Juventus Frustration Boils Over Ahead Of Rosenborg Clash
LECCE, Italy, Sept 23 (AFP)
Juventus go into Tuesday's Champions League match with Norway's Rosenborg in Trondheim, having lost their 100 percent record this season and with signs they are losing momentum.
Juve, held 0-0 by Lecce in a dour Italian first division encounter on Saturday night, produced their least impressive performance of the campaign with several headaches for coach Marcello Lippi.
Against Rosenborg the Turin giants will have to do without Croatian defender Igor Tudor who picked up an injury against Lecce.
And Lippi, who led Juve to Champions League glory in the 1995-6 season in his first stint at the club, will be worried at the lack of opportunities created against Lecce.
The coach tried to look on the bright side, saying: "We had the better chances in the first half but Lecce did not give us much space: we could not use the flanks."
He took comfort from a good performance from midfielder Edgar Davids in the Dutchman's second comeback match after a four-month ban for alleged doping offences.
"Davids was better than last Tuesday (the 3-2 Champions League victory over Celtic of Scotland) but he must still improve," said Lippi, who will have to do without the dreadlocked Dutchman for the Rosenborg game because of the red card he earned against Celtic.
Saturday's match with Lecce seemed to show a discipline problem with Juve's Uruguayan defender Paolo Montero dismissed in injury time for sparking off a scuffle in an incident which also saw Lecce defender Alberto Savino expelled.
But Lippi will be grateful that referee Massimo De Santis did not see Davids and French striker David Trezeguet both throw punches in the melee that ensued after the Montero-Savino incident.
Tuesday's match in Trondheim will also leave Lippi with a dilemma up front. Against Lecce he omitted Alessandro Del Piero and went for Trezeguet and Chilean Marcelo Salas up front in a two-pronged attack.
But that failed to work and he may revert to a three-strong attack with Del Piero back against Rosenborg.
The Lecce draw was the first time Juve have failed to win in all competitions for this season but followed narrow victories over Chievoand Celtic that were both achieved through controversial late penalties.
The situation provides some cause for concern but Lippi will be hoping for a reaction on Tuesday.
