20 October 2020
Andrea Pirlo and his side could only be happy after Juve produced a careful, confident performance to overcome Dynamo in their Champions League opener in Kiev on Tuesday evening. This is what the coach and players had to say after the 2-0 triumph at the NSC Olimpiysky stadium.
ANDREA PIRLO
“It was important for us to put in a solid display. The idea is to get more players in the final third: [Federico] Chiesa has attacking duties and can play on either flank, [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Aaron] Ramsey can come inside and with [Juan] Cuadrado on the right our wide men can really push up. Let’s not forget that we’re without [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Paulo] Dybala is not 100%, so our attacking set-up can change. Paulo needs to play to reach peak fitness. He’s getting back to his best slowly but surely. [Giorgio] Chiellini felt a twinge in his thigh so we’ll need to take a look at him."
ALVARO MORATA
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be playing in the Champions League for this club. We want to go all the way and we’re fighting to achieve that. It was important to win this match against a tricky side with young, fast players. We moved the ball around quickly and dealt with their pressing well. We have to keep this up. Chiesa and Kulusevksi are great lads and superb players. They both have fantastic futures ahead of them.”
FEDERICO CHIESA
“We wanted to win and get our first three Champions League points and we gave everything to obtain them. We did well to get the opener early in the second half because if the game had gone on all square, it would have made things difficult. The boss told me to stay wide and try to beat my man and that’s what I did. We worked on switching play and getting the ball out wide in training.”
ADRIEN RABIOT
“Winning is great for our confidence and belief. We played well against a young side who put in plenty of running. It was tough in the first half and we did better after the break when we managed to find more space and create openings. We played with more intensity today than in our recent outings – we ran for each other and defended well. We got our balance right and kept our shape. It’s all about balance in the Champions League.”
WOJCIECH SZCZESNY
“We were efficient tonight. We didn’t afford our opponents many chances. We bided our time in the first half then got the game wrapped up after the restart. We’re pleased because it was a solid, careful display. We knew they’d sit back and wait for us and it was important not to get caught on the counter. Morata will score loads of goals this season. We’re happy he’s got off to such a good start. We’re on the right track. We must play with confidence in our coming games.”
