With Juventus sitting ten points behind league leaders AC Milan, Wojciech Szczesny has admitted that the Old Lady need to improve their situation and try to fight for the title. The Serie A giants are undergoing a transitional period with Andrea Pirlo’s side struggling to perform in the league.
After winning their ninth consecutive Scudetto last season, many expected Juventus to continue their insane run and lift number ten. That is despite Inter Milan only finishing one point behind the Old Lady at the end of last season but things haven’t gone Juventus’ way this term. Instead, under Andrea Pirlo’s very inexperienced hand, the Turin giants have struggled to perform, with them in a transitional period under the 2006 World Cup winner.
But despite their struggles, Juventus have lost just two games this season and sit ten points behind league leaders AC Milan with a game in hand. It has seen Wojciech Szczesny admit that the Old Lady need to step up their performances going forward and try to make up the difference soon. He further added that Juventus still have the “motivation and hunger” to win games and need to climb back up the table because where they “are now is not enough”.
“When we are building attacks we need to keep things light, but when we lose the ball we have to eat up the pitch to win it back. We are trying, and what we did against Napoli was the perfect balance. We were compact, tight, and we suffered to win,” Szczesny told Sky Sports.
“To win games, a team like Juve has to have motivation and hunger. We need to regain our place in the table because where we are now is not enough. We want to fight for the Scudetto. Against Bologna, we have to play well with the ball and be careful in the defensive phase. Then with the quality we have in attack, we will have chances to score.”
Pirlo, thanks to a penalty miss from Lorenzo Insigne and goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata, lifted his first trophy as manager in the form of the Supercoppa Italiana by beating Napoli. It saw Szczesny claim that it was the club’s best game all season and they showed that Juventus still have that hunger and eagerness to win trophies. He further added that the club want to win the title for “the tenth year in a row” and it “shows the hunger we have”.
“They immediately took me to another room to do the doping tasts, so I didn’t have the opportunity to celebrate with the boys. It’s a shame because they enjoyed it! But we are only two days away from the match against Bologna [on Sunday] and we need to move on immediately.
“[Giorgio] Chiellini thanked me, but if we didn’t concede a goal, it’s also thanks to his great performance. Against Napoli we have shown that this team is so hungry to win trophies. This year we [could win the title] for the tenth year in a row and this shows the hunger we have and we don’t want to stop there. We go until the end,” he added.
