Giorgio Chiellini highlighted the boost brought by Dusan Vlahovic’s arrival and Juventus’ Champions League regrets in recent years.
The Bianconeri will face Villarreal at home in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. The aggregate score is currently 1-1, meaning that Massimiliano Allegri’s side will have to work hard to secure the win at the Allianz Stadium. Chiellini is hoping to be fit in time for the game, having missed the last five league matches due to a calf injury.
Speaking to The Times, Chiellini first discussed the importance of winning to Juventus and how it’s the most important thing.
“I have learned the meaning of playing for Juventus. This is a club that tries to give everything to the players, so they can just play football. We’re lucky to have, watching over our heads, a family who have been here nearly 100 years. For them this is not just an investment.
“They want to create something and the most important verb is ‘to win’. That doesn’t mean you have to win everything, but at Juventus you always aim to win.”
He touched on the impact of the Bianconeri’s €80m total investment in Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic back in January.
“It gave us a feeling of new energy from the club. The club said, we want to win and now you don’t have any excuses.”
Chiellini discussed Juventus’ recent regrets in the Champions League ahead of their match against Villarreal.
“Something I miss, something Juventus miss since 1996. We have come so close. We try every year and it’s a tournament where not always the best team wins. We can aim for it this year.
“In the last three years we went out to Porto, Lyon and Ajax and we can’t be satisfied with that.”
Finally, Chiellini joked about his possible retirement and how he might talk to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“Yes! Maybe I have to call Zlatan and we can decide together. We can do a video for Sky, what do you want to do? No. What do you want to do? Ok, we can do it together.”
“They [England] were under more pressure than us and sometimes pressure is a fuel, but sometimes it’s an obstacle. We felt their nerves, this tension."
Giorgio Chiellini reveals the art of his craft to @JNorthcroft https://t.co/uSFNpTiAmh
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) March 12, 2022
Legend. They don’t make them like Chiellini any more. He will leave a huge hole in the national team, with not a lot of talent currently coming through in the CB position. Wish he was only 25!