Canna's call: Forza Napoli! Saturday 27 October, 2007
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Fabio Cannavaro is torn watching the San Paolo showdown tonight, but the former Juventus hero reveals he will be supporting Napoli.
“I’ll be watching on the sofa with my family in Madrid,” he told the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport.’ “My kids and wife will be there. It won’t be the atmosphere of the stands, but it won’t be religious silence either.”
Although Cannavaro won two titles with Juventus – later revoked in the Calciopoli scandal – his heart remains with hometown club Napoli, especially as younger brother Paolo is now their captain.
“Will there be pressure at the San Paolo? Against another opponent yes, as if Napoli start badly then after five minutes you can already hear the murmurs around the stadium and the players feel the tension.
“That is not the case when facing Juve. It is almost like a Cup Final and people want to win it so badly. The fans will know how to wait and even if there is a bad start, they’ll keep on loudly supporting the team.”
Many of the Juventus top stars have remained at the club from Cannavaro’s days and he is not shy of giving away their secrets.
“To mark David Trezeguet you need to be attentive, awake and concentrated for 100 minutes, not just 90,” warned the reigning World and European Player of the Year.
“You don’t see David and you don’t hear him. He seems to be out of gas, you think you’ve got him under control and he won’t manage more than the odd flick on, but the moment a cross comes in he’s clear and puts it in the back of the net while you’re still there wondering where the ball will come from.
“Ale Del Piero has always scored a lot of goals against Napoli, often fantastic ones, so we are used to facing him!
“He is another player where you cannot afford any distractions, if you leave him alone just once he’ll score two goals,” continued Cannavaro.
“To beat Juve you above all need a solid defensive performance. If they take the lead, you won’t be able to catch them, so to build a victory you need to start from the foundations, right from the back.”
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