15 September 2016
Juventus rarely go two matches without winning and as a result Leonardo Bonucci was in bullish mood today when discussing the Bianconeri’s chances against Inter in the Derby d’Italia this weekend.
For Leo, his side’s Champions League opening night stalemate with Sevilla last night should serve not as a source of disappointment but instead extra motivation to return to winning ways on Sunday and to redouble their efforts for the rest of the campaign.
Our number 19 had this to say between encounters with the Rojiblancos and the Nerazzurri:
Feet on the ground
“It is essential that we keep our feet firmly on the ground. The Champions League is a tough competition and one with few opportunities to make up lost ground.
"European games are so often decided by moments of good or bad fortune, just look like Higuain’s header that came off the crossbar last night. If he had scored, we would be talking about a Juventus victory.”
European ambition
“Going all the way is the goal of the team and every single one of us wants to be playing in that final in Cardiff but to do that we must be humble, assume it won’t happen and take each game as it comes. Yesterday’s was a performance you would expect from Juve, we created chances, dominated the game but just didn’t find the net.”
Forward flair
“We’ve made some excellent signings of genuine match-winning quality. Guys like (Juan) Cuadrado, (Marko) Pjaca and (Miralem) Pjanic love to receive the ball between the lines and cause trouble, their movement is such that it makes my job of finding them very easy.
"The fact that we’ve brought in new faces should not be a source of pressure for us; the only thing last night demonstrated was that scoring goals in Europe is a difficult thing to do.”
Derby day and beyond...
“Sunday’s match (against Inter) will be a tough test for us against a team in transition; no doubt they will be looking to prove to the home fans that they can compete at our level.
“Regardless, the Derby d’Italia is the Derby d’Italia and having missed out yesterday, we’ll be hungrier than ever to succeed this weekend. My dream has always been to win trophies with Juventus and if we keep our focus on all fronts this season, we can truly enter into legend.”
