Locatelli: ‘Tudor told us to believe in ourselves’ | OneFootball

Manuel Locatelli reveals what Igor Tudor told Juventus players to revitalise them after the Thiago Motta tenure, and the meaning behind his goal celebration against Roma.

The midfielder had opened the scoring at the Stadio Olimpico with a splendid volley from the edge of the area, pouncing on the weak Zeki Celik clearance.

However, it was cancelled out straight after the restart by substitute Eldor Shomurodov, who turned in the rebound from a parried Evan N’Dicka header.

Following his goal, Locatelli pointed to the Juventus badge on his jersey and then made a ‘T’ gesture with his hand, referencing his wife Thessa.

“Wearing the captain’s armband represents so much,” the Italy international told DAZN.

“We put in a good performance this evening, although we wanted to get all three points.”

Locatelli flourished with new coach Tudor

ROME, ITALY – APRIL 06: Manuel Locatelli of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with team mates during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Juventus at Stadio Olimpico on April 06, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

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The Bianconeri came out fighting from the start with a very aggressive attitude, having 85 per cent possession in the opening 15 minutes.

Unlike the often static and frustrating possession kept in the Thiago Motta era, Juve have greater intensity under new coach Tudor and focus on passing it forward.

This was only the second match under Tudor, so what did the Croatian say to make such a difference in the squad?

“When the coach arrived, he immediately asked us to be more aggressive,” explained Locatelli.

“He told us to believe in ourselves, because we are capable of performances like this. Roma also deserve credit for righting back, we were tired as the second half went on, but by playing like this, we can achieve some good things.”