13 September 2024
At 18:00 CEST on Saturday 14 September 2024, Juventus will face Empoli at the Carlo Castellani Stadium in Matchday 4 of the 2024/2025 Serie A season.
This is what Coach Thiago Motta had to say during his press conference ahead of the challenge against Roberto D'Aversa's team.
A MIX BETWEEN THE JTC AND NATIONAL TEAMS
“The team has trained very well during the two week break, I'm happy because we have almost the whole squad available again. I'm also happy for the players who travelled to represent their national team because they had some good experiences, different from those you have with the club.
THE ‘CARLO CASTELLANI’ CHALLENGE
“Tomorrow (Saturday, 14 September 2024) will be a very difficult match. We know that it is the start of an intense period in the schedule, but our focus is on tomorrow's match. Empoli is a good team, they are in good form and must be respected like all the opponents we have faced so far. D'Aversa's team defends very deep, but they have quality and speed on the counter-attack and we have seen that they have created several problems for the teams they have already faced. We will need to play with great concentration and commitment in order to return to Turin with all three points.
BETWEEN SERIE A AND THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“The tight schedule should not frighten us. We train and play. Those who are in the best shape will play and those who need time to recover will rest in order to be available as soon as possible. We were already aware of our schedule commitments before the start of the campaign, we are not just finding out about them now. We know what awaits us and we will face it with enthusiasm.
THE SQUAD'S CONDITION
“All the players available are in good condition. Those who have returned from national teams have played and in the specific case of Nico Gonzalez he has also scored. Danilo is well, he is an important player for us. With Brazil he played as a full-back, in a role that meant he was quite reigned in, with the task of setting up almost as a central defender. I will deploy him where I consider it most appropriate depending on the opponent we are facing. On [Vasilije] Adzic the feelings are positive, we had a test during the week and he responded in the best way. [Dusan] Vlahovic? The whole team must put Dusan in the ideal conditions to perform at his best, but he also knows that he must make himself available to the team. He is training very well and he always comes to the Training Centre with great enthusiasm and that is a positive factor because he is an extra source of motivation for his teammates.
A DEVELOPING GROUP
“I have seen development, but we can still improve. The boys are training very well, they are carrying out the work set at the beginning of July very well. Regarding the youngsters in the squad, many of them have been here for a long time, at Juventus I mean, and consequently they know how to behave in a club like this. They have the good fortune of having experienced players at their side who can help them in training and in the game and, therefore, develop steadily.”
