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Former Juventus legend Claudio Gentile was interviewed exclusively by Gazzetta dello Sport, where he commented on the Bianconeri’s season.

Read Gentile’s full interview here

Gentile: “After Parma, I’m afraid for the Champions League…”

ANGRY
“I watch all the Juventus games, but often I don’t make it to the end. I turn off the television out of anger. The last time it happened to me was on Wednesday, against Parma: when I saw how Kelly marked Pellegrino for the goal, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

TOUGH TIMES
“It hurts me because I am a Juventus fan and I know what it means to wear that shirt. And now it doesn’t seem like my Juventus. From a true Juventus perspective, as I see it, I see very little. Probably Yildiz, a talented player who I think would have also pleased the President: but the Turkish player alone is not enough. The rest saddens me, as do the results. In my time, there were great figures like the President Agnelli and Boniperti who from the first day told you: ‘kid, here you are at Juventus and you can’t do certain things: it’s a different club.’ They were right. Juventus is unique for its winning mentality. When I played, finishing second was considered a half-tragedy, now we cling to fourth place… Juventus must at least fight for the Scudetto and not be so far from the top.”

FAILED OR DISAPPOINTING SEASON?
“Disappointing, from all points of view. In the summer there was euphoria and great expectations, but slowly everything faded away. It’s not just my opinion, but also that of the majority of fans I speak to daily.”

BLAME
“The coach is always the first to pay, and indeed Thiago Motta was sacked. Surely he had his responsibilities and I am very sorry: at Bologna he had combined good play with results. But Juventus is a different club and you have to win. Boniperti and the ‘old’ players in the dressing room taught me that when I arrived in Turin at 19. With Boniperti, after a season like this, it would have been almost impossible to earn well the following year.”

(Photo by Salvatore Fornelli)

GIUNTOLI
“With Boniperti, we wouldn’t have reached this point. He knew Juventus like few others and had a great eye for players: he rarely made a mistake in signing. Given the current results, you can’t say the same for Giuntoli: there have been quite a few mistakes in the transfer market. I don’t like to name names, but certain disappointments are plain to see. The same applies to Thiago Motta and Bologna. With all due respect to Napoli, Juventus is a different club. And in Turin, you always have to try to win.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“I hope with all my heart that Juve will make it, but after Parma, I’m a bit scared.”

TUDOR
“Tudor has been in Turin for a few games and at Juventus, a coach is judged based on results: let’s see where he ends up in the end, it’s still early.”

CONTE
“Antonio is a winner and knows Juventus like few others, his return would be positive. It’s always useful and valuable to have people who can explain to the players where they are and what shirt they wear.”

CHIELLINI
“He’s a legend and a valuable player: Giorgio deserves to be at the center of Juventus. Boniperti, when things weren’t going well, took the players aside and explained what Juventus is. Chiellini can do the same, he has the Juventus DNA. And then he was a great defender, one of the last… Seeing players who can defend well is increasingly rare, now we only watch to see if a center-back can play from the back.”

TRANSFER ADVICE
“Tonali would be a good reinforcement, Italian. And I am convinced that at Juventus, he would become even stronger. But at least one high-quality signing will be needed in each department to immediately start fighting for the Scudetto again. A new revolution would not be Juve-like, but the team’s level will have to be raised.”