Andrea Pirlo, coach of Juventus Turin, considered this Monday, on the eve of the return of the knockout stages of the Champions League against Porto, that these types of matches are the ones that Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo like the most, with whom prepared a particular job so that it reaches the maximum to the appointment.
“These are Cristiano's games. He is motivated, he was able to rest these days, we organized a personalized work with him after the match (on Tuesday) against Spezia and he is excited to play this game, ”Pirlo said at the press conference prior to the meeting with Porto.
Juventus will be entrusted to Cristiano to overcome at home the 1-2 suffered in the first leg at Do Dragao and advance to the quarter-finals after last year's elimination against Lyon in the round of 16.
“It is a decisive match, it is like a final, but it will also be for Porto. We must overcome the negative result of the first leg, we must give everything, with lucidity in the management. I don't think I'm being judged on my season for this, I work day by day, but tomorrow is decisive, ”said Pirlo.
The Italian coach, in his first absolute experience on a bench, stressed that the appointment is very important for the club, but that he is not personally concerned about his future: “If I was afraid for my future on the bench I would not even have come to the Press conference”.
“We must have a technical game, we will play against a compact opponent, with tight lines, we have little time to think. We have to be patient, we don't have to be in a hurry, we have to be patient and move them ”, he said when analyzing what his Juventus needs to come back.
He confirmed the ownership of the Brazilian Arthur Melo in the center of the field and offered other heartfelt praise to the Spaniard Álvaro Morata, the leading forward with a double and an assist in Saturday's league win against Lazio (3-1).
“Morata always improves. He's smart, he's ambitious, he's something important for a footballer. He always seeks to find different solutions, he likes to study his rivals, it is a positive aspect ”, he assured.