30 September 2016
“This club’s ambition is to win the Champions League and I want to help them to achieve it.”
When quizzed on his motives for joining Juventus in the summer, these were Dani Alves’ first words in his unveiling press conference in July. Today, six matches into Serie A and two into the Champions League, the Brazilian is even surer in his belief now than he was two months ago.
Alves, a scorer in the Bianconeri’s most recent European success in Zagreb during the week, as a result is confident that Juve have the requisite quality to not only maintain their domestic dominance of recent years but also of going all the way in the continent’s premier club competition.
From season goals to adapting to calcio, Juve’s number 23 had this to say in his interview with Sky Sport Italia ahead of this weekend’s trip to Empoli:
Sky the limit
“I can only reiterate what I said in my first interview here: Juventus are an excellent side and are capable of taking on anyone in Europe. With that quality comes the expectation of going all the way in every competition and, step by step, we can do it.
"Of course it won’t be easy, just like becoming domestic champions or winning every match possible, but this is what you expect from a club like Juve; we have the requisite focus to sustain our form over the entire campaign.”
New challenge, same focus
"Serie A and La Liga are different in a couple of ways, one of which is that in Italy the sides you come up against are extremely well drilled tactically and as a result all defend strongly. It is a challenge for me, succeeding in a league other than the one in which I have played most of my career, but one that I’m enjoying immensely.
"I’d say my role though is largely the same even if the situations and the opposition change: even if we’re defending with our backs against the wall and fighting for our lives, that is the kind of test I relish, pushing yourself to your limits side by side with your team-mates."
Collective quality
"All things considered, every team must have a clear game plan and philosophy in mind, even if there are certain moments in matches that require that special bit of magic or something extraordinary that only the world’s best are capable of. Nonetheless, football is all about the collective and you can’t expect one player to win games single handedly."
“Juventus: A story to inspire”
"If Juventus were a film genre, it would probably be adventure: the kind that inspires you and leaves you wanting to give that little extra the next chance you have to play.
"A club like this will always be expected to entertain its supporters with league titles and good football and that pressure is an added motivation to succeed. That, after all, is what pushes you to the very top.”
