20 March 2015
Pavel Nedved believes Juventus can head into April’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Monaco with plenty of confidence but was quick to warn of the threat posed by the Ligue 1 side, particularly away from home.
The French outfit, who currently sit fourth in their domestic division, upset the odds to overcome Arsenal in the last round and the club director was impressed by the way they set about their task in London.
Speaking to the media after today’s draw in Nyon, he said: “You don’t just get to this stage of the Champions League by chance, Monaco put in two great performances against Arsenal and particularly impressed me at the Emirates. They’re better on the road than at home, so we’ll need to be extremely alert.”
A fundamental reason behind the Bianconeri’s progression to the last eight has been the input of coach Massimiliano Allegri, whom Nedved believes has brought the team a new dimension on the European scene.
“We need to congratulate the boss who has equipped the team with the mentality to tackle European games. He and his staff are doing an incredible job and he’s managed to transfer his expertise over to the players.”
Ending with a rallying cry, Nedved urged the Bianconeri to maintain their concentration for final two and a half months of the campaign as the race for silverware begins to hot up.
“Now we need to stay on the ball for the rest of the season. We’re without a couple of important players who are sidelined through injury and the league’s not done and dusted. We need to face every game with the utmost focus, which is vital if you want to go all the way. Any other mentality would be wrong.”
