25 September 2017
Douglas Costa is bedding in better and better into the Bianconeri setup with every game he plays. The Brazilian winger provided crosses, trickery, goal-scoring chances and plenty of running in Saturday’s 4-0 derby victory over Torino.
Buoyed by that win, Costa and Juventus are keen to kick on in a different competition this Wednesday when they lock horns with Olympiacos at Allianz Stadium.
Here is what Juve’s no. 11 had to say today to Sky Sport and Mediaset:
GETTING USED TO THE ITALIAN GAME
“Step by step, I’m getting to know Italian football better. From a tactical standpoint, it’s totally different to the style of play I was used to Ukraine, Germany and the Brazilian national team.
“As far as the language is concerned, I’m picking up some Italian already. It’s not too different to Portuguese or Spanish, which are languages that I’m already able to speak in the changing room with a lot of team-mates.”
WINNING IS THE MAIN THING
“At Bayern Munich, I played on the right wing, at Shakhtar Donetsk on the left, while for the national team I operate more in the centre. It’s not a problem for me. I’m ready to do my part in any position the manager decides to field me.
“I’m not worried too much about scoring myself, but rather playing well, providing plenty of assists for my team-mates and, of course, winning games.”
COMPETITION FOR PLACES IS POSITIVE
“There are lots of greats players here. Juventus are a huge club and it’s to be expected that, at this level, there’s plenty of competition for places, just like at Bayern and the Brazilian national team. That’s not a problem for me, but an extra stimulus for wanting to do well.”
TOP-CLASS TEAM-MATES
“Paulo [Dybala] is a fantastic player. I already knew that of course, but by playing with him it’s become even clearer just how consistently excellent he is. The same goes for Miralem [Pjanic]. Regarding Gonzalo [Higuain], strikers can go through peaks and troughs, but the season is still very long. He’s a great player and he’ll get back to scoring bags of goals sooner rather than later.”
FULL FOCUS ON OLYMPIACOS
“In the Champions League, your opponents are always of the utmost quality. We knew that it would be a difficult match at Barcelona, but now it’s going to be important to show how strong we are at home by playing well and claiming three points in this very important and prestigious competition.”
ULTIMATE OBJECTIVES THIS YEAR
“Personally, to play the World Cup with Brazil is clearly an objective of mine. In terms of Juventus, there’s no doubt that we have the chance to win the Champions League: we’ve the players here in order to go all the way in every competition in which we’re taking part, and we’re here precisely for that reason.”
