Patrice Evra, the former defender of Juventus, gave an interview to the newspaper "Tuttosport", focusing on the whites and this very important start in the first half of the championship.
How do you see "your" Juventus this season, second in the standings, two points behind Inter, despite the fact that in the summer the market was practically only sold and a single purchase?
The first word that comes to mind is amazing. But it's not, that would be an understatement. The work done by Max Allegri was amazing. He rolled up his sleeves and pulled out of the "hat" a compact, solid, aggressive, combative, unbeatable team.
There was talk of the fourth place at the end of August, but now even the word title is coming to the whites...
Because Juve is Juve, it has the tricolor in its DNA.
What do you think was the key to the turnaround compared to the negative last season?
Let's not forget that Juventus finished third last season, taking into account the points earned on the field. For this reason someone else should have been left out of the Champions League... Of course it wasn't the team's fault, it was the 15 points penalty in the championship, which was later reduced to 10 points, fines, expulsion from Europe. The boys are haunted by what happened and this season they are angry, excited, hungry for revenge. I see a lot of similarities between this Juventus and the 2006 Italian national team that won the World Cup in Berlin, unfortunately against us. The national team of Lippi reacted to the decisions of the judges who imposed sanctions on 'Calciopoli'. That's why I say Juve have what it takes to win the title.
Okay, what about Inter? The leaders of Serie A objectively have a more valuable team than Juventus...
But the difference in ranking is only 2 points. And already 15 weeks of the championship have passed. It is neither dangerous nor hasty to jump to conclusions. The values between the first two are very balanced. Inter have the best attack and defense. Juve is the second best defense. Zikaltri often find success with Lautaro Martínez, their attacking end and Serie A's top scorer with 14 goals, while the Whites have already scored with 11 different players, even if centre-forward Vlahovic has scored 5 goals and Chiesa one more. a little. Gatti has 3 goals and is the most 'prolific' defender in the championship. Two different and equally effective playstyles. The head-to-head clash a few weeks ago, which ended 1-1, did not sensationally show the differences between the two teams.
The fact remains that Juventus' game is not the most beautiful...
These are criticisms that many fans give to Allegri. However, I repeat a concept learned from Max: for fun it is enough to go to the circus, for 3 points it is enough to support Juve until the end. Ranking is made up of points earned on the field, not the conjurer's 'numbers'. And then there is another non-secondary aspect to consider…
Which is…
The fact that Inter is afraid of Juventus. Zikaltri know well that Juventus are strong, eager for 'revenge' and victory.
How do you know that any black and white player has told you this?
Absolutely, but I will never mention their names, not even under torture.
Throughout your career you have been trained by many great coaches. Which was the best?
A player tries to get the best out of every coach he has had. It's no mystery that I won the Champions League with Manchester United under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. He gave me freedom on the field, he always wanted to impose our game in every stadium in the world, without too many tactics or sophistry. Allegri is a bit like the Scottish manager. Football is a simple game, tactics do matter, but only up to a certain point.