Juventus manager Igor Tudor wasn’t entirely satisfied with the 2-1 win over Lecce, but still picked up some positives.
The Bianconeri started the contest on a brilliant note, with Teun Koopmeiners marking his return to the starting lineup by scoring in the second minute. After the half-hour mark, Kenan Yildiz made it 2-0 after combining with Dusan Vlahovic and Khephren Thuram who formed a sensational triangle.
After the half-time break. Juve’s physical levels dropped, allowing the visitors to launch a late onslaught. Federico Baschirotto halved the deficit, but his teammates couldn’t find the equaliser.
After the contest, Tudor admitted the last 10 minutes were terrible, but heaped praise on Koopmeiners and Vlahovic.
“We could’ve killed it off earlier, the last 10 minutes were bad. Khephren Thuram gave the ball away, then we conceded that goal and the lads got anxious,” said the manager in his post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia via Football Italia.
“I don’t want people to think we’re unhappy with the result, we should take it as a lesson to be learned, also from the players who came off the bench. They need to give something more.
“It was a good performance overall for 87 minutes, the first half very good, then some tension set in when they scored, but it’s fine. We go forward.
“Koop needed a goal, he had a good game, I saw his legs and his mind working better today. He is on the right track,” said the coach.
“Dusan sacrificed himself for the team, he had chances that he usually puts away, but it’s fine, he provided two assists for his teammates.”
Tudor also explained how his style of play requires more pace compared to his predecessor, Thiago Motta.
“Psychologically, it was a bad moment, as they went out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia, were coming off two really heavy defeats, so that’s obvious. Physically, every coach demands different things from his players, training sessions work well for some styles of football and not others.
“For the football I like, clearly there is a very particular physical preparation that is required, as I like more pace and covering the width of the field. You can win in many different ways, we each have our own, and naturally, we train based on the style we’re after.”
Tudor also revealed that Timothy Weah feels more at ease on the left flank, while he believes Andrea Cambiaso does better on the right side.
“Timothy prefers to play on the left, while Andrea, I think actually does better on the right. It is how they feel most at ease, so I asked them and went with their sensations.”
