Ancelotti Defends Del Piero
Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti has spoken up for his under-fire striker
Alessandro Del Piero after Juventus honorary president Umberto Agnelli vowed
that the club should no longer treat him like a "mummy's boy".
Ancelotti assured the media that Del Piero would be in the Juventus side for
Friday's friendly against Bologna but also insisted that the highest paid star
in Serie A was not receiving special treatment.
"If Del Piero plays it's because he deserves to," Ancelotti declared. "There's
too much pressure on him. Let him be. Too many people are trying to judge him
when it's not the time.
"Del Piero will play the first half, maybe more, because he needs confidence,"
Ancelotti continued before admitting that he would also be experimenting with
his forward line in the second half.
"I will try Inzaghi and Trezeguet. They are similar, so I want to see them
together in a friendly match," he commented.
Del Piero has had a tortuous time of late, after carrying the can for Italy's
European Championship final defeat when he spurned two gilt-edged chances to
settle the match in the Azzurri's favour.
His Euro 2000 failure compounded a largely disappointing couple of years leading
back to the last World Cup.
At one stage Del Piero went over a year without scoring a goal in open play for
his club as he laboured to recapture the scintillating form he enjoyed before
serious injury ruled him out of most of the 1998-99 season.
As he embarks on his quest to regain the respect of his many doubters he will be
heartened to know that Ancelotti is right behind him.
