Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo has broken his silence after the Bianconeri were dethroned as Serie A champions for the first time in nearly a decade.
Juve's nine-year reign as champions of Italy was brought to an end on Sunday after rivals Inter Milan mathematically secured the 2020/21 Serie A crown ahead of Atalanta and the reigning title holders with four matches remaining for the season.
Juventus had won the title in each of the previous nine seasons, but failed to emulate that success this time around, although Pirlo is insistent his side will bounce back in the 2021/22 campaign.
"We give our regards to Inter and to the coach, they deserve this success," he told Sky Sport Italia. "We need to change, one cycle has closed but another one will open to compete for the Scudetto. We laboured for this win and we're proud, it was important after this afternoon's results."
The former Italy international added that he was proud of his men's performance over the weekend, which saw Juve claim a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Udinese, and that his focus was now on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
"Things were tricky when we allowed the goal, but we desperately wanted to bring home the result at the end. There was a mental fatigue. Something changes when you are used to always playing for the Scudetto," he continued.
"For the last several weeks, the objective has changed: it's a struggle but we must achieve the Champions League."
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