Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini says he has “lived in heaven, in hell and then in heaven again” during his 15 years with the Bianconeri.
“The years become part of you. I surely consider myself lucky to have made it,” he told the Corriere dello Sport.
“Juventus are committed to you, the pressure is constant, in these 15 years I have lived in heaven, in hell and then in heaven again.
“Why has everyone written off Inter? Knowing the coach and the players, I wouldn’t rule them out. In a crazy mini championship, nine points are nothing.
“If they beat Sampdoria, the gap drops to six points. Of course, Lazio are having a beautiful journey. Luis Alberto, Milinkovic-Savic and Immobile are poetry. Enjoy this moment, but not forever.
“I started from the left, but I was struggling in the defensive phase. I wasted too much energy in attacking and lost precision.
“When they put me in the middle, I immediately understood that it was my home, it suited me perfectly. The young defenders are all more beautiful than me.”
Talk turned to his role as a defender and the many battles he’s fought against the elite strikers in world football.
“In the end, it’s always a one-on-one, your death is my life, call it what you want, but between the defender and the attacker, that’s how it is. If you are in acceptable range…
“Conte and Allegri? With Conte, we started from scratch, we started from a very low base and built the foundations of the house, Antonio is a person who, as I wrote, who brings you to a different connection.
“He gives you a lot and demands a lot. Sometimes it exasperates you, but you’re with him till death. In my opinion, he created the compactness that was fundamental for Juve.
“Max is an aesthete. He is very bright, lighter, in the five years he has grown exponentially, he knows how to lower and raise the tone. He has a sensitivity that I haven’t found in many people, and I’m not just talking about coaches.
“Over the years, he has conquered and bewitched me.
“Sarri is more meticulous, therefore more similar to Conte than to Allegri, but with different principles and systems.
“He relies heavily on numbers, he is a lover of the game, of ball possession. He is a utopian and is the first to admit it, never satisfied, always pursuing perfection.
“Strikers? Cristiano scored a lot of goals, but Ibra was the one who entered my heart,” the veteran defender confessed. “We were teammates at first, I was very young, I always tried to measure myself with him.
“I followed him everywhere, also to get credit from my teammates and the coach. Accepting a one-on-one with Ibra meant earning respect.
“I never pulled back and I came out stronger and more convinced from every challenge with him, he brought out the best in me. I admire him a lot.”
