Ancelotti Reads Juve the Riot Act
Sunday 24th September 2000
Furious Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti called a crisis meeting of his squad
hours after their surprise Coppa Italia exit to Brescia on Sunday - and
warned his players that they could expect a hard week's work before the
start of Serie A season next weekend.
Speaking of his decision to remove the team from public view until Saturday,
Ancelotti said: "I took the decision with the club. We lost determination in
the match, so I decided for the "ritiro" (Italian expression which literally
means "withdrawal").
"I will explain to everyone how important the next matches will be and what
it means to wear the white and black shirt," he added.
Of the Brescia match, he said: "We didn't press the opposition enough and we
defended and attacked badly. I think also thought we worked hard physically
and that maybe damaged us - but I think that, in the end, we will see good
results.
"We are out from Coppa Italia but we are top of our Champions' League group,
so I have to be confident."
Dario Hubner scored twice as Roberto Baggio's new side came from behind to
defeat Juve 2-1. The pressure will now mount on Ancelotti, especially given
the fans' strong desire to see former Chelsea manager and Juve favourite
Gianluca Vialli return to the club.
