Juve Still Miss Zizou - Thuram
MILAN, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Juventus defender Lilian Thuram says the Turin side are still adjusting to life without Zinedine Zidane.
After making a bright start to the season, Juve, who face Norway's Rosenborg in the Champions League on Wednesday, have not won a game in the last month.
As well as draws away to Rosenborg and Porto in Europe, in Serie A Juve have drawn at Lecce, lost at home to AS Roma and on Sunday gave up a three-goal lead as they drew 3-3 with local rivals Torino.
But French international Thuram believes it will take time to get used to a new way of playing without his compatriot Zidane, who joined Real Madrid in July for a world record $66 million fee.
'The truth is that we haven't yet found our team game,' says Thuram.
'It is clear that when you change system and players you can't do it instantly with a wave of a magic wand.
'It would have been presumptuous of us to claim to have completely taken on board a new way of playing in just two months, after practically five years of playing a different way with Zizou (Zidane),' said Thuram.
What has confused many Juve fans is that their team began the season brightly with three straight wins, but Thuram believes too much was read into those wins over Venezia, Atalanta and Chievo.
'In the opening matches of the season, we gave the impression of having already come to terms with the changes, but really you need time.
'We should try to see these moments as a part of the teams growing process, in which at times we have demonstrated the ability to do well but in which we have also shown the need to find greater consistency,' said the Frenchman.
Most surprisingly, Juve's defence, the tightest in Italy in the past two seasons and strengthened by the arrival of Thuram and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the summer, has been opened up with remarkable ease, conceding five goals in their last two Serie A matches.
'Certainly five goals is a lot and for a defence like ours it is too much. We have try and change things,' admitted Thuram.
Juve have come in for fierce criticism in the media for the way they allowed Torino to fight back in the second half of Sunday's derby and Thuram says they are well aware of the mistakes they made.
'Neither I nor my teamates needed to read the newspapers to understand that we had played badly, because we already knew it. I believe it's right to admit we slipped up,' said Thuram.
Juve remain in contention for a place in the second phase and have been given a boost by the return of several key players for Wednesday's game.
Pavel Nedved's three-match suspension is over and the Czech midfielder will finally make his European debut for Juve on the left-side of midfield.
Dutchman Edgar Davids is also back from his one-match ban and so coach Marcello Lippi will at last be able to field his first choice midfield.
Uruguayan Paolo Montero is back to full fitness and will return to the Juve defence with Mark Iuliano the man likely to miss out.
