Sari after defeat to Juventus: I don't see the team growing in character

Maurício Sarri, Atalanta's coach, expressed his frustration over some refereeing decisions during his team's 2-0 loss to Juventus, particularly pointing out one incident where he called for a foul after a challenge by Pierre Kalulu, and criticized the lack of intervention from the video assistant referee to review the situation.

Sarri said: "VAR is much better than it was before, and I prefer this version, but there are clear cases like the incident with Romagnoli being held back by Kalulu. If VAR does not call the referee in such situations, then why are we using it? If the mistake is a foul, it should be counted." He added: "If we go back to football where the referee decides alone, I would be happy."

The Italian coach spoke about his team's performance, emphasizing that Atalanta had a balanced match for an hour before the game changed after Juventus' second goal. He said: "In terms of the match, we played equally for 60 minutes, then after the second goal, the feeling was different; we collapsed. We are growing in terms of playing style, but I do not see the team developing in areas that require courage and initiative, such as individual duels."

Sarri concluded his remarks by emphasizing that what worries him the most is the absence of calmness and initiative, stating: "I will be calmer if I see more calmness. The aspect that concerns me is not seeing the team play with initiative and enthusiasm. We have many new concepts and players who have experienced different eras, but the learning process should not extinguish the spirit of initiative."