Wojciech Szczesny feels Juventus must still improve to win the Scudetto and jokes about a potential new signing in January: ‘I would change the goalkeeper.’
The Poland international spoke to DAZN following Juventus’ 1-0 win over Roma on Saturday.
“The first part of the season has been good. We have one game remaining and can reach 46 points, which is a good result,” he said.
“We should not be satisfied yet. Our target was to qualify for the Champions League, but we are two points below Inter, so we must dream of winning the Scudetto. We can’t escape from the responsibility of being at Juventus, so we must at least dream of reaching the top target.”
Szczesny’s former Juventus teammate Andrea Barzagli was among the DAZN pundits and asked the Poland goalkeeper how it feels not to play European competitions and have time to prepare for just a game rather than two or three each week.
“It’s not easy. It’s the first time I prepare a game per week and it’s different,” Szczesny replied.
“In terms of intensity, it gives a great advantage because we are fit and have time to prepare tactically.
“It’s a big advantage but we hope it’s the last season we play once a week.”
Massimiliano Allegri has reiterated that Juventus’ target is to qualify for the Champions League, but some of his players, including Adrien Rabiot, have said the Bianconeri want to win the Serie A title.
“I think we have room for improvement in terms of playing style. I don’t expect tiki-taka this season because our starting point is to be united and make the most of our chances,” argued Szczesny.
“There is a lot to do in the attacking phase, to make the most of the qualities of our strikers who can score 20 or 30 goals per season. To dream of the Scudetto, we must improve a lot, we are still not quite ready.”
Does he feel Inter have a better squad than Juventus? And if this is the case, where are the Nerazzurri superior?
“I like our team; we have the quality of single players, and we have the right spirit,” Szcesny answered.
“This team spirit is already a mini-Scudetto for us because it’s something we’ve lacked over the last few years. There were some excellent signals last season, but this term, the group is fantastic. It depends on the desire of players who want to win trophies. Somebody has never won anything and feels the responsibility of winning at Juventus.
“Over the last two or three years, we lacked the desire to win and even celebrate after every victory. It’s a nice signal.”
With the January transfer window just around the corner, which player would Szczesny sign to boost Juventus title hopes? The former Arsenal keeper replied with a joke.
“I would change the goalkeeper, honestly, and would play Barzagli in a three-man defence,” he concluded, smiling.