Didier unleashes Del Piero
Saturday 26 August, 2006
Juventus boss Didier Deschamps admits he could field Alessandro Del Piero from the start in Sunday’s Coppa Italia showdown with Napoli.
“We still have a few problems upfront, as Marcelo Zalayeta returned late from Uruguay and will be fined. David Trezeguet is dealing with injuries and Del Piero can’t play 90 minutes. I can’t say if he’ll start, but Alessandro will certainly feature,” explained the Coach.
'Alex’ proved decisive in the last round, coming off the bench to secure a hard-fought 2-1 win over Serie B outfit Cesena.
Now the Bianconeri face a far tougher prospect, as they’ll take on Napoli in front of an estimated 60,000 fans at the Stadio San Paolo for the Third Round.
“If he starts the match, then he’ll come off when he feels tired. If Del Piero is a substitute, then his quality will shine through when the tempo begins to flag. In any case, I think the important thing for this side is to have a great midfield, as that is where a team stems from.”
Del Piero hit the headlines this week when he continued to berate former Bianconeri boss Fabio Capello by confessing, “If he hadn’t left, then I would’ve gone abroad.” However, Deschamps refused to be drawn into the melee.
“Don’t you dare think I’m going to comment on these things. Aside from everything, I think that if you have someone like Del Piero in your team, you’d do well to play him. If he loses fitness levels over the year then that’s a different matter, but the important thing is to be clear.
“There are two fundamental rules a Coach must follow,” continued the ex-Monaco tactician. “He must never make promises to players or stay on the pitch with them. If you play alongside them, you lose something in terms of authority.”
Nicola Legrottaglie is also out of Sunday’s showdown, picking up a thigh problem that’ll keep him sidelined for a month, while new signing Jean-Alain Boumsong’s international transfer has not yet come through from Newcastle United.
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interesting stuff by the Monsiuer
Didnt know that Zala was going to fined though, looks like DD doesnt like il discipline.Good to see him stamping his authority early on though