Ranieri pleased with the point
Sunday 15 February, 2009
Claudio Ranieri insists he “could not have asked for more” as unlucky Juventus were held 1-1 by Sampdoria.
“When you create so many chances and don’t score, you risk defeat and so we did well to get a point,” said the Coach.
“We managed to get something out of this and the lads played very well, so I could not have asked for more from them.”
Giampaolo Pazzini had opened the scoring against the run of play, cancelled out in the second half by Amauri’s diving header, but Juve also hit the woodwork four times.
“We must give credit where it’s due, but to be honest we did help them along with that goal. We will try to improve further. In games like this, you need to make adjustments.
“[Sebastian] Giovinco did well, but I had no other alternatives in attack. [David] Trezeguet could have given us something more, but I don’t like saying this or that player was missing. Giovinco did great things and I cannot criticise my squad.”
Vincenzo Iaquinta sat out a ban and Trezeguet was injured, so the Amauri-Alessandro Del Piero partnership was the only available solution.
This result means even if Milan win the derby tonight, Juve will still be six points adrift of leaders Inter.
“We always need to get full points and hope the others slow down,” continued Ranieri. “We must stay positive, as we’re going into the crucial weeks of the season and the Champions League resumes too.
“It was a long time since I’d seen my side create so many scoring opportunities, but there are times when it all goes your way and others in which it gets tough.
“The team could’ve given up, but they reacted and we may not 110 per cent but we are close to that, as we always manage to pin our opponents back in the second half.”
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