Danilo started as a centre midfielder against Lazio last night and Andrea Pirlo explained how he took that decision.
“Luckily, I thought about it the other night, given that we were without Bentancur and Arthur,” the Italian coach said in his post-match press conference.
“I thought about Danilo because he is a smart player, he can play with two touches and he knows football well. It’s an idea I had the other night.”
The Brazilian partnered Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the pitch in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Juventus without five players.
“I was obliged to make this choice, these things can happen during the season and one has to be ready for every solution.”
Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench against the Biancocelesti, but Pirlo ruled out an injury for him.
“We had decided to rest him because he had played many games in a row. He needed some rest,” Pirlo claimed.
What did he tell the team during the half-time break?
“We spoke about tactical issues because we gifted the first 20 minutes to Lazio.
“It was something we had considered, given Cuadrado was not 100 per cent fit and many players were out of position.
“We had already improved in the first half, I just told them a few tactical things to improve.”