Serie A Tim - 21 Aug 2007 - 3:45 PM
Nedved: “We'll do well”
At the Berlusconi Trophy he was again one of the liveliest players, the biggest danger for AC Milan, with at least three or four close chances. Perhaps Pavel Nedved's legs are still a little stiff from summer training, but his determination and his desire to win are always at peak level.
Athletic condition. “I feel good, I've never done a preparation like this, but I liked it a lot and I believe the philosophy behind it is the right one: not running on long distances, but working on lactic acid instead. I agree with this idea. Now I await the results: the legs aren't ready yet, but we're doing pretty well physically and I hope that when we get in condition, it'll last for a long time”.
The Berlusconi Trophy. “We played an open game with them and we had plenty of chances. We lacked lucidity, especially me, I made a few too many mistakes, but at the back we didn't have that many problems. They took advantage of the only two chances we allowed, but on the whole I liked the way we played”.
The new Juve. “I was surprised, because we've been playing so well. Obviously we still have to improve, but we knew that. We tried to take on some big teams as equals, but they already have players that know each other well, whereas we need a little time, but we're a good team and our objectives haven't changed after the pre-season defeats. How much time do we need? Who knows. I'd be happy with one or two months, but maybe we'll need more than that. Nobody can know for sure, but for now I'd be content to see a determined Juve, making progress and never giving up”.
The youngsters and the new arrivals. “They've fit in well. When I came to Italy it took me six months to get to my team mates' level. I had to get used to a completely different type of football than the one I played in Prague. There's huge pressure here, on the pitch as well: they don't let you run with the ball in midfield, they make tactical fouls, there's less space, the game is quicker... There are a lot of problems to face, and our new players are doing it well, they only need time. Clearly Juve are expected to win all the time, but we mustn't be in a hurry, because we will get good results. The young players must concentrate on gaining the Manager’s and the Club's confidence, in any case it's up to us "seniors" to take responsibility, they mustn't worry”.
The aim is to have fun. “More than anything I want to have fun, playing the derby and the games against Internazionale and AC Milan: i.e. those big matches that both we and the fans sorely missed. Let's enjoy them now that we're back and I'm sure we'll do very well”.
Ranieri. “As a person, he reminds me of Eriksson, because he's a gentleman, and the way he's educating us all. But his football philosophy is different: he likes to go forward more, whereas Eriksson was more concerned with defending”
Three up front. “I liked that formation and I'm sorry we abandoned it so early on. I'd like to play with three strikers, because I like to put pressure on opponents. However the Manager prefers the 4-4-2 formation now and we respect that, also because it's the most tried and tested module. We do have the kind of players needed to play with three up front, the important thing to keep in mind is that everyone has to help each other when defending”.
Fierce competition. "It's not just us, there are at least another three or four teams that could get in the top four. It'll be a great tournament and we'll have to give our best from the start and for the whole year, then we'll turn around and see how many points we were able to get. We better not think about any specific objectives, the Scudetto or any particular placing. We just need to think about taking all three points each Sunday”.
Best wishes to Bojo. “I'm very sorry for Bojinov [forced to miss five months due to injury], I watched the match and he hurt himself immediately. I tried to call him and I'll try again. I'm really sorry for him”.
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