain aspects that influence their decisions to pick someone or leave them out. Allegri has shown he’s got great ability in reading certain situations.”
