Buffon: “We’ll keep our feet on the ground”
Buoyed by their win over Inter in this week’s first big encounter, Juventus are now ready to face their second significant test. From the San Siro in Milan to the San Paolo in Naples. The Bianconeri will go into the game looking to maintain their position at the summit of Serie A.
Long-serving goalkeeper Gigi Buffon spoke to Sky Sport this afternoon and provided his views on the current mood in the Juventus camp. The number one also sought to comment on the hopes of the national side and wished his friend Antonio Cassano a speedy recovery.
Buffon is fully aware of the word 'Scudetto’, having won four championship titles throughout his stint in Turin. However, for now, Juve’s number one believes it could provide an unnecessary distraction: “We’ve had a good start, without doubt. But we’ve also had promising starts over the last few years. Now we need to keep our feet firmly on the ground. After the game against Inter, it made me angry to hear that I had spoken about the Scudetto. I’ve got too much experience and I’d never make that mistake. We can take satisfaction as a group. Being competitive is different to saying that we must win the Scudetto, but it’s also different from finishing seventh again. For this reason, it seems daft to talk about Napoli-Juventus being a decisive encounter. It’s an important game that can give confidence to whoever wins, but let’s remember that it’s only the tenth match of the championship.”
A good start for Juventus, but also for Buffon, who has featured from the beginning after missing the first half of last season through injury: “It’s begun with other omens and intentions. I underwent pre-season training, I’ve never missed a workout, I instantly felt part of the group and this project, which I consider to be ambitious. Players of my calibre need to feel important beyond their performance on the pitch.”
The 33–year-old was in no doubt as to the team to beat in this season’s title race: “Milan are favourites, they already had something extra and they’ve strengthened even further in this year’s transfer market. I didn’t understand the critics who up until 20 days ago were saying that Allegri’s side were having problems due to their lack of players. This would be a problem for any team.”
Milan, however, will be unable to count on the services of Antonio Cassano over the next few months. The striker is due to undergo surgery tomorrow and Buffon wasted no time in wishing his international team-mate all the very best: “What’s happened to him is very upsetting, but it’s nice to know that he’ll be able to play again. I’ve spoken to him on the phone and he seemed in good spirits, I send him the best of luck, hoping that he’ll be able to get back to playing soon. Unfortunately Antonio’s problem and Giuseppe Rossi’s injury aren’t the best omens ahead of the European Championships, but we know that there’s still time for them to recover. It’s important that they make the most of this time, keeping themselves in good physical condition and resting themselves mentally, whilst maintaining the great desire to be there as key elements of the squad. I did exactly the same before World Cup 2006, when I was out for six months due to a shoulder injury.”
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