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‘Worse than pre-season’

Sarri says after below-par showing in Italian football’s return
Star Sport Desk
More than eight million households tuned in to watch the return of Italian football on Friday night, but the strange circumstances surrounding the game, including the empty stands, out-of-sorts players and even the additional two substitutions proved to be a little too much to handle.
Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus reached the Coppa Italia final after a goalless draw with 10-man AC Milan in the semifinal, second leg in Turin on the day football returned to Italy after three months away.
Juventus advanced due to their away goal in February’s 1-1 draw in a match that saw an under-par display against a Milan side who played 74 minutes with a man less and which featured a missed Cristiano Ronaldo penalty.
Sarri’s most telling statement was perhaps when he said “everyone had a strong opening 30 minutes and then faded away.” That was meant to portray how much his team had lost in terms of fitness and mentality over the unexpected break.
“Clearly after three months, getting back to the touchline and seeing the teams out there is a good sensation, even if it’s not the same without the fans,” Sarri said after the game.
“I was very surprised and satisfied with our opening 30 minutes, as we moved the ball so quickly and totally dominated the game, even before the red card.
He admitted that the team failed to keep up their intensity due to the empty stadium and added that the team looked worse than it did in the usual pre-season, when players come back from their two-month summer break.
“After that, we slowly dropped our tempo, intensity and mental determination, but that is a risk in an empty stadium. We had been doing so well, playing one and two-touch football, but then we slowed down and lost some sharpness, focused more on individual moves and taking two touches.
“The positive is that we didn’t allow the opponents to play at all. It’s going to take a while to get the fitness and mentality back to 100 per cent. If you compare it to a pre-season game, it’d be early July, but this is worse than pre-season, because it was a much longer break..”
For a coach of his caliber, Sarri also showed humility when he conceded that having more substitutes available than usual caused him to make a rash decision.
“I made a stupid mistake. I got swept up in the enthusiasm of having five substitutions, but making three at once was a big risk and at that moment we lost our hold on the game.
I evidently ought to spread the changes out more. I substituted Douglas Costa out of fear that he’d get hurt, but when I took him off, he still seemed one of the sharpest. He’s a player who can make the difference when fit.”
Juventus vice-captain Leonardo Bonucci also admitted that the situation was difficult, saying: “It was strange and difficult at the start, an empty stadium after 90 days.
“We’ve shaken off a dark moment for the whole world and hope being back will give a bit of hope and joy to the fans at home. We want to dedicate something more to them on Wednesday.”
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