Lessons to learn

“You can analyse the match against Atalanta in two ways, either with a glass half empty: so we need to be very careful, because in this game, it barely takes any time at all to pay the price for playing below par.

“Alternatively, you look at the glass half full: we can say that we were about to win that match and that’s a sign of how strong we are.”

“Yesterday’s draw could actually do us good over the upcoming matches, giving us an indication of what we need to put into them.

“If we don’t play with the right amount of grit and determination, we’ll struggle against anyone. That said, we’ve picked up several excellent results over these three months, so there’s no need to be negative.”

Before beating Barcelona…

“Knocking out Barcelona without conceding was a source of huge satisfaction for the whole group. You won’t know this, but I actually confessed to president Andrea Agnelli that, if I didn’t let in a single goal over the two legs against Barca, I’d retire in June, but I had to go back on that!”

A career that knows no limits

“I’ve made a quick calculation: when I started off my career, there were still players around who were born in the early 1960s. I’ll finish off with guys born after the Millennium!

“In that sense, I’ve spanned four decades in the game and never thought about giving up. The fact I’ve succeeded is what makes me most proud of all.”