Chivu: "We've earned what we deserve"

“It’d been two years since we last won a six-pointer, and the players felt that pressure, but we did what we had to do and got the win. We tried to hurt Juventus and put in a performance full of character. Kalulu’s second yellow and sending-off? For me, it was a light touch, but it’s still a touch. I tell my players not to put the referee in a position where he has to make a choice. My player felt a touch because he got there first, and a player with Kalulu’s experience shouldn’t use his hands if he’s already on a yellow. I hope today’s victory marks a turning point. The team didn’t have the legs or the composure to execute everything we’d prepared, but I’ll take the win. You could feel the pressure of not having beaten a top team for so long. We should have managed it better, but then the team’s character came through: we wanted to win it and managed to do so through Zielinski’s goal. I’m thinking about my players and the mental and physical block that was weighing on them. I saw a team that was held back and couldn’t express themselves at their best, but fortunately they showed heart and individual quality on the pitch to get the win. There are still 13 games to go; the season is long. I’ve always spoken about the improvements we’ve made mentally and in how we play. Today, we kept going, and I decided to bring on another attacker to try to win it. Then Zielu showed his quality, so it worked out. We’ve earned what we deserve. We’ve grown a lot and want to be competitive. The aim is to have a positive season, and we’re doing everything we can to make that happen.”