Deschamps eyes strong Juve Thursday 14 December, 2006
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Didier Deschamps says Juventus will do all they can to be as competitive as possible next season. “We all want to be protagonists in Serie A,” he noted.
Several Bianconeri stars, including David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi, have underlined this week that they would only remain if the club bring in some top players next summer.
“Their request had nothing strange about it and I agree with them,” said Deschamps on Thursday afternoon.
“We want to be protagonists in Serie A. It is obvious that we will need important players to do so, men who can make the difference and who have international experience.
“In any case, I want my men to focus on this season as there is plenty of time to think about next year.
“We must not take promotion for granted. There are still 27 matches until the end and we need to concentrate,” explained the Coach.
Leaders Juve, who will host Cesena on Friday at the Stadio Olimpico, are unbeaten so far even if the tactician knows that a defeat may be just around the corner.
“We have to hate the idea of being defeated and I have told my men that we must always play to win,” he stated.
“However, the chances of getting beaten sooner or later increase as every game goes by.
“We can be held to a draw by Napoli or Genoa, but the mentality must be a winning one. We are not forced to win anymore, but we must keep contact and remain at the top.
“I prefer being ahead and having to watch my back rather than being behind and having to chase,” concluded Deschamps.
Trezeguet and Cristiano Zanetti will both be available for Friday’s match, although the World Cup finalist is not expected to start and will probably replace captain Alex Del Piero at some stage during the tie.
Juventus (probable): Buffon; Birindelli, Kovac, Boumsong, Balzaretti; Paro, Zanetti, Camoranesi; Del Piero, Zalayeta, Bojinov
source: channel 4
