Tudor: "Juve can't start just to qualify for the Champions League."

TURIN – The question remains: how much is Juventus really worth, and how far can they finish? "They tell me they consider us a team for fourth, fifth, or sixth place, and that can only be a stimulus. What I can say is that a club like this doesn't just start out to qualify for the Champions League." Igor Tudor doesn't shy away from predictions, but he doesn't take them seriously either: "The truth is that Juve hasn't finished first or second for five years, and that's not a good thing. I know you'd be happy if I said we'd do it, but I can say that, but it doesn't change anything. These are mind games that honestly make me laugh, like when they peg you as the favorite to put pressure on you: they're pretenses that even a ten-year-old understands. Who cares what others say? There's no less pressure or a different way of working if you're not the favorite. It's fun to talk, it's a bit of a show, but the only thing to do is work, and who knows?"

"The market? If everything were perfect, it would be a movie."

Juventus debuts at the Stadium against Cuesta's Parma: they're an unfamiliar opponent, as the Spaniard is making his debut as a manager. The Bianconeri also have some unknowns, mostly related to the transfer market: "If you ask me what will happen next week, I'll tell you I don't know, but I accept everything. I'm happy with the team I have and I have faith in the club. The club knows my thoughts, but it's also true that it's a complicated transfer market. Let's see what happens in the next few days. Not everything can be perfect; there are problems here, like everywhere else, at Juve, Verona, Lazio, or Galatasaray. If everything were perfect, it would be a movie."

The question of the captain's armband

The risk of Kolo Muani not arriving and Vlahovic staying is real: it will be a matter of fitting together. Tudor is waiting, hoping, and focusing on the match against Parma: he could propose Koopmeiners in place of Locatelli, who will still remain captain. "We've chosen Bremer as our assistant, who will play today. Then Yildiz, Gatti, and Thuram: I know this was a hot topic last year, so we made this decision together with the club and the group." These are the things that matter, he says, not the rhetoric of belonging. "On a one-to-ten basis, having the club's DNA counts for two, but being good is eight. It's an added bonus, but if you're not capable, it's worth nothing." It's up to him, therefore, to prove he's good, as well as deeply Juventus-centric: "It'll be a great season because there's no team without an excellent coach. But I don't have the say in where I should be placed."