Turin, Italy :Juventus may have secured a less than convincing victory over Genoa on Saturday but for new boss Igor Tudor what mattered most was starting with a win, though he knows there is much to do.
Tudor was appointed on Sunday to replace the sacked Thiago Motta and his reign began with a 1-0 home success after fifth-placed Juve suffered heavy defeats by Atalanta and Fiorentina.
“The first thing that should be noted is that we played against a serious team like Genoa. It was a deserved win,” Tudor told reporters. “It was important to start with a victory, for everyone. Many players had a good game, this is positive.
“I noticed that there is a lot of room for improvement, this will make us start the week well which will be the first full week. We have to work hard.”
Tudor was a popular appointment with supporters pleased to see a change and even happier that a former Juventus player, who spent most of his playing career at the Turin club, is now in charge and they chanted his name before kick-off.
“I heard the chants of the fans and it was emotional,” Tudor said. “But the victory is more beautiful than these emotions. This was important for the fans. It was nice, but I was focused because it was important to start in the right way.”
Kenan Yildiz scored a superb solo-goal after 25 minutes to claim the points for Juve, who are one point behind fourth-placed Bologna as they bid for a Champions League spot.
“It was a good goal, one of my best, hopefully I can score normal goals too. We are happy now, we’re a good squad and worked hard,” Yildiz told DAZN. “I thank Motta, we did all we could with him. The new coach brought fresh energy.”
