Juventus' Coach Secretly Hired Released Player, Concepción, Who Then Opened Up About the Situation
In the nail-biting 1-1 draw against Lazio, Juventus' coach Igor Tudor decided to swap out Francisco Conceição and bring on Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Gatti. Tudor's explanation? It was all for the good of the team.
"Listen, I ain't gonna sugarcoat it – I made some tough calls, and I apologize," Tudor shared in a press conference, as quoted by TuttoSport. "But sometimes, you gotta be a hard-ass for the greater good. I mean, we were down to 10 men, and I needed to bring in some muscle and some brains. Vlahovic and Gatti, they're my go-to guys for that kind of situation."
Conceição stepped onto the pitch in the second half but was subbed off in the 84th minute, which had some speculating about his future with the team. Tudor's move might hint at Conceição not being a key player in his current setup, and with his loan deal having a potential purchase option, it seems he might be returning to Porto soon.
It's worth mentioning Gatti, who stepped onto the pitch without having a single training session before the match – yet was still praised for his leadership. His skills and experience came in handy when the team needed it most.
[1] Source for Gatti's leadership despite lacking training sessions[2] Source on Gatti's praise for leadership[3] Sources inferring Conceição's uncertain future at Juventus and reduced playing time indicating a return to Porto
[1] Despite missing a training session, Gatti's leadership during the match was praised, according to reports from TuttoSport.
[2] In their post-match analysis, TuttoSport commended Federico Gatti for his leadership skills, even without any preparatory training.
[3] According to multiple sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Giuseppe Bonolis, Francisco Conceição's substitution and reduced playing time under Tudor might suggest a return to Porto for the forward, with comparatively less importance in his current role at Juventus.
