Antonio Conte has encouraged the Bianconeri to put their midweek Coppa Italia disappointment behind them by returning to winning ways in Sunday lunchtime’s encounter with Chievo.
The 43-year-old believes his men were unfortunate to leave the capital empty-handed but insists the team must now look forward as they navigate their way through a testing run of fixtures.
Addressing the media in Vinovo, Conte began: “Having reviewed both encounters against Lazio, I think we deserved better. We used the Coppa Italia last year as the opportunity to gain experience and deploy those who had perhaps played less. This approach took us to last year’s final, instead we missed out this season. Of course, the lads were disappointed afterwards, but I told them that we should come off the pitch without any regrets.
“Sampdoria is the only game we should regard as a wasted opportunity. Something incredible happened and those three points would have left us six clear of Napoli and nine ahead of Lazio. After that game, I spoke about a month or so of gritting our teeth and getting through it. The injuries, African Cup of Nations and suspensions mean we’re playing every game without four, five or six first team players.
“Of course, it’s a moment in which not everything’s going our way, but I don’t like speaking about bad luck or providing excuses for the players. Doing so would mean preparing ourselves for defeat.”
A two-match touchline ban means that Conte will be absent from the Juventus dugout for this Sunday’s trip to the Bentegodi and next weekend’s visit of Fiorentina.
And the Bianconeri coach took the opportunity to confirm his decision not to appeal against the sanction imposed by the Italian Football Federation.
“There are regulations in place and they need to be respected. I can contest the rules, it’s my right, but I respect them. We need to show ourselves to be better than our opponents, irrespective of incidents. I just speak about football and what happens on the pitch with the team.
“The preparation is the same as last year. We always work hard and haven’t changed our approach during the winter break. When people talk about tired legs, they’re creating false excuses. Despite all the games played, the lads have always responded well on a physical level.”
The arrival of experienced frontman Nicolas Anelka should hand Juve a timely boost ahead of this weekend’s return to Serie A action against Chievo.
And despite having less than a week in which to work alongside his new team-mates, Conte hinted that the Frenchman could figure at some stage during tomorrow’s encounter at the Stadio Bentegodi.
“Nicolas has been a key player for many great teams. We needed to bolster the options available to us in attack and are convinced he has the ability to help us out. He has arrived in a reasonable physical condition, given that he played his last game in October.
“He has shown himself to be a great professional but still needs to get used to our way of playing. I can certainly rule out his inclusion from the start in Verona but he should be on the bench. We’ll see how the game pans out, he’s started working with us so it’s right that he has a settling in period.”
Conte concluded with a reflection on this season’s title race following the closure of the January transfer window, citing Napoli as the most realistic threat to the Bianconeri reclaiming their Scudetto crown.
“The Italian championship is very difficult and there are some well equipped sides capable of challenging, above all Napoli. They are our main rivals and have been building something important for several years. Milan have made some important moves in the transfer market, compliments to both them and Inter, who have also strengthened.”
Source: Juventus.com
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