Locatelli excited for ‘new energy’ at Juventus

Originally posted on Football Italia | By Sam Wilson | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 9:49 AM ET

Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli has revealed there is a “new energy” at the Bianconeri, as the Old Lady prepare for their opening fixture of the new Serie A season against Parma on Sunday.

Speaking in an interview with Sky Sport, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb , Locatelli also had words of praise for head coach Igor Tudor, who the Italian described as “fired up” and “very different to the managers we have had before.”

“On Sunday, we kick off,” the central midfielder said as he began answering the questions, “We are very excited to get started. We cannot wait for the league to begin and we will be in front of our fans.” Locatelli then confessed his thoughts on Juventus’ 2024-25 campaign, which was overall disappointing despite the Bianconeri qualifying for the Champions League, “Last year was certainly a long season but now we have got new energy. We had a good pre-season and I think the work we did in Germany was useful – so we are happy and full of energy to start this new campaign.”

Juventus captain Locatelli on Tudor and Champions League qualification

Despite mild speculation earlier in the year that the Bianconeri would look for a new manager in the summer, the club chose to stick with Igor Tudor. The coach was given a new contract and has been backed with top signings as the Old Lady aim to once again challenge for the Scudetto.

When asked about Tudor, Locatelli replied “The coach is very fired up. He is definitely different to the managers we’ve had before. He asks for a lot of intensity, a lot of discipline but I think the most important thing is that he knows the DNA of this shirt… so we are already starting from a solid base.”

Locatelli scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in Juventus’ 3-2 final day victory over Venezia last season; a victory that saw the Bianconeri pip Roma to Champions League qualification by just one point. When asked about his decisive goal, the captain responded: “That ball was incredibly heavy, of course. However, I am the captain of this team and in these moments, I have to take responsibility. So I am very excited and proud of what I did.

“It was a big responsibility but now we have a whole season ahead of us to play, a season full of new goals. That penalty helped us qualify for the Champions League but I am very happy and proud of the work we did together as a team.”

This article first appeared on Football Italia and was syndicated with permission.

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