Kalulu explains why Juventus struggled to find space against Lazio

Club News

October 20, 2024 - 6:00 pm

On Saturday, Juventus were made to sweat before earning a victory against 10-man Lazio at the Allianz Stadium. Therefore, Pierre Kalulu reveals why he and his teammates found it hard to break their visitors despite having a numerical advantage for most of the match.

The Biancocelesti held until the final stages, but their hard work was undone by an own-goal from Mario Gila in the 85th minute. The Spaniard was trying to intercept Juan Cabal’s cross, but ended up preventing his goalkeeper from parrying it away safely.

For his part, Kalulu was once again one of the main protagonists in the victory. The Frenchman was solid at the back, and more importantly, his surging run in the first half prompted Alessio Romagnoli’s desperate challenge which resulted in a red card.

The Milan loanee explained how Thiago Motta always urges his defenders to dart forward in training.

“In training, the coach is pleased every time we try to push forward with the ball, that’s also why I feel free to do it,” explained the 24-year-old in his post-match interview via the official Juventus website.

“I was happy to be able to put the opponent’s defense in trouble and cause the incident that led to the red card. Had it also been a penalty, it would have been even better [laughs].

“I work a lot to be at the level of my teammates and the level required to play for this club: I do what I can and give my all in every match and I’m happy that now it also shows on the pitch.”

Moreover, Kalulu explained how Lazio’s defensive approach made it hard for Juventus who thrive on spaces.

“We are a team that keeps the ball well and the opposition struggled to press us, they preferred to defend deeper and in a more compact manner: so it became more complicated to find space in attacking areas. But you always need to have patience on the pitch.”