Sarri rules out Juve back three

By Football Italia staff

Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri has ruled out switching to a back three and reminded Adrien Rabiot that “he needs to be patient.”

A lack of left-back options for Juve’s next Serie A game against SPAL tomorrow could see Blaise Matuidi fill in, despite the Frenchman being a midfielder by trade.

Despite that, the Bianconeri have a wealth of riches in central defence, with Merih Demiral and Daniele Rugani available and ready to slot right in.

“A back three is hardly a prospect for me, except when managing a small piece of the game, because the way we defend makes it too risky,” Sarri said at a Press conference.

“Emre Can was very upset about being cut from the list, even if his reaction in training seems to be of a good standard.

“Rugani can become important, but not at full-back. He’ll get opportunities and it’ll be up to him to exploit them in the right way.

“Mandzukic has agreed to stay on the sidelines with the club, then we’ll see when the Qatari transfer window closes.

“I think Ronaldo’s great and can play with anyone. Higuain’s a lad with great technical ability.

“Dybala is technically excellent and Ronaldo is a champion. Therefore, I think they can pair up and, in certain phases of the game, all three can play together.”

Rabiot is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game time, so what does the former Napoli and Chelsea Coach think?

“I’ve said that he can do much more and I’m happy with how he’s played so far.

“Rabiot hadn’t played in 2019 so he needs to be patient, but already in the second half he did a bit better.

“We must help him, and he must get used to our football and style of play. If you go behind against two teams in good health, it’s never easy to come back.

“We can do more, but going behind made two difficult games. The first thing to avoid is going behind.

“We’ll see if, first of all, we can improve our approach to matches. I say this from direct experience because SPAL were written off when they came to Napoli two years ago, and it was one of our most difficult matches that season.”

Finally, the 60-year-old expressed his delight about Andrea Barzagli’s return in a coaching capacity.

“I talked to Andrea in June. He had other commitments back then and asked if he could give me an answer in September, and now he’s here.

“We’re delighted that he’s joined our staff, now he must see the work we do. His first task will be to take care of the players who have defensive shortcomings, such as Cuadrado who can still grow a lot as a full-back.”

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