Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the match against Verona, the Torino coach Ivan Juric he confirmed his farewell at the end of the season but also spoke about the race in these last matches with Napoli and Fiorentina in his sights.
Three races to go, how are you preparing?
“In the last match we did very well, a great performance. Verona are not safe, they have great enthusiasm and it showed against Fiorentina. It will be difficult as always”
What does Verona expect?
“They play with great enthusiasm and it shows, it is the basis of their performances regardless of the formation. They play vertically and with rhythm”
What did you say to the boys after the Superga episode?
“I’m saddened, that’s the only word I have. I wanted it to be something important to convey. It was organized much better than in the past, but I’m saddened”
What does it tell us about Italians in Europe? And ninth place could become useful for your qualification…
“In terms of coaches, we are superior to others. In our championship they struggle more than when they face foreign teams: Gasperini has an easier time playing in Europe, as does Italiano who lost in Verona. Our tactical level is superior to others. : In the Champions League there is a big difference in players. Ninth place is a great opportunity, we are there and we are sorry for the matches we played well but we are always missing a piece that we need to reflect on. We are few in number, but we will try to do our best The team must not give up anything, we must have the mentality of these three years.”
Do you feel a little betrayed by your team on a personal level due to the Superga events?
“It wasn’t a lack of respect towards me, but we could talk about it and analyze…The right word is bitter, I wanted it to be something spectacular and for us to take a step forward. It went badly. But it’s not in the compared to me”
Going back, would you restart a season when your contract was expiring?
“When you sign contracts, you commit yourself and you have to be 100% convinced. I would feel guilty if I had seen people who give up, in that case I would have said that I made a mistake. But until today, I haven’t noticed this and therefore I have no sense of guilt. When you sign, you have to respect it and work until the end being 100% convinced. I don’t know if I’ll do it again in the future, I don’t know what will happen.”
Did you digest the tactical change with the two strikers or was it almost dictated by the squad available?
“I didn’t suffer it, I was curious to do other things. In Milan I liked our 4-2-3-1, the first half was better for tactical interpretation. These are all things that can be done in the future, if you have great attackers it’s not a problem or if you don’t have the arms you play with four. I feel enriched because I can use all the formations without problems.”
Why wasn’t he convinced to sign a renewal?
“You have to feel it. Evaluating it, I didn’t have this total conviction. These are important choices when you make a decision like that”
The video at Superga gave the feeling that the players didn’t know what happened at Grande Torino: don’t you think?
“What you say, also speaking with other people, is a failure for me and for everyone. I felt sorry for Lovato, she didn’t say anything and suffered very heavy social attacks. It’s a general failure, but you summed it up a bit. the situation is good”
Injured?
“It’s a serious situation. Zapata has pain in her side, I think it’s difficult for her to be there. And Buongiorno also has some discomfort in her adductor: the ultrasound showed nothing, we need to evaluate it”
How do you judge the calendar of Torino and its opponents in these last three matches in terms of Europe?
“I’m only worried about the fact that I have few players available. We’ve always fought and we’ve always had the opportunity to win. We’ll try to do our best in these last three matches. Just being close to Napoli and Fiorentina is satisfying, it’s not bad Let’s see today what they will do and then we will think about doing our best.”
What do you think of the comparisons made between the roses of Toro and Bologna?
“Not anymore…I think you have to be honest and say what you think, without being influenced by people who do things for their own small interests. I can deal with the issue of Toro, I took on a team that was fighting for relegation with players in deadline and now we are on the left side of the table, in addition to having many players who are of great value. It will depend on the president what to do. Then I have no problem recognizing the mistakes that someone uses for their own purposes I’ve done many good things and I’ve made mistakes, others speak for their own interests. We shouldn’t lose integrity, but be sincere by also saying things against ourselves because that’s how we improve.”
The day you look back, thinking about these three years, won’t you have any regrets about the way you lived the Toro off the pitch?
“It’s a process…I’m definitely a different person than I was at the beginning, I’ve seen positive and negative things. I had to live them and suffer them, do you understand what I mean? I had to go through certain things to see things like today. And I wanted to live them with fullness and purity”
In your opinion, has the public managed to understand it?
“I don’t know, honestly. Clubs exist because there are fans, here the mental structure is that we have to fight for Europe: whoever works here must be clear about what they have to do. It’s what leads to happiness, everything else It’s the second floor. I know, I don’t know what to say.”
