Andrea Pirlo says there is renewed enthusiasm among his Juventus squad as the new boss revealed the players have been receptive to new training methods since he took over at the Old Lady.
Pirlo sensationally took over as Juventus boss last month following the sacking of Maurizio Sarri after the club's Champions League exit to Lyon, and the former midfielder has had a chance to get to know the players in pre-season training.
The 41-year-old had been the club's under-23 boss for just a week before receiving the call up to take over as head coach of the senior squad, and has provided an assessment of pre-season preparations so far.
“We will give all of ourselves, we will certainly have a great desire to show the fans that Juventus wants to win the 10th consecutive Scudetto and possibly reach the end of the Champions League,” Pirlo told JTV via Goal.
“There's a great desire and high expectations, but we are here, and we want to do our best.”
“I've had good impressions, we started well with enthusiasm and desire to go again,” Pirlo added. “After a few days, the lads left with the national teams but we continue to work with those who stayed here.”
Pirlo added that the playing squad, which is made up of club stalwarts such as Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini - who both played with Pirlo for club and country - have been receptive to innovative training methods the new coach has brought to the club.
“The lads are eager to do well, they have found a new methodology with some new exercises they have never done and therefore this already brings enthusiasm,” he said.
“The path will be long, also because we don't have a lot of time to work with many players who are away.
“But we are working well with those we have available. I hope I will have transmitted some concepts we are working on already for the first day and hope to find something in the middle of the pitch.”
While another successful domestic campaign is expected, the club's hierarchy are desperate for Juventus to go all the way in the Champions League, and Pirlo has noted that the team needs to improve at winning the ball higher up the pitch if they want to win the coveted trophy.
“The aggression and the desire to win the ball back after losing it, that's something we are working on a lot,” Pirlo added.
“Looking at the last Champions League, the teams that went all the way were the ones who were trying to recover the ball in the shortest possible time. That must be a characteristic that distinguishes us.”
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