Juventus coach Igor Tudor says 10 players wanted to be replaced

Juventus manager Igor Tudor has revealed that 10 of his players asked to be substituted during their 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16. The match, played in Miami, was affected by high temperatures and humidity.

Spanish side Real Madrid secured victory thanks to a second-half goal from Gonzalo García, booking their place in the quarterfinals and ending Juventus’ tournament run.

Speaking after the match, Tudor explained that the heat and humidity left his players extremely fatigued.

“The conditions were really difficult today,” Tudor told reporters. “Ten players asked me to be replaced. They were really tired. The heat, the humidity, and the stress from a long season all played a role.”

Temperatures in Miami reached 31°C (88°F), which, although lower than recent games, still proved too much for the Juventus squad.

Tudor admitted that despite rotating his squad throughout the tournament, the game against Real Madrid came at the wrong time for many of his players.

“It’s the end of a long season, and the players had been under a lot of stress,” he said. “We played all our best cards, but it wasn’t enough.”

Despite the disappointment, Tudor said Juventus gained valuable experience from the competition and will now focus on recovery.

“We’ll now take three weeks of rest. I don’t think this tournament will have a negative impact on us moving forward.

The players gave everything, and playing against some of the best players in the world was a precious learning experience.”

Real Madrid also had good news as Kylian Mbappé made his first appearance of the tournament, coming off the bench for the final 23 minutes after recovering from gastroenteritis.

Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Mbappé is improving quickly and will be in better shape for their quarterfinal match in New Jersey.

“Every day he’s getting better,” Alonso said. “By the quarterfinals, he’ll be in much better condition.”