Juventus have suffered their first defeat of the new Serie A season, and after the dramatic 3-2 loss to Sassuolo, Luciano Spalletti and Guglielmo Vicario faced the media.
The Bianconeri managed to come back into the match and went for a full comeback, but it was precisely their great desire to win that cost them dearly. Juventus lost their balance in the closing stages, left their opponents huge space and in the end were left without a point. Spalletti took responsibility for that approach after the match, while Vicario did not hide his dissatisfaction with the way the team conceded goals.
SPALLETTI: IT HURTS A LOT, WE DESERVED TO TURN IT AROUND
The Juventus coach did not hide his disappointment after the final whistle. What hurts him in particular is that his players managed to get back into the match but did not know how to keep their balance at the moments when the result was on a knife edge.
"It hurts a lot, because the lads deservedly managed to turn the match around. We lost our balance, and that is something that must not happen to us," Spalletti said.
Juventus did not want to settle for a point. The Bianconeri went for a full comeback, but for that very reason they left too much space behind them.
SPALLETTI TAKES RESPONSIBILITY: I PUSHED THEM TO WIN
Spalletti did not want to shift the responsibility onto the players alone. On the contrary, the Juventus coach admitted that it was he who demanded the team keep attacking and try to take all three points.
"The players tried to win. I was the one pushing them to go for the win and maybe they took what I asked a little too literally, because in the end we had too many players getting into Sassuolo's penalty area."
That approach ultimately left Juventus without the necessary balance, which Sassuolo managed to punish.
"WE LOST BECAUSE WE WANTED TO WIN"
Despite the defeat, Spalletti did not want to criticise his players' desire to get the win.
The Bianconeri coach believes the team's intention was right, but that Juventus must control such situations much better.
"The team's positive intention also has to be taken into account: we lost because we were giving everything to win, instead of settling for a draw."
Spalletti once again stressed that he is not running from responsibility.
"Of course, part of the responsibility is definitely ours, but everything came from the desire to win the match."
The coach's message is clear – Juventus must keep their winning mentality, but at the same time they must learn when to keep their balance and control the game.
VICARIO: JUVENTUS CANNOT CONCEDE GOALS LIKE THESE
Guglielmo Vicario was even more direct after the match. The Juventus goalkeeper did not want to look for excuses for the way his team allowed Sassuolo to score three goals.
He pointed in particular to the fact that the team had worked during the week on exactly the situations that in the end proved fatal.
"We cannot concede goals like these. We talked about it a lot during the week."
Vicario believes Juventus must show much more maturity in the decisive moments.
VICARIO CALLS FOR CALM AND BALANCE
The Bianconeri goalkeeper stressed that the desire to win must never lead to the team completely losing control. Juventus wanted all three points, but in the closing stages they paid the price for taking too much risk.
"We have to be calmer and have more balance at certain moments of the match."
The word balance emerges as the common thread in the analyses of both Spalletti and Vicario.
The coach admitted he pushed the team towards the win, while the goalkeeper made it clear that Juventus, regardless of the desire to take three points, must not allow their opponents chances like these.
FIRST DEFEAT AND A CLEAR LESSON FOR JUVENTUS
The defeat to Sassuolo is a serious warning for Juventus this early in the season.
The desire, the character and the intention to win the match are there, as Spalletti pointed out. However, the Bianconeri will have to find a way to combine an aggressive approach with tactical discipline.
Vicario was even clearer – a club like Juventus simply cannot afford to concede goals in this way. Spalletti and his players now have the task of responding immediately. Because the desire to win is exactly what Juventus must have – but without balance, that very desire can become their biggest weakness.
