Ranieri: I'm very satisfied
Sunday 10 May, 2009
Claudio Ranieri said he “welcomes constructive criticism, because I know I've done my work well” and is very happy with this San Siro point.
Juventus are still without a victory in 50 days and notched up a fifth draw in their last six Serie A matches when holding Milan 1-1.
“We reactivated ourselves. Unfortunately the break for international duty had seen us lose our way, but tonight we saw the Juventus side that was concentrated, united and knew what had to be done,” insisted the Coach.
“The distances on the field were the important thing, as recently we were too stretched out.”
Clarence Seedorf opened the scoring thanks to a lucky ricochet, but Vincenzo Iaquinta equalised three minutes later.
“I was not afraid, but naturally it was very annoying, as we had created three or four clear-cut chances and they took the lead with a half-chance. I was confident, though, as when we play like this then sooner or later we score a goal.”
Iaquinta was a surprise starter with Amauri, as Alessandro Del Piero only came on for the final minutes and David Trezeguet remained on the bench.
“I never put my strikers in any kind of pecking order. In the two years he has been here, Iaquinta has always struggled with niggling injuries. He is someone who can batter down defences and create real opportunities.
“At this moment I have to look at the physical condition above all else. Vincenzo can give depth and Amauri holds the ball, while both are tall and hard-working.
“I have always tried to choose who is in the best form. The captain and Amauri had a great first half of the season, they dipped form a bit and Iaquinta improved once he recovered from his injuries. I also await Trezeguet, who is a key player.”
Ranieri has been blasted by fans and media over the past few weeks and many expect him to leave Juventus at the end of the season.
“It depends on who is criticising me. A Coach is accustomed to being criticised and has to accept it.
“I know that I have done my work well. There is some genuine criticism that can help you improve and that needs to be listened to. I welcome constructive criticism.
“All I can do is push to get as many points as possible and fight to finish second, which we proved tonight.
“Good luck only arrives if you earn it and we equalised because we were so determined to get points here tonight and I'm very happy with this performance.”
Ranieri also brushed away reports of a huge row with Mauro Camoranesi in the locker room during the half-time break of last week's 2-2 draw with Lecce.
“What I always tell the lads is we can only talk on the field. It can happen to exchange some words in the locker room, but that was borne from the tension of wanting to recover during a game we were deservedly losing. That is all.”
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