Pavel Nedved reiterates that Juventus still have ‘full faith’ in Max Allegri, shrugging off rumours of an Antonio Conte return, and insists this squad was ‘built with a logic’ that isn’t visible right now due to injuries.
The match with Lecce kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).
This is a tough time for the Bianconeri, who crashed out of the Champions League midweek after losing four out of five games, while they are struggling just to reach the top four in Serie A.
“There are still as many objectives as before, so we evaluate everything we still need to achieve, namely the Europa League and we are a long way behind in Serie A, but there’s an important match today and the Coppa Italia.
“We are here for everything and will work to achieve results,” Nedved told DAZN.
What words did President Andrea Agnelli, coach Max Allegri and indeed vice-president Nedved use to motivate the squad after that shock early Champions League exit?
“We are coming off two important victories in Serie A without conceding goals. The words were what you would expect after going out of the Champions league. We are missing 10 players, that is not an excuse, but a statement of fact.
“We must try to play for the three points today in a Lecce arena that has always been difficult historically for Juventus.”
When putting the squad together, what type of system or approach did Juve expect and how would they like them to play in future when everyone returns?
“I again don’t want it to look like alibis, but if you look at the ideal starting XI, there are so many of them who aren’t here, like Bremer, Di Maria, Chiesa, Pogba, Paredes, many others.
“This team was built with a sense of logic, plus young players on the bench who today will have the chance to prove they belong at Juve. I hope to see that team for at least one game over the next few months, although perhaps we’ll have to wait until after the World Cup.
“That too is a concern, as so many of them will be going to the World Cup.”
There were rumours in the media over the last couple of days suggesting that Conte could return to replace Max Allegri, as his contract with Tottenham Hotspur is running down and a renewal seems improbable.
“Our position is always the same, what we always said, the club, players and everyone have full faith in coach Allegri. It’s normal when not getting the wins Juve expect that names will emerge in the media, there will probably be more, but we remain firm on our position. We’ll give him the opportunity to do his work and do it well.”
too busy trying to shred evidence, nedved is