Sports
Maurizio Sarri Discusses Gonzalo Higuain Head Injury, Juventus’ Lecce Draw
Maurizio Lagana/Getty ImagesJuventus coach Maurizio Sarri played down the severity of the head injury Gonzalo Higuain suffered in the 1-1 draw against Lecce.Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), Sarri said Higuain required stitches after his heavy collision with Gabriel: “Gonzalo is having stitches, then they’ll decide whether to take him to the hospital.…
Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images
Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri played down the severity of the head injury Gonzalo Higuain suffered in the 1-1 draw against Lecce.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), Sarri said Higuain required stitches after his heavy collision with Gabriel: “Gonzalo is having stitches, then they'll decide whether to take him to the hospital. He is conscious, answering questions in a clear way.”
The Argentina international was left bloodied after the collision but returned to the pitch with a bandage on his head. He needed a stretcher to leave the field after the match, going down to the turf after the final whistle.
Di Marzio's Francesco Porzio was incensed he was allowed to return to the pitch:
Francesco Porzio @fraporzio95
Concussion is a huge problem in football, like in any other sport. How could #Higuain play normally after this? https://t.co/vyPAeOQBKV
Juventus had already run out of substitutions when the incident occurred. Paulo Dybala had given them the lead from the penalty spot, but Marco Mancosu converted a penalty of his own after yet another handball from Matthijs de Ligt. Per Football Italia, the Dutchman has now been involved in such an incident in three straight matches.
Sarri noted Juventus created a lot of chances against Lecce but criticised his side for taking it took it too easy on the side from Apulia:
“At the end, we got ourselves swept up in a battle that was not our style. We created many scoring opportunities and didn't take them, so there was a lack of determination and clinical edge. We also didn't control our lead well at all, so I didn't like any of that. …
“Cristiano Ronaldo was tired both physically and mentally, so it wouldn’t have helped him to make this journey and sit there. When a player expresses his fatigue, it was only right to give him a rest.
“The fact remains, we created 10 scoring opportunities and didn't finish them. I think we took it a bit easy in our finishing and after we took the lead, acting almost as if it was natural we'd win. I don't know if we were superficial as such, but we weren't as determined as we could've been. We shouldn't think that just because we create lots of chances, we'll automatically score and win.”
Sarri has never beaten Lecce in a league match in his coaching career:
Gracenote Live @GracenoteLive
🛑 – Maurizio Sarri has failed to win his four league matches as coach against Lecce.
As coach of Arezzo and Grosseto, Sarri lost all 3 of his matches against Lecce in Serie B between 2006 and 2010. #LecceJuve
The Bianconeri were without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was rested, but still had plenty of chances to win. Federico Bernardeschi in particular proved wasteful, hitting the post when faced with an open net.
Juventus didn't give away many chances, but the mistake from De Ligt allowed Lecce back into the match. Sarri thought the 20-year-old did not try to play the ball with his arm: “Seeing the incident from the bench today, I think it wasn't exactly on purpose. His arm was close to his body and it took a deflection, but with the new rules, it is difficult for defenders to avoid the ball.”
Italian Football TV had a suggestion for the 20-year-old:
Italian Football TV @IFTVofficial
How Sarri’s gonna send De Ligt out for the next match 🚫
📸: @Juventus_graph https://t.co/yVEMHDUPkH
Inter Milan will now have the chance to move back into the Serie A lead if they can beat Parma later on Saturday.
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