Juventus coach Antonio Conte was asked on Monday if his Jose Mourinho-like knee slide following Fernando Llorente’s goal against Sassuolo onMonday was his Scudetto celebration. Llorente’s goal sealed a come-from-behind 3-1 victory for the visitor, which is now just one point away from sealing its third consecutive Scudetto.
“No, it was not a Scudetto celebration, as there’s still a chance for those chasing us, so we have to finish it off definitively next week,” Conte replied. “We certainlymade a big step forward, but those behind us have every right to continue believing.” That being said, Conte couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a swipe at Roma coach RudiGarcia, who on Monday suggested that Conte and his team seemed “nervous,” while calling on other teams to up their game against the Serie A leader.
Conte replied: “Ihear people say Roma are doing something stratospheric. I say we are eight points ahead of Roma and playing in the Europa League semifinal. If Roma are stratospheric then I cannot find an adjective todescribe Juventus. Anything Juventus do becomes almost expected. If we win the Europa League, it’ll be considered a worthless trophy. If we lose, then people will say Juve aren’t ready forEurope. When we achieve something, people act as if it’s normal administration.
He added: “I think those behind us are irritable, not us. They should be careful with what they say,as Roma and Garcia took a step backwards by feeding into the culture of suspicion with talk of ‘help’ and opponents not giving their all. If this is football culture, then it’s astep backwards.”
Juve also hosts Benfica in the Europa League semifinal on Thursday, where it is trailing 2-1 after the first-leg in Portugal.