Danilo: 'Juventus will make me better'

By Football Italia staff

Danilo confessed Alex Sandro and Cristiano Ronaldo told him great things about joining Juventus, while it’ll make him “a better player.”

The full-back completed his move as part of the deal that took Joao Cancelo to Manchester City, a decision that not all Bianconeri supporters were happy with.

“I am happy to be here and received a very warm welcome,” said the Brazilian in his presentation Press conference.

Danilo is reunited with his former FC Porto teammate Alex Sandro, as they worked very well together from 2011 to 2015.

“Of course, I spoke to him during the negotiations, he gave me some very precise indications on the club, the philosophy and how they work here. Alex Sandro is an important person for me, we’ve been friends for 10 years, so clearly his presence helped.

“It’s true, I had been in some talks with Juve in the past, but I believe this is the right time to be here.

“Every right-back is inspired by Dani Alves and not just the Brazilians. He is a player who really motivates his teammates and has won everything. I hope we can continue to bring a positive Brazilian influence to Juventus with Alex Sandro and Douglas Costa.”

With Max Allegri gone, new Juve Coach Maurizio Sarri has a much more attack-minded approach to tactics.

“I like Sarri’s style of football and I don’t think I’ll have difficulty adapting to what he is asking for. I know that defending is very important in Italy, but I am 28 years old and open to learning anything that I need to become a better player.

“Sarri asked me to be careful when defending, but also to play with freedom and express all my potential going forward. He likes to control the game with possession and I know from facing them that his Napoli and Chelsea were very difficult opponents. I am ready to learn and evolve every day.”

There was increasing tension between Danilo and Manchester City Coach Pep Guardiola.

“Every moment is important to help forge you as a player. Although I didn’t play the way I wanted to, these last four years were fundamental and will help me have the right mentality here at Juve.”

There is another familiar face in former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

“We joked around and I told him that I wanted the Number 7 shirt, but it was already taken! He welcomed me to Turin with a smile and said I have arrived at a magnificent club. Playing alongside stars of his level gives you extra motivation.

“Cristiano spoke about this club as like being a big family and that really drew me here. We have everything we need in Turin to be very happy and you can see how content he is here.

“In the end, I chose Number 13 because I believe in numerology and 13 represents renewal and opening up towards something new.”

Juventus won eight consecutive Serie A titles, but famously haven’t lifted the Champions League trophy since 1996.

“I know the Champions League is an objective for many big clubs, but our target must be to play every competition with the same attitude and focus. I’ve never seen a winning team face one game in a different way to the others.”

Much like the Bianconeri, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola struggled to make their mark in the Champions League.

“Every Coach has his particular ways. Both Guardiola and Sarri have a well-defined tactical approach, as they both want to take the initiative and control the tempo.

“The key with a tactician is also the way he deals with the squad and I saw an excellent attitude from Sarri. I really liked it.”

Image credit: @juventusfcen Twitter

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