‘You think we have joysticks to control the players’ – Sarri hits back at critics ahead of Juventus reunion

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Maurizio Sarri hit back at the criticism he has received over Atalanta’s inconsistent start to the season on the eve of their trip to Juventus, saying he does not have “joysticks to control the players”.

Atalanta have taken six points from their first four Serie A games under Sarri – they have lost each of their last two by a 2-1 scoreline, versus Roma and Cagliari.

La Dea are only one point behind Juve ahead of Sarri’s reunion with his former club, but that has not stopped his critics from rearing their heads in the early stages of his reign.

And when asked in his pre-match press conference if coaches were under more pressure to earn immediate results, he said: “If this mentality has been created, it is down to you journalists and the directors.

“Jurgen Klopp said that you don’t see the results of a coach’s work in the first season, let alone in the first month. 

“It will be a tough match. We coaches are bonded to the players on the field, but we cannot actively control anything, nor would it be right to do so.

“You in the media seem to think we coaches have joysticks to control the players! But in reality, games are won and lost based on numerous factors. 

“If I go to Spain and am in charge of Levante, of course I’ll lose to Barcelona; there are different factors at play.”

Details make the difference  pic.twitter.com/oDmRQIqRyx

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) September 16, 2026

Sarri previously spent one season in charge of Juve in 2019-20, winning the Scudetto with a team spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo.

But he was dismissed following a round-of-16 exit from the Champions League, though he harbours no ill-feeling towards the club.

“I have no regrets. It felt as if the Scudetto was taken for granted, but it’s in the past now,” Sarri said. 

Juve boss Luciano Spalletti opted against giving a pre-match press conference, with his team coming off a 5-0 win over NEC in the Europa League on Thursday.

Their previous Serie A outing was a 3-2 defeat to Sassuolo, with Vasilije Adzic scoring a 94th-minute winner on the counter-attack for the Neroverdi.

Conceicao has had the most touches in the opposition box for the club in Serie A this season (26). 

However, only Mattia Zaccagni (six) has attempted more shots on target than the Portugal winger (four, level with Federico Bernardeschi, Paulo Dybala and Armand Lauriente) without scoring yet in Serie A this term.

Raspadori averages a goal every 96 minutes against Juventus in Serie A, netting four times in 384 total minutes versus the Bianconeri.

Among all Serie A teams he has played at least 180 minutes against, he only has a better minutes-per-goal ratio versus Genoa (every 83 minutes).

Atalanta are unbeaten in their last eight away Serie A matches against Juventus (W2 D6), after losing all eight of their previous away games against the Bianconeri in the competition.

La Dea have scored an average of 1.9 goals per game in this recent period, finding the net in the first half in seven of those eight matches.

And since the start of 2017, 17 of the 19 Serie A matches between these teams have been drawn – at least four more draws than Juve have against any other team in this period.

However, with home advantage on their side, Spalletti’s side are favoured to take all three points by the Opta supercomputer.

— JuventusFC  (@juventusfcen) September 19, 2026

Atalanta could lose three straight Serie A matches under the same head coach for the first time since April 2025, while Juve have faced the fewest shots (28) and recorded the lowest expected goals against value (1.8 xGA) in Serie A this season. 

With four goals conceded, the Bianconeri have let in 2.2 goals more than expected, according to the underlying figures, and their luck could turn this weekend.

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