Mattia Perin insists Juventus have ‘fundamentally changed philosophy’ under Thiago Motta and, but reveals they agreed with Lecce not to play if Edoardo Bove was in danger.
This was not a normal day in Italian football, as the evening kick-off Fiorentina-Inter was abandoned after 17 minutes when Bove collapsed and was taken to hospital.
Just a few minutes before kick-off, Fiorentina released a statement confirming that Bove was conscious and breathing autonomously in hospital with no acute cardiological or neurological damage.
“We had all gathered and agreed that if we didn’t have reassuring news from Florence, then we did not want to play tonight,” Perin told DAZN.
“We wanted to make sure that he was out of danger before agreeing to play. Now we wish him all the best for a speedy recovery and can’t wait to face him as an opponent again, because I know he’s hyper-competitive and he’s wonderful to play against.”
Perin trusts Juventus are on right path
Juventus were clawed back to a 1-1 draw in stoppages by Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare after Ante Rebic cancelled out the deflected Andrea Cambiaso opener.
However, when asked if the nine first team players who didn’t make the trip were creating a fatigue issue, Perin shook it off.
“It’s a fact that we are missing those players, but we also don’t like to talk about it or feel sorry for ourselves. There are many young lads who arrived and are proving themselves. This is a team built with 23-24 players who can all replace each other.
“We had come here aiming to win, not because we are Juve, but because we are certain that we are on a winning path. It is a way of playing that increases our probability of victory and we have faith in that,” assured Perin.
“Lecce deserve credit for the way they fought back in the second half this evening, but we have fundamentally changed philosophy and we trust in that vision.”
The Bianconeri have now drawn each of their last three games between Serie A and the Champions League, which in the era of three points for a win is beginning to damage their prospects.
They are already six points adrift of Serie A leaders Napoli, despite being unbeaten in the tournament so far this season, having drawn eight of their 14 rounds.
“We have to keep going. Difficulty is an opportunity, we need to prove that Juve can hold out despite the injuries, and this creates a sense of respect in our opponents,” continued Perin.
“We experience this as an opportunity, I see it in the eyes of my teammates during the week in training. We can’t always do it, but there is the great desire to prove we are on a winning path.”
