Andrea Pirlo revealed Juventus were "feeling the fear" from their heavy defeat to Fiorentina before the mid-season break in the early stages of their 4-1 win over Udinese on Sunday.
Juve suffered a humiliating 3-0 home loss to La Viola in December – their first in the league this season – but the champions bounced back to winning ways in style at the Allianz Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored either side of Federico Chiesa's cool finish – the 15th consecutive season the Portugal star has scored 20 goals for club and country – before Udinese's Marvin Zeegelaar and Paulo Dybala exchanged goals in the closing stages.
The result ensured Juve avoided going three consecutive home games without a win for the first time since 2015-16, and Pirlo conceded the defeat to Fiorentina last time out was on his players' minds early on.
"It wasn't the best Juventus, as we were coming off a bad defeat to Fiorentina, so started quite timid and nervous, especially when their forwards ran towards us. We gained more confidence as it went on," Pirlo told DAZN.
"I was not satisfied with the initial approach to the game, as we were still feeling the fear of our last defeat to Fiorentina. The timing of the movements weren't right, especially on the wings.
"We knew that Udinese would try to sit back, counter and wait for our mistakes, but we did well with the preventative marking to ensure they couldn't do that."
Dybala's late goal was just his second in Serie A this season and came after a game in which he lost possession 21 times – seven more than any other Juve player.
Despite his wastefulness with the ball, Pirlo was pleased with the Argentina international's contribution and believes his goal was the result of the forward's improved fitness.
"We need Dybala, he needs us," the Juve boss added. "He worked very well during the week in training. We could tell during the match that he was in better physical condition and we kept him on to the end because we hoped he would score that goal."
The result could have been different had Rodrigo De Paul's 10th-minute strike not been ruled out following a VAR check for a handball earlier in the move.
And Rodrigo Bentancur, who laid on Ronaldo's second, acknowledged Juve need to start games with more of a spring in their step, starting with their visit to leaders Milan on Wednesday.
"We didn't start with the right mentality and conceded that goal, which fortunately was disallowed for handball," Bentancur said.
"We did better after the break, deserved the victory, but again the mentality dropped at the end to concede that goal.
"I think we need to keep that concentration throughout the 90 minutes. We allowed Udinese too many chances and that should not happen.
"I don't mind if I score goals or not. I provided an assist tonight and that's as good as a goal, because I am helping the team.
"This was a victory we wanted and fought hard for. Now we have a couple of days to rest and prepare for Milan."
Bompastor promises more hard yards after Chelsea thrash Feyenoord
Sonia Bompastor has promised there is more hard work to come for her Chelsea players after they readied themselves for the Women's Super League season with a 9-0 hammering of Feyenoord.
Bompastor marked her first match at Kingsmeadow in fantastic fashion on Saturday, with the WSL champions proving far too good for their Dutch opponents.
Sandy Baltimore and Mayra Ramirez struck inside the opening 10 minutes, with Feyenoord's Celainy Obispo subsequently seeing red.
Chelsea were 4-0 up by the break thanks to finishes from Sjoeke Nusken and Wieke Kaptein, with Millie Bright heading home a fifth after the restart.
Substitute Aggie Beever-Jones netted a second-half hat-trick, with Maika Hamano also getting in on the act in a resounding victory.
Chelsea face Aston Villa in their WSL opener on September 20, and former Lyon coach Bompastor says the task is now to be fully prepared for that fixture.
"I can't wait to get to that moment, only two weeks now," she said.
"We are really excited to get to that moment, but we still have two weeks to work and we’ll make sure we work really hard to be ready for that first game.
"We had two main goals – the first one was defensively, we wanted to have high pressure, and be strong in transition. With the ball, I wanted them to play in a nice way, in an attacking style, so with nine goals, it was definitely good and it’s what we had been working on in training.
"I really liked the stadium, the atmosphere. It’s really cool, especially when you win and score a lot of goals. I hope all the games this season, they’ll have the same fun. We’ll keep working really hard to make sure they come and enjoy our games."
Ancelotti to continue coaching 'until the fire dies down'
Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to call time on his illustrious coaching career, saying he will only leave the sport when he no longer feels nervous ahead of games.
Ancelotti is one of the most decorated coaches in European football history, with his five Champions League titles as a manager being a competition record.
The fifth of those triumphs came with Real Madrid in June as they beat Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley Stadium, having progressed through a series of dramatic ties earlier in the tournament.
Los Blancos overcame Manchester City on penalties in the quarter-finals despite facing 33 shots on their goal in the second leg, a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
They then salvaged victory from the jaws of defeat in the last four as Joselu scored twice – in the 88th and 91st minutes – to stun Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ancelotti so often appears an island of calm amid the chaos, but the Italian insists he still gets nervous ahead of big games and will do so until the day he retires.
"A life without pressure or a little stress does not exist. Too much stress, no, but a little is fuel. The day I don't have excitement before a match is the day I have to stop," he said at the Mexico Siglo XXI event.
"Before a match there is worry, there is a negative feeling thinking that it will not go well, that they will score a goal… When the match starts, everything stops.
"So, you have to look for calm to handle the situations of the game. I will continue coaching until the fire I have for football dies down.
"Some great things have happened in my life, some difficult moments. My life has been normal. I have been lucky to have a job that is my passion. I am grateful to football for giving me that opportunity.
"I still get nervous before a match, I feel pressure, and as long as that doesn't change I will continue here. I see myself coaching for a long time, yes."
Ancelotti is known for involving his big-name players in his decision-making, and he says that collaborative approach has been key to his success.
"It is very difficult to explain what a leader should be like. It is much more important to convince than to impose your opinion on them," he added.
"A leader must have the ability to listen to those who work with you. They can always give you ideas that can help you.
"It is important to listen and not think that you know everything because you are the boss. You can always learn."
T&T blanked 4-0 by Honduras as Nicaragua edge French Guiana in League A
Trinidad and Tobago started life without Angus Eve on a losing note as they were thumped 4-0 by Honduras in their opening Concacaf Nations League Group B League A contest in Tegucigalpa on Friday.
The result dealt and early blow to the Soca Warriors and interim head coach Derek King, as they are the group’s early cellar dwellers.
Honduras, with the win, assume pole position on three points, same as Nicaragua, who edged French Guiana 1-0, while Jamaica and Cuba both have a point from their goalless stalemate. Only the top two teams from the group will progress to the quarterfinals, while the bottom-placed team will be relegated to League B.
The tournament also determines which national teams qualify for the next edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Honduras vs. Trinidad and Tobago
After struggling to break down Trinidad and Tobago’s defence early, Honduras eventually found the go-ahead goal when Alexander Lopez drove in a right-footer from outside the box.
Kevin Arriaga also showed his class with a well-struck right-footer in the 45+2 minute to put Honduras 2-0 up at the break.
Try as they did, Trinidad and Tobago had no response to Honduras in a hostile environment and soon found themselves further behind in the 54th minute. This, as Edwin Rodriguez was allowed too much space deep inside the 18-yard box to fire home from Luis Palma’s pass.
The win was then capped by David Ruiz, who slotted home in the 86th minute.
French Guiana vs. Nicaragua
The Central Americans extended their unbeaten run in the Concacaf Nations League to 13 matches by taking three points off host French Guiana at Stade Municipal Dr. Edmard Lama.
Both teams gave as good as they got in the attacking third, but it was Nicaragua that got the all-important strike through Widman Talavera in the 90+5 minute to secure the three points.
Group B action will resume on Tuesday, starting with Cuba facing Nicaragua, while Trinidad and Tobago will host French Guiana, and Jamaica will visit Honduras to close out the day.
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