Fan vs Fan: Inter - Juventus
Juve fan Dino Distefano and Inter supporter Martino Olmeda look at this Saturday's Derby d'Italia in Serie A...
GOAL: First of all, how do you feel about your side's season so far?
Dino Distefano (Juventus): I am disappointed because I was expecting more, considering all the pre-season hype. But it seems as if Ranieri has eaten his words when he said Juve would win the Scudetto. People cannot make promises they cannot keep.
Martino Olmeda (Inter): In Serie A we’ve been solid. In fact our style of play reminds me a little bit - and it’s not something I’m proud of - of the Juventus side that used to dominate Italian football a few years ago. In fact, our failure in the Champions League against Liverpool also reflects Juve’s falterings in Europe. Still, we’ve come along way from being the “losers” of Serie A that we used to be seen as, and if we win the Scudetto this year it will be a very satisfactory season.
GOAL: What were the goals at the start? How have they been revised, if at all?
DD: Juve’s goals were to get in the Champions League and to be a title contender. So far they have not done either. European qualification hangs in the balance. Who knows whether the Bianconeri will get into the competition.
MO: Personally I always felt re-winning the Scudetto was the priority, because Juventus were back and Milan weren’t penalised, so winning it this time would mean a lot more than last season. Of course, I hoped we could go further than the last 16 stage in Europe, but you can’t have everything. We are also still in the Coppa Italia, and it would be nice to get a revenge over Roma in the final after they thrashed us last season.
GOAL: How important is this game in that regard?
DD: Oh, it’s as important as every other game, surely. Playing against Inter will be no different to playing against the lesser teams in the league this season.
MO: I think winning this game would practically seal the Scudetto for us, especially base don the morale boost it would give us. There’s an intense rivalry between our two sets of fans, and the players know they will give us an immense satisfaction if they manage to get past Juve. It’s certainly one of the most important matches of this last part of the season.
GOAL: How do you rate your opponents' season?
DD: I think everyone knew at the start that they would win Serie A. So with that Inter’s season has been a failure. Out of the Champions League so early for such a quality side? They have not impressed.
MO: I think they have done as well as they could have been expected to do, considering the players they have and also that they are coming off a season in Serie B. Both Fiorentina and Milan have more impressive squads in my opinion, but Juve have five points over the Viola and nine over Milan. They are comfortably in third place and they’ve done better than I expected.
GOAL: Who do you think has the edge heading into this weekend's game and why?
DD: I think Juve have the edge. Inter are relaxing at the top and now is the time for Juve to get the ball rolling. They have to prove their worth and to show that they are not inferior to the Nerazzurri.
MO: Both teams aren’t quite in red-hot form, but I think we’ve got the edge because we are playing at home and the objective of the Scudetto is too important for us. At home we have very rarely fail to get three points (the only teams that didn’t lose at San Siro against us were Roma and Udinese, who both got 1-1 draws), and I thought we looked really good last week against Palermo. I wasn’t too impressed by Juve in their game against Empoli, while we nearly earned a victory away to Genoa, who are 8th I believe, with only a wonder goal by Marco Borriello denying us the victory five minutes before the end. Considering we were also down to ten men since the first half, we didn’t really do too badly.
GOAL: Tactically, where do you think the key to this game will lie?
DD: I think the key to winning is to maintain a balance throughout the 90 minutes and to save energy right until the death. Inter have a knack for conceding late goals, especially to good opposition and thus they need to be careful as Juve have a penchant for scoring late on. However the goalkeepers will make the difference.
MO: If we defend well, the job is half done because we always score at home. I found out the last time we failed to score in a home league game was back in May 2005, so keeping a clean sheet at home pretty much guarantees a victory for us. Fortunately Materazzi’s coming back from a suspension and he is always very important for us in defence.
GOAL: Which opposition player do you consider to be the greatest threat to your team in this clash?
MO: It’s a tie between Del Piero and Trezeguet. Both have a history of scoring easily against Inter. Particularly the Juve captain’s late free kick in our home game of the 2005/06 season, which cut us out of the Scudetto race definitively, still hurts.
DD: Javier Zanetti, the simple fact is that everything starts from him. He has the ability to turn it on and drag his side to glory. He’s an excellent all rounder who can defend as well as score. He will be the one to watch.
GOAL: Would you want him in your team?
DD: Not now, perhaps when Juve were at their best during the mid nineties, Javier would have been great back then.
MO: Neither player would be needed. Del Piero is aging but he will never leave Juve, while Trezeguet is a good striker but I dislike his lack of team spirit. Both Cruz and Crespo play in a similar position but I would not swap either of them for Trezeguet.
GOAL: What are your team’s strengths at the moment?
DD: To be honest I haven’t seen any, but they have that never say die attitude though and they will fight until the end.
MO: We aren’t at our best right now, but all our strikers seem to be fit so we have several options up front. Also I think our defending has been good, as we haven’t conceded two goals in a single league game since the match against Parma on 20 January.
GOAL: And weaknesses?
DD: Defensively they need to improve. Juve need a leader at the back, experience, they don’t have this in defence.
MO: Our strikers haven’t been that productive lately. Cruz hasn’t scored yet in 2008, except for the Coppa Italia (also against Juve), while Ibra hasn’t found the net except from the spot since the injury time goal against Parma.
GOAL: Who from your team should we keep a particular eye on here?
DD: Pavel Nedved, he always rises to the occasion and he can damage the other team if he is on the ball.
MO: Ibrahimovic hasn’t been brilliant lately, but against his former team he will be very motivated to do well. If he produces a great performance in this one, possibly with a few goals, he will make himself immortal with Inter fans. But also Cruz has an excellent goalscoring record against Juve, and if Mancini decides to play with him their defence will have to be on their toes all night.
GOAL: Who is your all time number one hate figure, or object of amusement, from their lot?
DD: It has to be Moratti. His comical ways of rambling his message across makes everyone enjoy the game in the spirit and values of sport. I don’t hate anyone though. Moratti is a joker.
MO: Certainly I was very disappointed when Fabio Cannavaro betrayed us in 2004 and left for Juve. Unsurprisingly, after a few mediocre seasons with us, he got back to his best in the black and white shirt. Other than him, Luciano Moggi is an obvious answer, and he was both a hate figure and an object of amusement. It was so obvious to everyone what kind of influence he had on referees, that when the revelations of Calciopoli came out no close follower of Italian football was surprised.
GOAL: What would you envy about them, if anything?
DD: Nothing. If they have success then they deserve it because of hard work. Lets forget about all the other factors.
MO: I think no one is envying Juventus these days. Their reputation has been deeply tarnished by what happened two years ago and it will take some time for them to be competitive, and more importantly, respected at high levels again.
GOAL: What was the best bit of business ever done between the two clubs?
DD: Selling Vieira and Ibrahimovic to them. It helped out both clubs, Juve got some money for old rope in Vieira and they got rid of someone who just couldn’t score in Turin in Ibra.
MO: Definitely buying Ibrahimovic in 2006 shortly after they were relegated. One of the most absurd claims made by Juve fans against us is that we plundered their team like vultures, buying Vieira as well, but the fact is both players wanted to avoid playing in Serie B and we paid good money to get them. We have nothing to feel ashamed or guilty about.
GOAL: What's your fondest memory of past clashes against them?
DD: I have many memories of past clashes, but perhaps the best one is when Del Piero scored a solo effort in 1998 which wrapped up the title for Juve. Inter will look back at that game as we pipped them to the title that season.
MO: The best I’ve seen Inter play against Juve was back in November 2003, when we beat them 3-1 in Turin. We hadn’t managed to win there in ten years or so, and broke that taboo with a superb display. Cruz scored twice and continued his impressive goalscoring record against them. Since joining us in 2003, the Argentinean has scored 7 goals against them in all competitions, and who knows if he can continue that streak on Saturday night.
GOAL: What do you think the score of this match will be, and how will it affect your week?
DD: I think Juve will lose this one. I am certainly of this. 2-0 Inter. We just do not have enough to go there and compete. Unless, of course, they have a man sent off.
MO: I’m really confident we can beat them. I’d like us to get a comfortable 2-0 victory. If that prediction turns out to be accurate, I will be absolutely ecstatic and it would be hard for anything to ruin my week, or at least my weekend, after that.
GOAL: Thank you both for your time!
GOAL.COM
It's ashame that there Juve fans out there who don't believe in them, I can't even considered them a fan.
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int: 
but are they gonna get some cash for getting interwied or what? (just asking)
