Juve, Spalletti: “Another five minutes and we wouldn’t have won it. Have you seen NEC? They have seven points”

Luciano Spalletti, Juventus manager, spoke to Sky Sport after the away win over AZ on matchday four of the Europa League league phase: "I’m extremely pleased because they played a serious match against a strong side, a very strong side. Otherwise, I’ll remind you all about NEC again, when you laughed in our faces because we’d beaten NEC and said they were a poor side, a seven-point side, seven points. So there’s a need to reconsider how we regard others, to show humility and give them the credit they deserve, without always having to put pressure on the team," TuttoJuve.com reports.

The Juventus manager adds: "When you win a match, is it because the opposition were weak? You win a serious match, yes, but tonight we won a great match, playing great football. Then, as soon as you drop your level even slightly, as we have seen in the Champions League and Europa League, the opposition always take advantage. What they do once, they do with conviction and strength, repeating it over time. Because even an approach that may initially seem uncertain becomes a strength through repetition. Their strength lies precisely in always competing with great intensity in match situations. We sat back and waited, and our wide centre-backs stopped pushing out: 'Do I go, do I stay, do I go? No, I don't.' We were caught halfway. A ball in behind, a goal, balls into the box, scrambles... If it had gone on for another five minutes, I don't think we would have held on for the win."