Del Piero loves Juve-style Azzurri
Football Italia
Alessandro Del Piero feels a surge of confidence in the Azzurri squad after beating Holland and says Marcello Lippi has brought them the Juve spirit.
“You can really see Lippi’s mark on this side,” said the Bianconeri captain who won every trophy under the Coach during their time together in Turin. “We are like Juventus – wherever we go, we play our style of football.”
The Azzurri ended Holland’s unbeaten run of 12 wins and three draws with a confident 3-1 victory in Amsterdam on Saturday evening.
Del Piero took the wide left point of a trident attack with Alberto Gilardino and Luca Toni – who both found the target – but the Bianconeri man knows he must step aside when Francesco Totti returns from injury.
“Before the game I was not troubled by the comparison with Totti,” he insisted after snapping at journalists in a Press Conference. “If anything, I was upset by the repetitive questions that were fielded at me. It’s all behind me now and what counts is the enthusiasm generated by this win in Amsterdam. With an Italy side like this, I don’t mind not scoring goals.”
He almost didn’t play at all in Amsterdam, as he suffered an ankle injury during the warm-up and revealed how he was left bruised and battered.
“The hardest tackle I received on the night was from Gennaro Gattuso! Even in a warm-up between teammates, that’s just the way he plays, and that’s what makes him such a great midfield battler.”
Del Piero could be benched for Wednesday’s friendly with the Ivory Coast, as Lippi has already confirmed he will rotate the squad. “I will be making a lot of changes,” noted the Coach.