Gleison Bremer said his Juventus team-mates have vowed to ignore the Bianconeri’s off-field woes after scoring the winner in Thursday’s Coppa Italia quarter-final against Lazio.
Bremer headed home Filip Kostic’s cross with a sharp header on the stroke of half-time as Juve beat the Biancocelesti 1-0, setting up a semi-final against Inter.
The win was a relief for the 13th-placed team in Serie A after they were handed a 15-point deduction last month, a sanction made worse by a three-game winless run in the league.
Speaking after his goal sent Juve to their eighth Coppa Italia semi-final in nine seasons, Bremer admitted off-field problems had affected the team in recent weeks, but revealed the squad’s commitment to rediscover their focus.
“I am happy with this goal, but it was important to go through at this moment,” said the Brazilian international Mediaset.
“We know we’ve played two games that weren’t as good, but we talked to each other and what happens off the pitch can’t be spilled onto the pitch. The club will take care of it, we’ll take care of the pitch.
“Juventus are a high level team, let’s score as many points as possible and see where we end up in the championship.
“At the beginning of the year we lost a little, then we talked and found each other.”
Since the Coppa Italia quarter-finals became one-legged affairs in the 2008-09 season, Juve have won nine of the 10 such events at home, the only exception being the defeat of the Roma in 2011.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri praised Juve’s spirit after the tough defeat, highlighting the improvements made since Sunday’s shock win against Monza.
“The most important thing is the attitude, which was missing in the first half against Monza, where we conceded two easy goals,” said Allegri.
“The boys were good. They are responsible. They must understand that the right spirit is needed to win games, as well as tactics and technique.
“Today we won a lot of tackles, we came first in duels, we defended well and played in an orderly and patient way against good pressure from Lazio.”
Juventus were without Paul Pogba for Thursday’s win, with the midfielder seeing his second start for the club delayed again after suffering another minor injury.
Allegri does not expect him to return against Salernitana on Tuesday, saying: “It is unlikely that Pogba will be available in Salerno, because he has been doing little or nothing for a week. We hope that he will back as soon as possible because he is a player we depend on.
“I’ve been in the world of football for 50 years. When things go against you, then you have to be patient to see it out.”