Andrea Pirlo spoke to invited journalists where he previewed his first ever Serie A match as head coach of the Bianconeri, touched on aspects of his players and what he hopes to see.


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Here is what he had to say:

A NEW SEASON
The pre-season was short for everyone; we weren’t able to play much. We needed the minutes that the internationals got in their legs. We have a lot of games with little time to prepare. A new season begins, we start from scratch and we have to face it with desire and ferocity. I’m going to tell the guys tomorrow that we have to get off to a good start.

SAMPDORIA
Ranieri is a great coach, tomorrow will be a difficult match. Samp will play with very tight lines and will look for restarts: we are prepared. Tomorrow I would like to see what we have prepared from the beginning: the search for the ball, mastery of the field and a proactive attitude. We’re doing it well, the inputs are coming into our heads

PIRLO AS A COACH
Doubts? I don’t have any. Certainties? I’m at Juve, I coach a team of champions, it was easy for me to fit in and I’m fine. I don’t have to show the differences with Sarri’s Juve: we have the same goals. I carry on my idea of football, which must be aggressive and based on mastery of the game. This period has not changed me; like I was a footballer, I’ll be a coach. There are those who speak well of me and those who have doubts, but for me nothing changes: I am sure of what I am doing. The formation depends on the players you have available, in order to get the best out of them.

THE PLAYERS
Higuain communicated his desire to change leagues, we managed to find a mutual agreement. Arthur comes from La Liga and he must know our league; let’s give everyone time to settle down. Douglas Costa is a strong player. He’s had some physical difficulties, we’re working to get him to the top, he’ll give us a big hand. Chiellini, Bonucci and they are Buffon are behaving in a very professional way, they call me Mister, out of respect also to the companions. Kulusevski is intelligent, he finds his position alone. He is showing great openness to playing in different roles.