Bremer: ‘Juventus must win and cannot keep coasting for 6 years’
Gleison Bremer has warned Juventus ‘have been just coasting along for six years and this cannot happen. I want to win, I am 29 and cannot wait any longer.’
The defender sat down for a press conference this afternoon, taking the place of coach Luciano Spalletti ahead of this weekend’s showdown with Milan.
That kicks off at San Siro on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
Bremer wants ambitious Juventus
It is a head-to-head battle between third and fourth in the Serie A table, and Bremer has had enough of clubs insisting that Champions League qualification is their primary objective.
“Juve have been coasting along for six years now, and this cannot happen,” warned the Brazilian defender.
“I am happy here, but it is important that the club gets back to winning ways. In order to be considered a champion player, you have to get back to winning.
“I want to win, because I am 29 years old and I cannot wait any longer. You can’t just float along for six years, you need to target the Scudetto. Having said that, it’s still early to say we’ll challenge for it next season. We’ve got to finish this term and then see what happens on the transfer market.”
Juventus had been struggling even to make it into Europe, but have been laying the foundations for the future, starting with a new long-term contract for coach Luciano Spalletti.
“The club took this decision, and since he arrived, the team has changed a great deal,” added Bremer.
“They also renewed the contracts for Kenan Yildiz, Wes McKennie, Manuel Locatelli.”
Juve are linked with a bid for Liverpool and Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, so has Bremer spoken to his fellow countryman about coming to Turin?
“I haven’t spoken to Alisson, he is a great goalkeeper, but we already have Perin and Di Gregorio. This is up to the club, not me.”
The Bianconeri are currently in fourth place, but it is not enough to keep Bremer content.
“It is not a positive season at all. We should’ve done much better, especially in the Coppa Italia and Champions League, but that is the past now and we have to look forward.
“At the same time, playing just once a week has given us the time we needed to work on the details, and you can see that on the field. The coach is pushing to get the best out of us.”
Max Allegri is still very familiar to many of the Juventus players, so his Milan will have few secrets for them tomorrow.
“Allegri is a good coach, he won a lot, we know him well. If we win tomorrow, the Champions League will almost be locked down,” added Bremer.
“It was good with Allegri, because we got back to winning after a long time, and I also learned a great deal from him on how to defend. Spalletti always wants to play the ball, control the initiative, and that is what we are trying to do game by game.
“He wants everyone to be able to occupy the spaces, look up and see the passing options.”