Juventus coach Pirlo: Bench made difference against Spezia | OneFootball

Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo defended his players after their 3-0 defeat of Spezia.

Federico Bernardeschi immediately provided the assist for Alvaro Morata, then set up Federico Chiesa's goal, before Cristiano Ronaldo sealed it on the counter-attack.

“A slow start was more physical fatigue than psychological, which can happen when you have so many games with the same players," Pirlo told Sky Italia.

“We tried to control the game and then when the fresh legs came on, we were sharper and able to make the most of our chances.

“It was important to push forward from midfield and attack the spaces more. We aim to create one-on-one situations down the wings and then put the ball into the box, where we have players who can do damage. Sometimes it's the wingers and sometimes the full-backs.

“Bernardeschi has what it takes to be a full-back, he has good stamina, can cross and has been working on this role, although obviously he needs to improve defensively.

“We have a great squad, unfortunately I haven't been able to make as many changes as I wanted lately. We could do with more for squad rotation and to freshen things up with targeted changes during a game."