Leonardo Jardim warns his Monaco players that Carlos Tevez is far from Juventus’ only weapon as they meet in the Champions League.
The Bianconeri welcome the principality side to Juventus Stadium tomorrow evening in the first leg of their Quarter Final, and the Coach of the Ligue 1 team is not only wary of Tevez.
“I don’t see football as an individual thing, it’s about the collective,” Jardim said in his pre-match Press conference.
Leonardo Jardim warns his Monaco players that Carlos Tevez is far from Juventus’ only weapon as they meet in the Champions League.
The Bianconeri welcome the principality side to Juventus Stadium tomorrow evening in the first leg of their Quarter Final, and the Coach of the Ligue 1 team is not only wary of Tevez.
“I don’t see football as an individual thing, it’s about the collective,” Jardim said in his pre-match Press conference.
“It’s true that Tevez is Serie A top scorer, he’s a player with great experience and great quality, so obviously we’ll have to take some precautions with him.
“He’s very important for Juventus, but Juventus also have a goalkeeper [Gianluigi Buffon] of great quality, the best defence in Serie A, a top class midfield and formidable strikers.”
Jardim is facing a selection headache, with Ricardo Carvalho and Jeremy Toulalan both in doubt, while the likes of Nabil Dirar have little experience at this level.
“We’re observing them. Tomorrow we’ll decide whether to use them or not.
“Anthony Martial? He’s 19, so he’s still young and he’s improved a lot this season. I think he has the potential to achieve even more.
“Nabil [Dirar] is an important player for the League and the Champions League. He’s a player who works so hard, who always provides a presence in midfield.
“He’s a safe bet, and can definitely make a difference for us.”
The Portuguese Coach was then asked whether, thanks to their strong defence, his side could be considered almost Italian.
“Monaco play in an organised manner,” Jardim mused.
“We play collectively, and we attach a lot of importance to the offensive side of the game, as well as the defence.
“All players have very specific tasks in attack and defence.
“So yeah, you could say that we’re similar to Juventus in the way we play. When we lose the ball we focus on getting it back.”