Igor Tudor insists he “doesn’t see” a major difference between Juventus and Milan, while expressing satisfaction with his players’ performances: “We played better than Atalanta and Villarreal.”
Juventus host Milan at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday as they look to return to winning ways after four consecutive draws.
“I don’t know what kind of game it will be. Milan are a top-level team with an excellent coach and players, and they are in good form. We’re at home and we must deliver a big performance,” Tudor said at Saturday’s press conference, as reported by Ilbianconero.com.
Unlike Juventus, Milan have won their last five games across all competitions.
“What we’re missing is only the victory, that’s clear. When I analyze, I look at the performance. Against Atalanta and Villarreal we played two excellent matches and we played better than our opponents,” Tudor stated.
“The players gave everything. We were just a little short of getting the three points. We’ve been playing the same way for six months; obviously, we have an identity. From day one I’ve asked for balance. We try to give our maximum both in attack and defense,” he continued.
“We choose the right players and try to make the right substitutions during the game. What matters to me is that the team does what it’s supposed to. Sometimes you can’t do it for the full 90 minutes—there are ups and downs and limitations—but we work to improve these things. We need to put in a big performance tomorrow. I don’t see a big difference between us and Milan. The pitch will show who is stronger. They have the advantage of playing on Sunday or Monday; we need to give everything.”
Juventus conceded a late goal from a set-piece against Villarreal on Wednesday.
“We try to improve on set-pieces every day. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I like this team because it has an identity and knows what to do both with and without the ball,” said Tudor.
“It’s not about man-marking or zonal marking, or how many players we had. I put Vlahovic there precisely to add more height. What we lacked was someone to say, ‘That ball is mine.’ For me, what matters is that the team has improved in the last two matches. That’s what counts. The result depends on many factors,” he continued.
Gleison Bremer and Khephren Thuram both missed the last match against Villarreal. While Bremer did not train with the squad on Friday, Thuram worked partially with the group.
However, it is still too early to provide updates on their fitness, as the squad will return to training later today.
“We’ll see after today’s session. I can’t say anything yet,” Tudor concluded.
Juventus remain unbeaten in all competitions this season but have not won since September 13, when they beat Inter 4-3 in Serie A.
