Igor Tudor faced DAZN (as quoted by ilbianconero) after Juventus’ 2–0 defeat against Como, visibly frustrated but firm in his defence of the team’s performance and his tactical decisions. The Croatian coach addressed the criticism coming from pundits and offered his own take on the match and on his approach to playing with a back four.
“We wanted to go forward, not sit back”
“I don’t know what match that gentleman who made the analysis was watching,” Tudor began pointedly. “We wanted to push forward, we wanted to press, and at times we even did it well. We weren’t sitting back in our own area as he said.”
Reflecting on the game, Tudor added: “It was a tough match against a well-coached team. The goal we conceded is one we simply can’t allow. The first half was balanced — both sides had good moments. Then, in the second half, the game broke up with lots of fouls and interruptions, and after the second goal it was essentially over. We tried to react by using two strikers, but it didn’t work.”
“A back four was the right choice”
Tudor went on to explain the tactical adjustments and defended his decision-making. “You can’t play with two strikers and two wingers — who would defend? I don’t think anyone plays like that,” he said. “The four-man defence is what we believe suits the team best right now. Of course, when you win it looks perfect, when you lose people say it’s wrong, but I think it was the right choice.”
“In attack we did some things differently, but we lacked the final pass and the finishing touch. We reached the box several times. In the last fifteen minutes, it made sense to try with two forwards, but against Como you have to run a lot, and with only Chico and Kenan in midfield it’s not easy to cover. We also tried with Joao Mario and Kostic on the wings but it just didn’t come off.”
“Anxiety is part of a coach’s job”
Tudor ended with a note of self-reflection: “I’m always worried — it’s part of a coach’s life. You win, you lose, you draw, but there’s always something to be concerned about. What can we do better? We’ll discuss that in the dressing room.”
