Arrivabene piles Juve pressure on Dybala, reassures Szczesny

Juventus director Maurizio Arrivabene had more stern warnings for Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata and the others ahead of the Supercoppa with Inter, but insisted Wojciech Szczesny’s late vaccination is ‘good news.’

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“As everyone has said, you can have your say in a one-off match. Obviously, it would’ve been tough even with the suspended players, as we are up against a very strong side, the Serie A leaders playing at the Scala del Calcio,” Arrivabene told Sport Mediaset.

“We have to leave to one side those who are not here and focus on those who are playing.”

There is also a player missing for a bizarre reason, because it emerged goalkeeper Szczesny only got vaccinated this week, therefore does not have a Super Green Pass and cannot enter the locker rooms.

“People tend to turn good news into bad news. The good news is that Szczesny is now vaccinated and Juventus have a full squad of vaccinated players.

“He has done nothing but follow the protocol, which everyone ought to do. We at Juventus want everyone to get vaccinated.”

With so many players missing, there is the risk Juventus will start to feel the fatigue this evening.

“We have to take it one game at a time. We have a squad made up of 80 per cent internationals, there are going to be inevitable moments when the light dims for some of them, but we hope they can keep the light bright throughout the game and maybe even extra time.”

Federico Chiesa is out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, so the Bianconeri could have to go back onto the market for reinforcements.

“Juventus have many great champions, like Morata, Kaio Jorge, Dybala, Kean, Kulusevski, so at this moment we expect the best from those we have. Then we will reflect on the situation.”

Arrivabene had already reserved some stern words for Dybala over his form and the contract extension talks, and did not water them down this evening either.

“I just say what I think, and what I said about Dybala is true of all Juventus players. I want to see character, grit and the desire to win.

“Those who wear the Number 10 on their backs must realise the weight of this particular Juventus jersey. What I said about Dybala was not just about him, but everyone.”