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Thursday 8 July, 2004
Nicola Legrottaglie is hopeful that he can finally deliver for Juventus after a difficult first season in Turin.
The Italian struggled to make a significant impact at the Delle Alpi but he’s eager to silence his many critics.
"I hope that this season turns out to be better than the last," said the defender. "However, there is a massive difference for me this summer.
"I’m in much better physical shape now. I seem to have got rid of the calf problem that hampered me for most of the last campaign."
Legrottaglie was snapped up from Chievo in a bid to strengthen the Old Lady’s defence, yet the £7m buy didn’t impress at all.
"I wanted to do more but it was an unfortunate season," he adds. "Now I want to illustrate my real worth to the club and the fans.
"I did make mistakes last term but I was the only one that was being blamed for Juve’s campaign. I now want to redeem myself."
Legrottaglie’s problems also saw him dropped from Italy’s Euro 2004 squad – a fact he found hard to digest.
"I was disappointed," he continued. "Did Marco Materazzi (Inter) deserve to go? In my opinion he shouldn’t have been there either.
"Trap should have left both of us at home and called up Marcello Castellini of Parma or Marco Di Loreto of Perugia based on last season’s performances."
Nicola Legrottaglie is hopeful that he can finally deliver for Juventus after a difficult first season in Turin.
The Italian struggled to make a significant impact at the Delle Alpi but he’s eager to silence his many critics.
"I hope that this season turns out to be better than the last," said the defender. "However, there is a massive difference for me this summer.
"I’m in much better physical shape now. I seem to have got rid of the calf problem that hampered me for most of the last campaign."
Legrottaglie was snapped up from Chievo in a bid to strengthen the Old Lady’s defence, yet the £7m buy didn’t impress at all.
"I wanted to do more but it was an unfortunate season," he adds. "Now I want to illustrate my real worth to the club and the fans.
"I did make mistakes last term but I was the only one that was being blamed for Juve’s campaign. I now want to redeem myself."
Legrottaglie’s problems also saw him dropped from Italy’s Euro 2004 squad – a fact he found hard to digest.
"I was disappointed," he continued. "Did Marco Materazzi (Inter) deserve to go? In my opinion he shouldn’t have been there either.
"Trap should have left both of us at home and called up Marcello Castellini of Parma or Marco Di Loreto of Perugia based on last season’s performances."
