Juve Are Contenders, Warns Tudor
Tuesday 25th December 2001
Croatian defender Igor Tudor has insisted that Juventus are serious contenders for the Scudetto, despite their inconsistent form this season. We have struggled in a few games, but the atmosphere in the squad is good, and we are working very hard, he told onefootball.com.
We have a good run in the next few games, and this is when we have to prove that we can join the battle for the championship, he went on. And we also have ambitions in the Coppa Italia and the Champions' League.
Although primarily a defender, Tudor has been operating in midfield recently, something he insists he is happy to do. Coach Marcello Lippi really thinks I am better in midfield, the Croatian explained. If he wants me to play there again when I get over my injury, then that's OK.
Tudor has been one of the most impressive players in Italy this season, and Croatia national coach Mirko Jozic named him as the most important player in his side. He has been linked with a number of top European clubs, including Bayern Munich, and he admits that the pressure is beginning to get to him.
I must confess that I am the subject of a lot of media attention, he said. At the moment I'm giving two or three big interviews a week.
Everyday I'm in the newspapers; they talk about the way I'm playing, about the interest of big clubs, about giving me more money.
Some people say, 'Look at him, he thinks he's the greatest', but that's the last thing I want.
For all his ability, the 23-year-old is yet to win a major trophy in his career. Maybe I'm unlucky, he said. Who knows? But it's true that this is my seventh year as a professional with Hajduk Split and Juventus, and I keep on finishing second.
It's odd that since I arrived at Juve, they haven't won any trophies.
Tudor has returned to Split for Christmas, which he is spending with his family. These days are special for me, he said. For Christmas, I would like a new right ankle, and for the new year, just good health. I want to put my problems with injuries behind me.
