Juventus head coach Igor Tudor believes that his team is going under his stewardship in the “good direction” while preparing for their second game at the Club World Cup.
Tudor watched while Juventus opened their campaign with a 5-0 thrashing from Al Ain, with Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conukicao both score twice on Audi Field.
Juventus indeed won with at least five goals in an international competition for the first time since December 10, 2003, against Olympiakos (7-0 in that case).
It was also the biggest victory margin in the very first club World Cup match of a team, which previously exceeded 4-0 victories by Barcelona in 2006 and Paris Saint-Germain in the tournament.
They also scored four goals in the first half of a match for the first time since February 2018 against Sassuolo and will want to consolidate their place at the top of Groep G..
The Tudor team will take on Wydad AC in their next group match at the Club World Cup, with the Moroccan side 2-0 defeated by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in their opener.
The 47-year-old had a mixed start of life as the boss of Juventus, but was able to lead the club to a fourth placed finish in the Serie A, where he secured Champions League football next season.
And while they continue to understand his tactical approach to the game, Tudor believes that his players will only improve as they progress together.
“I felt that the team really cared about this competition; they were really motivated. They were on their courage. They have that desire,” Tudor said.
“There was nice energy between the players, who wants to work hard for each other, to run for each other.
“I felt that it really got through, and I think the players felt that among themselves.
“We are going in the right direction. There are always things that you have to improve … A team is a living being, it is never the same from one day to the next.”
European teams have all won three of their earlier matches against Moroccan opposition at the FIFA Club World Cup (including previous formats).
Raja Casablanca lost in 2000 to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in 2013 before Wydad lost to Man City on Wednesday.
And Juventus will be confident to expand that record, although Wydad 12 tried shots against City, despite recording only 287 passes in the course of the game.
Their 23.9 passes per shot was the second lowest ratio on MatchDay one of the Club World Cup (Palmeiras-23.4).