"I'm fortunate to play with Ronaldo and have access to secrets"

Chiellini believes that he feels very lucky to be playing in the same team as Cristiano Ronaldo. In the pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League match with Porto, the defender briefly spoke about his teammate. He also explained what he thinks they have to do to make the last eight. 

"Cristiano Ronaldo is special, I don't know. I feel fortunate to work alongside him and be able to "steal" those little secrets which have allowed him to become a champion. We all have different characteristics, but it happens with any teammate who play with. It doesn't matter if they are in different positions;" he said. 

On Porto, he said: "Porto defend well, concede few goals and that could be a problem because we know how important it is to score away from home. They have strength on the outside and they are a physical side. We'll have to avoid bumping against their 'wall' and they can be devastating on the counter. Tomorrow, the emotional aspects will also be important and we cannot commit the errors we made in the last two years."

He also talked about how the dressing room are: "We're coming into this one in very good form and the match against Napoli is not affecting us. You need balance, calm and know how to differentiate between competitions. In the league, we have 16 matches left plus a rearranged match and we are fighting there. Now, the last 16 of the Champions League begins: we are very excited, but also aware of the difficulties we could face."

 

February 16, 2021