New look for Old Lady
Football Italia - February 2000
There are three reasons why Juventus can win their 26th Scudetto in May. First, they were not expected to win the title this season with most pundits tipping Lazio and Inter. Second, new signings such as Gianluca Zambrotta and Darko Kovacevic have added strength in depth. Third, there is the return of Alessandro Del Piero. Those Juventus fans who tried to drive Carlo Ancelotti out of Turin after he was appointed Marcello Lippi's successor
last year, resenting his Roma and Milan background, have been silenced. Ancelotti urged the tifosi not to judge him on last season's results since he was effectively coaching Lippi's ageing team. 'La Juve di Ancelotti' would grace Serie A from September 1999 onwards. Judge him then, was the plea. "Physically we are fine but this team has shown it has personality, character and enthusiasm", says the Coach now. "However, it's impossible
to say exactly what we will achieve."
After win all there was to win during Lippi's five-year reign, the 1998-99 season was nothing short of disastrous. To recap, Juventus finished eighth in the League, meaning they had to qualify for the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup, while in the Champions' League they threw away a 2-0 lead in Turin in their illfated semi-final with Manchester United.
By the time the Bianconeri met United, Lippi had walked out and Ancelotti - who was due to take over at Juventus in the summer - was installed much sooner than he expected. Considering all the unknown factors which surrounded us before the season, like playing a new system and the integration of new players, we've encountered fewer difficulties than we anticipated," says Ancelotti.
The backbone of the side still bears the Lippi stamp Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi in attack, Zinedine Zidane and Edgar Davids in midfield, Paolo Montero and Igor Tudor at the heart of defence. But the new arrivals namely ex-Bari midfielder Zambrotta and Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar - have given the Bianconeri a new dimension. The team's impressive start to the
season justifies President Umberto Agnelli's faith in Ancelotti. "For us Coaches every game is an exam. This is football," says
Ancelotti whose cautious football at Parma won him few admirers. "Last year Alberto Zaccheroni won Lo Scudetto and four months later that was forgotten." In his attempt to breathe life into La Vecchia Signora of Italian football, Ancelotti instigated a summer clearout. Wing back Angelo Di Livio went to Fiorentina, goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi followed Lippi to Inter, veteran midfielder Didier Deschamps went to Chelsea and striker
Thierry Henry to Arsenal.
But the purge was not as bloody as expected. This side does not need new signings, explains Luciano Moggi, the club's director general and the man who deals in the transfer rnarket for La Vecchia Signora, "Even for the future, the side needs fresh young blood rather than new signings to take our club forward. At the end of the last championship many people said we should split this squad up," adds Moggi, "but we had faith in our players.
They just needed to recover their spirits because they were stressed by everything that happened."
Despite a dreadful 1998-99, many of Lippi's stalwarts - Paolo Montero, Mark Iuliano, Ciro Ferrara, Antonio Conte and Gianluca Pessotto - were kept on at the Delle Alpi. "The proof has been in the pudding. The basis of the squad Juve had, plus some targeted signings, are proving they can compete in a high-level League."
"We are competitive in all areas of the pitch and we also have considerable mental reserves and spirit. That's exaclty what we lacked last season because of all the controversies which swept through the side. Zeman's doping allegations, referees allegedly favouring Juve and Lippi's shock walkout plagued the club last season. Athletes are accustomed to battling hard on the pitch, not off it. Some let the stress get to them and asked for a transfer. I hope Juve can win the title. The squad is competitive but at times little things happen which can influence the final result," says Moggi.
Juve's summer recruitment drive was low-key but effective. The flagship signing was Van der Sar. "He was the best replacement for Peruzzi. His success at Ajax and on the international front prove it," says Ancelotti. Italian international Zambrotta was another good buy. One of Italy's most exciting prospects, he replaced Di Livio and has so far earned rave reviews. "I never thought I'd have any problems moving from Bari to Juventus," says Zambrotta. "To play for Juventus is an honour, not a weight around one's neck."
In Juve's 0-0 draw against Lazio, at the Stadio Olimpico, the wing back was the best player on the pitch. "My father is a very critical person," smiles Zambrotta. "He's followed my footsteps ever since I was a young boy and will not hesitate to tell me if I've played badly. When he came up to me and said 'Bravo' after that match it convinced me I had played well."
"I like going forward but hopefully you've seen that I can defend as well. This is the role of the wing back - to be able to do a bit of everything." Zambrotta has discovered all about the 'turnover' since moving to the Delle Alpi. At Bari he was the first name on the team sheet, an untouchable, the hero of the tifosi. But in his first 18 Juve matches, 'Zambro' only played the full 90 minutes in four of them. "The 'turnover' isn't a problem for me. I know this is the situation here and I accept the decisions of the Coach. I even don't mind playing on the left even though my best position is on the right. The older players here, like Ferrara and Del Piero, have really helped me settle. They have listened to me and really made me feel comfortable."
Zambrotta has adapted so well at Juventus that Roberto Baggio described him as the most interesting Italian prospect in Serie A. "It's too early to make any predictions," says the former Bari man. "But I think the championship can be won by six clubs, including Parma and the two Milan teams. Roma are a very polished side and Lazio are on another level above them."
But the key to Scudetto success lies in the attack. Ancelotti is hoping the duo of Inzaghi and Del Piero with Zidane providing the ammunition - remains the most prolific in Serie A. Del Piero missed virtually the entire 1998-99 season because of a knee injury, sustained against Udinese. How the Bianconeri struggled without their very 'boy wonder'. Quite simply, it was like a car missing its fifth gear. Del Piero has recovered from that cruciate ligament injury and, as he showed in the recent 3-1 trouncing of Milan in the Delle Alpi, he is returning to peak form.
And Carlo Ancelotti believes the main reason behind Juve's position among the leaders is because of their secret weapon Del Piero. "He will be our big new buy of the season," said Ancelotti, "as only now will he really start to show us what he can do. The year 2000 will be the year of Del Piero." When asked if Juventus were in the race to sign European Footballer of the Year Rivaldo, Ancelotti said: "Why would we need Rivaldo when we already have Zinedine Zidane in that position?" Del Piero himself echoed his manager's statements and said: "He's right, Zidane is simply the best in that position and we couldn't ask for anyone else," said Del Piero.
"As for me, my main objective of the season is to keep up a level
performance rating rather than the ups and downs you get after such a major injury." And the Juventus star has hinted he will stay in Turin for the rest of his career. "In the summer I signed a five-year contract with the club and I have every intention of abiding by it. I think players who stay at the same club throughout their career - like Franco Baresi still exist in football," says the 'fantasista'. "Baresi proved that committing to one club does not result in a loss of motivation. I've alwavs said that Juventus offer an ideal working environment."
Del Piero is excited by the emergence of this new Juventus under Ancelotti. "We definitely have the potential to win Lo Scudetto," he insists. "We need to keep up the good work but we've still got room for improvement too. The competition in Serie A this season is extremely fierce. That's why we must stay as determined as ever if we are to go all the way."
As for Inzaghi, last season he scored 27 goals in all competitions - not bad considering he was without his soul mate. In fact, only Parma's Hernan Crespo scored more goals than 'SuperPippo'. "At the very least I want to equal my 1999 total in 2000, but I would like the team to do better. I'm hoping Juventus win Lo Scudetto and that Italy wins the European Championships. I believe this team has all the qualities needed to win the championship. There are qualities we have which we didn't have last year - we are united and there is an excellent rapport with the Coach. Why can't we be optimistic?"
"The only times we have slipped up was in the second-half at Florence and Parma, our rivals coming back from 1-0 down to draw 1 - I. Now we can look forward to 2000 as one of the front-runners. On a positive note, we now have the belief that we are back to our best."
Apart from the 'Del Pippo' partnership, Ancelotti can call on the veteran Daniel Fonseca and the tall Kovacevic, a �12m buy from Real Sociedad and the club's most expensive acquisition in the summer. "Darko has great ability in the air and is also a team player with good ball control and alertness in the penalty area," explains Ancelotti. "He is not an alternative to Inzaghi or Del Piero but a Juventus player in his own right."
And what difference has Ancelotti made? "He is a strong character and prepares the team down to the final detail," replies Inzaghi. "No player is made to feel left out and whoever comes in feels part of the set-up."
French ace Zidane, who last year hinted he might quit the Delle Alpi because his wife was unhappy in Turin is also a lot more settled: "I love playing for Ancelotti's Juve. Marcello Lippi instilled in me the desire to win. Ancelotti has helped me rediscover that hunger. I think we're ready to make our mark on Serie A once again. In many ways, Ancelotti and I have in common the fact we both had a lot to prove at the start of the season."
"He did not enjoy the public's support at the time, some fans called him miale - Italian for pig - because of his portly appearance, and he was coming into a club which had been on a poor run of form. But Ancelotti has done fantastically well."
Moggi, too, is quick to praise the ex-Parma Coach. "He has put some spirit and hunger for success back into the squad. One example is what happened in Florence. Maybe last year we would have lost. But this year, despite the minor injuries which forced Zidane and Pessotto out of the game the others rolled up their sleeves and held on."
