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Morata: “The season begins now”

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Morata: “The season begins now”
Morata: “The season begins now”
Morata: “The season begins now”

As the ball bounced into his path, the Spaniard took matters into his own hands, cutting in onto his left foot before unleashing a deadly strike that nestled inside the far post to send the visiting support at the Etihad Stadium into raptures.

Alvaro Morata’s 81st minute goal against Manchester City, his first of the season, had everything: pace, power, technique and the drama of sealing a maiden victory for the Bianconeri in 2015/16.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to Sky and Mediaset, he began: “The most important thing is that we got the win we dearly needed and that gives us something to build upon. Our season begins now.”

Playing in a 4-3-3 formation for the first time this year, Morata matched his attacking intent with a willingness to run up and down the channels, getting stuck into defensive duties when called upon.

And the 22-year-old reserved words of praise for manager Massimiliano Allegri, especially for the way he motivates the side, helping them to go the extra mile.

“I’m here to help the team. The thing that matters most is that we have many great players, we train hard during the week, making it hard for the coach to choose the formation. He is the first one fighting for the cause, sometimes it seems like he’s on the pitch with us. The only difference is that he’s in a suit! He puts his heart and soul into every match and you can see that on TV.”

On Gigi Buffon’s top-class saves on Tuesday, Morata described the performances of Juve’s and Italy’s number one as worthy of winning the Ballon d’Or, adding that Paul Pogba was capable of lifting the accolade in the future.

“Gigi deserves it. It’s a pity that goalkeepers only seem able to win the Golden Glove award. It’s an honour for me to play with and even against him, given that I’ll face him on international duty. Paul is capable of winning it as well. We’re all aware of his qualities and so if he wants it he can do it.”

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With a return to domestic action on the menu this weekend, the Spain international stressed the need to build upon the Bianconeri’s most recent victory when they face Gian Piero Gasperini’s men, a side that finished sixth in last year’s Serie A and will again provide stern opposition on Sunday.

“We managed to beat world-class opponents by playing as a unit and understanding each other’s movements. Now we need to put this into practice again against Genoa, who are another excellent side. It will be great to return to the Marassi, where we claimed the Scudetto last year. We know it won’t be easy and we need to give everything we’ve got in order to win and to start climbing the league table.”

Wrapping up the interview, Morata explained how a new-look Juventus required time to gel and push on to achieve further success this season.

“The team has changed a lot from last year and we need to get accustomed to playing with one another, putting into practice what we do every day in training. It’s not easy, given that there’s many new faces, but it’s also normal that these things take a bit of time.

“When I arrived last year, I needed to get used to playing in a side that played in a different way to Real Madrid. But fortunately there are Gigi, Giorgio, Claudio and Leo, who have been here for several years, who often speak and give advice to us younger players.

He concluded: “We need to stay close and united, because in every season there are difficult periods. Our objective is to work harder with every day, to play well and set out to win everything possible.”

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