Douglas Costa says he’d love to return to Italy, Juventus

In a recent Twitch livestream with Italian journalist Pierluigi Pardo (via Gianluca Di Marzio), Douglas Costa said that he would love a return to Italy and/or Juventus after his spell at Bayern Munich is up. Before returning to Bayern on loan for this season, the Brazilian winger spent three seasons at Juventus, collecting three Serie A title, one Copa Italia, and one Italian Super Cup.

Costa admitted that when he first moved to Juventus, he didn’t hit the ground running under then manager Massimiliano Allegri, but admired the fans and the strong defensive tactics shown in the Italian league as a whole.

“When I arrived in Italy I adapted very well and I carry the fans in my heart. The first year with Allegri I struggled, but it made me understand how to play in Italy. A different football than the German one, more defensive. I would like to return to Italy, a country that I really appreciate,” Costa explained.

When he was discussing the end of his loan and his return to Turin, he said, “Let’s see that it can happen, I still have a contract with Juve.”

It remains to be seen what Andrea Pirlo and Juventus will decide to do with Costa after his loan spell with Bayern ends, but thankfully he revealed that he’s ready to start doing work on the pitch in his recovery from the foot injury he recently sustained in a training session. “I started walking today. In about ten days I’ll be back on the pitch,” he explained.

Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images for FC Bayern

Despite expressing his desire to return to Italy after his loan spell with Bayern ends, Costa said that he’s noticed a difference in the way Bayern plays now vs. when he has first at the club under Pep Guardiola.

Costa recalled Pep’s Bayern being far more possession based, which is something he preferred. “They have a different way of understanding football today than in my first adventure. Now you play more attacking while before you held the ball more and I liked it more. Even if they won the Champions League,” he said.

Of course, Guardiola is known for his possession-based tactics and mastering everything down to the smallest of details, so it’s natural that that’s what Costa was more accustomed to having played for him and then going to Juventus.

For Bayern Munich, Costa has scored once and has provided two assists from a total of twenty appearances across all competitions, the majority of which have been as a substitute.