Andrea Barzagli has told of his delight at winning his first Italian championship, but, ever the professional, is already looking ahead to Juve’s remaining two fixtures of the season. Fixtures that could round off the team’s magnificent campaign in style.
This weekend sees the Bianconeri aim to go the entire season unbeaten when they play host to Atalanta.
“It’s a great feeling to have won the championship,” the defender explained. “There are still two weeks to go until the end of the season, so we’ll remain focused, even though we’re enjoying the Scudetto victory. Sunday will be a parade for the fans. We want to put on a good show and remain unbeaten.”
The 31-year-old is no stranger to success, having won the league with Wolfsburg in Germany and formed part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup winning squad.
“I can’t compare the World Cup victory to anything else, but winning the Scudetto with Juve is certainly a strong feeling, much more so than it was with Wolfsburg.
“Very few people expected us to lift the title, but we wanted to return to the top and have worked towards this since the first day of pre-season.
“Juve shouldn’t be finishing where they did last season, so we immediately aimed high. Then, during the championship campaign, we began to increasingly believe that we could do it...”
Barzagli then reflected on the timing of the victory itself.
“I didn’t think we’d be celebrating in Trieste, but I was convinced that if we beat Cagliari, the Scudetto would have been ours. It would have been tough for Atalanta to play at our home, in front of our public...”
Now all that remains is for the Bianconeri to end their Serie A campaign on a high before aiming for a historic double in the Coppa Italia final.
“Anything can happen in a one-off game. You can’t put a foot wrong in such encounters. Napoli gave us difficulties at their place, while at home we put in a great performance.
“They’re a strong side and have played with the same formation for two or three years, practically with the same personnel - and they’re very strong up front. We’ll have to remain alert and prepare for the game in the right manner.”
Source: Juventus.com
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