29 October 2015
Patrice Evra pulled no punches when expressing his disappointment at last night’s defeat against Sassuolo, with the Bianconeri’s below par display seeing them lose further ground in their battle to return to the chasing pack for Scudetto honours.
The French full-back conveyed his frustration at the team’s poor first-half performance at the Mapei Stadium, believing it to have fallen far below the standards expected at a club like Juventus.
Speaking to Sky, he began: “I’m angry. When you play for this team you must always believe you can win the title every year. This is clearly not the best time to talk about it, but when I wake up every morning, I tell myself I could be lucky enough to lift a fifth consecutive Scudetto.
“Instead, as it stands, we’re currently throwing away this chance to make history. A message to my team-mates? Let’s respect this shirt. We didn’t do that in the first half against Sassuolo.”
Evra remains at a loss to explain how the team’s level of display could fluctuate so dramatically from the positives of Atalanta to the negatives witnessed in Reggio Emilia and is in full agreement of the club’s decision to close ranks and work on turning the corner against Torino on Saturday.
“Perhaps it’s easier to speak about the game having not played in it, but as Gigi said, we didn’t see the true Juventus last night. You can’t swing from the kind of display we produced against Atalanta to how we performed in the first half last night.
“Perhaps certain players aren’t aware of the situation and that’s why we’re staying in a hotel. It’s precisely what we deserve. Of course, it’s never nice to be away from our families, but if the boss and club believe it can help convey the great responsibility that comes with playing for Juventus, then it’s the right decision.”
Following criticism of the team’s attitude in Reggio Emilia from manager, captain and media, Evra insists there will be no easing off against inter-city rivals Torino at the weekend and is backing the Bianconeri to come out all guns blazing.
He concluded: “I know that it’s a derby game and that beating Juventus means as much as winning the league for Torino fans. This isn’t my philosophy. I want to win and all I can say is that our approach on Saturday will be spot on.”
