<p>Tudor: “There are things that remain between me and Juve. The prizes? The boys don’t care”</p>

A sense of vertigo is felt in the Miami heat: Juve has devoured its doubts, mirroring itself in the defeat at the Camping World Stadium. And now it just wants to face Real head on to shake it off once and for all. The calendar doesn't wait, and perhaps that's a good thing. Because certain falls are not forgotten under the umbrella or alongside loved ones, but on the pitch fighting for even greater satisfactions. In this case, the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup.

So, let 's make room for the starters, or what's left of them, especially in defense: after the defeat in Savona, yesterday Gatti - with the flu - also withdrew from training . A broken record. An old wound that reopens when the wind blows hard. Yet Tudor doesn't look for excuses. He's calm, cool and focused, as always. The boys follow him, and that's also why he decided to give him 24 hours of freedom in the last few days. A breath of fresh air, before the steep, vertical climb against the strongest team in the world.

Good morning Igor Tudor, how is the team doing on the eve of such an important and delicate match? "We're fine, on Saturday the whole club wanted to take a day off to do a sort of "reset". We all had breakfast together and then we gave ourselves a day off, before focusing body and soul to prepare with motivation, desire and attention for the match against Real Madrid".

Was it you who proposed this initiative to get over the disappointment of the defeat against City? «Actually, no: it had already been scheduled for some time to give the kids a breather…».

Has the heat caused you any major problems? "Playing at these temperatures is not the best, but it is an issue that concerns all the participating teams, so it must be accepted."

There are those who wanted to get lost in the many theme parks in Orlando and those who preferred to stay in the hotel to relax... What did you do? Were you able to unplug a bit? "When you train you never stop, you are focused 24 hours a day: you even take the work home with you... It's inevitable. So no, I didn't rest."

I imagine you watched Real Madrid games non-stop… What do you think of them? There was no shortage of difficulties against Al Hilal. "I've seen them all, and I'd say that in the last one we saw what they're really capable of. Before, they were just warming up. They played a serious game, with great drive. In the last ten years, Real Madrid have dominated together with Manchester City in Europe. Then Liverpool and PSG joined them. They are simply the strongest, the ones who start as favorites in every competition. Los Blancos are clearly above everyone else in the Champions League, the numbers say so. It's normal, therefore, that in a tournament like this they are among the candidates for the final victory. For us, it will be a difficult challenge but also a great one to play. It's stimulating to measure yourself against these opponents. You have to experience it in this way."

How have Los Blancos changed since Ancelotti's departure? "In all: now they have a new coach, Xabi Alonso, who has inevitably brought a different way of working. In these first official commitments they have shown good things. A team well positioned on the field, with a shared attitude to sacrifice. They pedal and have a lot of quality".

Did the defeat against City take away some of your confidence? "It was definitely a difficult defeat to swallow, which we don't like, but I've already talked about it enough after the match. I explained all the circumstances and conditions with which we got to play that match. They pushed hard and it went the way it went. A game that is a school for us, from which we will learn to grow, but without thinking too much. You shouldn't do it even for the positive things. You move forward without suffering from what happened, preparing for this challenge as if it were a final. And finals, you know: you don't play, you win."

Can you be more specific? What is the mistake you should never make again against such opponents? "I repeat, the defeat against City taught us several things, but I can't tell them to you. They remain between me and the team. We will certainly try to win against Real in every way. This is the message I have been spreading for days. Xabi Alonso's team, for the way they play, how they behave, how they run and how they are organised, is at the same level as City. In fact, perhaps even stronger."

Yet, considering the level of your opponent and the fact that you only had three days to prepare for this challenge, we seem to perceive a bit of optimism in you… "Yes, because this is the way I approach football and life in general. A mentality that I am trying to pass on to my boys every day. I didn't tell them that we will go out on the pitch and definitely beat Real, but that we will play our chances. Even if they are stronger than us at the moment, we have developed a strategy to try to beat them."

Going through to the quarter-finals would guarantee an additional 12 million for the transfer market, as well as a bonus for herself and the players of 30 thousand euros each… "Yes, but it's not important. The boys don't care about the financial rewards: what drives them is motivation. They want to beat Real Madrid. How do you do it? By running and fighting more than them. We have quality and players who can hurt them. We'll see if it'll be enough."

You have repeated many times that in football you should never be afraid. Yet aren't you afraid that coming out badly from the World Cup could put you in the position of starting next season with some negative residue? "In my day, in the 1990s, any Serie A player would have done anything to challenge Real. Today, I honestly don't know if that's still the case. I hope that among my 20 lads this desire is widespread and deep-rooted. It was the first question I asked in the meeting: "Is it better to play with Real or a lower-ranking team?" - I asked him -. Against City I felt the team had a bit too much respect for the opponent. But we talked about it together...".

WHATSAPP TUTTOSPORT: click here and subscribe now to the new channel, stay updated LIVE