Udinese stun toothless Juve in Serie A
Juventus are seemingly out of the race for the Serie A title, as they sank to a shock 1-0 home defeat to Udinese.
Maurizio Sarri, who will be aiming to win his first major title as a coach in Italy when Juventus face Napoli in the final of Coppa Italia on Wednesday, said that he get annoyed by the talks that he always failed to win anything in the country.
“It annoys me when people say I’ve never won anything in Italy,” Sarri was quoted as saying by Football Italia.
“I earned eight promotions from one division to another, and I achieved them all on the pitch.
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“That is perhaps a small thing compared to the Champions League and the Scudetto, but it is not easy,” he added.
Sarri is also looking to win his first league title this season. Juventus are currently top of the table but lead second-placed Lazio by just one point.
“It’s always an important incentive to win important trophies and there is a desire to lift the cup. I am happy that we are in the final,” said Sarri.
Sarri had earlier helped Napoli to transform and reemerge as a major footballing power in Italy’s top-flight during his tenure from 2015 to 2018. The former Chelsea boss has, thus, admitted that Napoli – led by former AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso – would be tough team to beat.
“Napoli are a difficult team to face,” Sarri said.
“They are solid when they close the spaces and dangerous on the counter. They won against us, against Inter and drew with Barcelona, they know how to play at a high level.
“Napoli are a team of dribblers, on Wednesday we must remain compact and not allow easy counterattacking situations.
“I like Gattuso a lot, he is straightforward and direct. I’m not surprised by what he’s achieving,” he added.
The final of the tournament, which is scheduled to be played at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, will be first final of a top-flight football competition in the world after the COVID-19 hiatus.
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