PRESS ROOM | Comments after Juventus-Stuttgart | OneFootball

Coach Thiago Motta, Mattia Perin and Nicolo Fagioli spoke to the press after Juventus’ 1-0 loss to Stuttgart at the Allianz Stadium on Matchday three of the UEFA Champions League, league phase.

THIAGO MOTTA

“We have to accept the result, improve and recover. We have to get back on our feet and put in a great performance like we did on Sunday. We couldn't overcome the control of the game that they had. Often, in the first half, they avoided the initial press with their central defender, and we rarely had control of possession. Stuttgart are a difficult team to play against, we struggled to impose our style of play which is important to be able to compete against a strong team. We have to do better defensively than we did tonight, we have to improve a lot in the balance of the team. We have to put the defeat behind us and improve on what we can improve on and move forward.”

MATTIA PERIN

“I am convinced that this defeat will help us grow. I am very sorry, tonight Stuttgart caused us problems, they are a very good team. I'm sure we will be able to turn this defeat into a lesson. We were a bit worn out, we didn't have the energy we needed to cope in difficult moments. Now we have to digest this result and think about the next challenge against Inter, it will be a difficult encounter. Happy with my performance? All the work that goes into staying sharp when you play less is very important and I'm happy to show it, even if I can't fully enjoy it today because it ended in defeat.”

NICOLO FAGIOLI

“They started off strong right away, they kept possession of the ball much more than we did and they did it well. We certainly could have done better, both in the first half and in our approach to the second half. There were key moments that dictated the game, but we have to work to improve. There must not be any hangover ahead of the match against Inter. On Thursday we go back to training fully focused on the challenge ahead, which will be a big match. We must only focus on that. Of course the defeat hurts, it is our first defeat of the season, but they deserved the victory. We have to analyse the game in detail to understand where we can improve and be ready for Sunday.

As for the difficulties in possession, they defended well in midfield and we struggled to find solutions, especially in the first half, where we got a bit confused. They have a lot of quality and they put pressure on us in our defensive third. We were too wide on the pitch and we struggled in build-up play. It's logical that each of us has different characteristics, we must be able to put them to use on the pitch in the best possible way. In attack, we had prepared for the match with very high wingers and the midfielders had to provide balance and allow the full-backs to push on. They occupied the central areas well and maybe that was the key to the match.”