Gleison Bremer said his Juventus team-mates vowed to ignore the Bianconeri’s off-field problems after scoring the winning goal on Thursday in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals against Lazio.
Bremer deflected a cross from Filip Kostic with a glancing header at half-time as Juventus beat the Biancocelesti 1-0 to play Inter in the semi-finals.
The win was a welcome relief for the 13th-place team in Serie A after being deducted 15 points last month and the sanction compounded by a three-game losing streak in the league.
Speaking after his goal took Juve to their eighth Coppa Italia semi-final in nine seasons, Bremer acknowledged off-field troubles had affected the team in recent weeks, but spoke of the team’s intention to regain their focus.
“I’m happy with this goal, but at that moment it was important to get through,” said the Brazilian international to Mediaset.
“We know we didn’t play well in two games, but we talked to each other and what’s going on off the field cannot be extended to the field. The club will take care of it, we will take care of the field.
Juventus are a top team, let’s score as many points as possible and see where we are at the end of the championship.
“At the beginning of the year, we lost something, then we talked and found each other.”
Unity pic.twitter.com/H7Dt1iuBLW
— Juventus (@juventusfcen) February 2, 2023
As the 2008/09 Coppa Italia quarter-finals became single-legged, Juve have won nine out of ten such matches at home, with the exception of a loss to Roma in 2011.
Manager Massimiliano Allegri hailed Juventus’ mentality after a hard-fought victory, highlighting the improvements made since the shock loss to Monza on Sunday.
“The most important thing is the attitude, which was lacking in the first half against Monza, where we conceded two easy goals,” Allegri said.
“The boys were good. They are responsible. They must understand that in order to win matches, in addition to tactics and technique, you need the right attitude.
“Today we won a lot of tackles, came first in duels, defended well and played in an organized and patient manner against a lot of pressure from Lazio.
Juventus were left without Paul Pogba during Thursday’s victory, and the midfielder’s second debut for the club was once again postponed due to another minor injury.
Allegri does not expect him to return against Salernitana on Tuesday, saying: “Pogba is unlikely to be available at Salerno because he has done little or nothing for a week now. We hope to bring him back as soon as possible because he is the player we count on.
“I have been in the world of football for 50 years. When something goes against you, you need to be patient to get out of it.”