Juve Were My Salvation, Admits Lippi
Tuesday 28th August 2001
With an opening day win under his belt, Marcello Lippi has admitted his debt of gratitude to Juventus for giving him a second chance as coach. After Inter fired me, I had a difficult time, but Juventus saved me, he said.
Lippi is in his second spell in charge at Juventus, after leading the club to three league titles and the European Cup between 1994 and 1999.
His first tenure ended under a cloud when he left prematurely in February 1999, after announcing he would be moving to Inter the following summer.
After a brief and unsuccessful reign at Inter, which saw him sacked after just one game of his second season in charge, he was delighted to be offered the chance to return to his spiritual coaching home this summer.
Juventus is the team that I want to train more than any other, said Lippi. I lived here and I won everything. I left in a bad way, but I don't have to prove myself.
Lippi's homecoming got off to the perfect start at the weekend when he saw his side win 4-0 at home to Venezia on the opening day of the Serie A season.
The 53-year-old is refusing to get carried away, however, having endured the whole gamut of emotions in a long and successful career.
I know football, I have played and I have coached, so I know that we have just won one match, said Lippi.
But I'm happy the way the team played and the way the players wanted to win.
The mental attitude is the most important thing in sport and in football, in particular, if both teams have roughly the same talent.
Lippi singled out forward Alessandro Del Piero, whose two goals matched fellow striker David Trezeguet, for special praise after the match.
With Zinedine Zidane having now departed to Real Madrid, the pressure on Del Piero to perform will be even more intense. His manager, for one, is confident the Italy international can thrive in a revamped Juve line-up.
I'm happy in particular about Del Piero, beamed Lippi. Now he is running a lot and well. I think, and I'm sure, he will come back as he was before his terrible injury.
Now I give my Del Piero to (Giovanni) Trapattoni and the national team, hoping he will come back in better shape.
And you don't have to ask Del Piero if he will play as Zidane did. For sure we will play games with three strikers, but this Juventus is so different than Juventus last season. It is also so different from the last one I trained.
Del Piero's goals took him past the 100-mark for Juventus and he was also praised by club owner Giovanni Agnelli after his performance.
The diminutive forward, meanwhile, is looking forward to the new season and the prospect of linking up with France international Trezeguet and new signing Marcelo Salas.
Goals relax any striker, said Del Piero. But I'm not relaxed because my target this year is to win all that I can.
I'm happy because of compliments received. It seems Avvocato (Agnelli) is looking at me. He is focused on me.
And Yeah, I'm ready to play with Salas and Trezeguet. It will be one of our solutions.
The Lippi-Del Piero axis has begun its new chapter in fine style, and with the likes of Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved settling in nicely at the Stadio Delle Alpi, Lippi seems well placed to repay Juve during his second coming.
