Sarri hits back at critics ahead of Juventus reunion: 'You think we have joysticks to control the players'
Sarri returns to the Allianz Stadium
Atalanta travel to face Juventus in Serie A on Sunday, with Maurizio Sarri going up against his former club at the Allianz Stadium. The two sides are separated by just a single point in the early standings, but that has not shielded the Atalanta boss from scrutiny after a patchy opening to the campaign.
"You think we have joysticks to control the players"
Sarri hit back at the criticism he has received over Atalanta's inconsistent start to the season on the eve of their trip to Juventus. La Dea have taken six points from their first four Serie A games under Sarri – they have lost each of their last two by a 2-1 scoreline, against Roma and Cagliari. But when asked in his pre-match press conference if coaches were under more pressure to earn immediate results, the 66-year-old fired back.
"If this mentality has been created, it is down to you journalists and the directors," Sarri said. "Jurgen Klopp said that you don't see the results of a coach's work in the first season, let alone in the first month.
"It will be a tough match. We coaches are bonded to the players on the field, but we cannot actively control anything, nor would it be right to do so. You in the media seem to think we coaches have joysticks to control the players! But in reality, games are won and lost based on numerous factors.
"If I go to Spain and am in charge of Levante, of course I'll lose to Barcelona; there are different factors at play."
No regrets from his Juventus spell
Sarri previously spent one season in charge of Juve in 2019-20, winning the Scudetto with a team spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo. He was dismissed following a round-of-16 exit from the Champions League, though he harbours no ill-feeling towards the club.
"I have no regrets. It felt as if the Scudetto was taken for granted, but it's in the past now," Sarri said.
Spalletti skips press conference
Juve boss Luciano Spalletti opted against giving a pre-match press conference, with his team coming off a 5-0 win over NEC in the Europa League on Thursday. Their previous Serie A outing was a 3-2 defeat to Sassuolo, with Vasilije Adzic scoring a 94th-minute winner on the counter-attack for the Neroverdi.
Players to watch
Juventus – Francisco Conceicao: Conceicao has had the most touches in the opposition box for the club in Serie A this season (26). However, only Mattia Zaccagni (six) has attempted more shots on target than the Portugal winger (four, level with Federico Bernardeschi, Paulo Dybala and Armand Lauriente) without scoring yet in Serie A this term.
Atalanta – Giacomo Raspadori: Raspadori averages a goal every 96 minutes against Juventus in Serie A, netting four times in 384 total minutes versus the Bianconeri. Among all Serie A teams he has played at least 180 minutes against, he only has a better minutes-per-goal ratio versus Genoa (every 83 minutes).
Match prediction favours Juventus
Atalanta are unbeaten in their last eight away Serie A matches against Juventus (W2 D6), after losing all eight of their previous away games against the Bianconeri in the competition. La Dea have scored an average of 1.9 goals per game in this recent period, finding the net in the first half in seven of those eight matches.
Since the start of 2017, 17 of the 19 Serie A matches between these teams have been drawn – at least four more draws than Juve have against any other team in this period. However, with home advantage on their side, Spalletti's side are favoured to take all three points by the Opta supercomputer.
Atalanta could lose three straight Serie A matches under the same head coach for the first time since April 2025, while Juve have faced the fewest shots (28) and recorded the lowest expected goals against value (1.8 xGA) in Serie A this season. With four goals conceded, the Bianconeri have let in 2.2 goals more than expected, according to the underlying figures, and their luck could turn this weekend.
Opta win probability: Juventus 54.8%, Atalanta 21%, Draw 24.2%.