Juventus director Beppe Marotta feels they are currently “only at 70 per cent” of their capabilities and discussed the need for a FIGC plan going forward.
Their trip to Sampdoria kicks off at 14.00 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens from all today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
Gigi Buffon and Andrea Barzagli are rested after Italy crashed out of the 2018 World Cup, losing the play-offs to Sweden.
Juventus director Beppe Marotta feels they are currently “only at 70 per cent” of their capabilities and discussed the need for a FIGC plan going forward.
Their trip to Sampdoria kicks off at 14.00 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens from all today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
Gigi Buffon and Andrea Barzagli are rested after Italy crashed out of the 2018 World Cup, losing the play-offs to Sweden.
“Buffon is fine, aside from the disappointment over what happened, but squad rotation is normal. It is a choice made by the Coach, one of many over the course of a campaign,” Marotta told Mediaset Premium.
Today Paulo Dybala is also left on the bench, giving Federico Bernardeschi a new role behind the striker.
“Bernardeschi is an eclectic player, one of the kind we were looking for, and he can take on many different roles. It’s about the performance more than the role, as he must slowly begin the growth process to eventually become a protagonist at Juventus.
“I think we are only at 70 per cent of our capabilities so far this season. We are accustomed to struggling a little in October, November and December, so we are not at full strength yet. The new faces are settling in, we are recovering others from injury and hopefully we’ll soon be at 100 per cent.”
The week has been dominated by that Azzurri exit from their first World Cup since 1958 and FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio is set to resign after sacking Coach Giampiero Ventura.
“We did exchange views between directors and clubs. We agreed this was not the defeat of one person or another, but a defeat for the entire Italian football movement. We and other clubs are at the disposal of the Federation to help set out a plan for the future,” continued Marotta.
“Things certainly did not go well in the recent past and we must find a way to put the sport and competence at the heart of the issue and that is separate to the institutional role we hold in Europe and the world.”
Max Allegri was mentioned as a potential choice to lead Italy, so are Juventus worried he might leave this summer?
“No, we have absolutely no concerns. He left the Italian Coaches’ Association not to cause controversy, but simply because his role requires him to be very focused on being a Coach, so it’s right to leave that seat on the board to someone who has more time to commit to it. He was not trying to throw petrol on the fire.”