Giorgio Chiellini says matches between Juventus and Torino “are not like the others”, and explains what he learned from previous captains.
The two sides meet in the Derby della Mole on Saturday night, and the centre-back sat down with DAZN to preview the match.
“Torino have improved a lot,” Chiellini warned.
“They’re physical and they’re good on the counter-attack. With [Walter] Mazzarri they’ve made an important upgrade, they can aim for Europe and they can certainly cause us problems.
Giorgio Chiellini says matches between Juventus and Torino “are not like the others”, and explains what he learned from previous captains.
The two sides meet in the Derby della Mole on Saturday night, and the centre-back sat down with DAZN to preview the match.
“Torino have improved a lot,” Chiellini warned.
“They’re physical and they’re good on the counter-attack. With [Walter] Mazzarri they’ve made an important upgrade, they can aim for Europe and they can certainly cause us problems.
“They’re a team I like, aside from the 180 minutes per season in which we’re rivals. Cristiano [Ronaldo] already knows that two games here aren’t like the others: Inter and Toro.”
Chiellini replaced Gigi Buffon as Juve captain over the summer, and he also explained which previous skippers he’d like to emulate.
“[Alessandro] Del Piero. I was lucky enough to play with Alex for a few years, he welcomed me to Turin when I was still young, only 21.
“In the first few months I felt almost inadequate because I was among so many champions, but his attitude, as well as [Fabio] Cannavaro and Buffon, was to make me feel at ease and part of the group, despite having a completely different life and interests.
“That’s something I’m trying to do now that I’m one of the older ones, with the lads who come in. Like with a kid like Cristiano!
“Then there’s [Gaetano] Scirea. I was able to hear about him and be compared to him, not in terms of style of play but in the values he carried and to have the esteem of his family makes me so proud.
“I won’t pretend and I wouldn’t even try to reach the levels of someone like that, but I think he should be a source of inspiration for me and for future generations.
“The third is Gigi Buffon, a person with whom I have shared everything. So much, between training camps with Juve and the national team I saw him 300 days a year, which isn’t few.
“One thing I envy is that there will always be a couple of moments during a season when the captain must use the right words to bring the dressing room together.
“Gigi could do that, he could move people and really affect you inside. It’s an honour for me to have had him behind me so many times.”