Deschamps prefers the shadows Saturday 9 December, 2006
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Didier Deschamps is keeping his feet on the ground despite Juventus’ ascendance to the leadership of the Serie B table.
“As far as I am concerned, this first place is just a statistic. The important thing is to maintain this position at the end of the season.”
The 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona allowed them to leapfrog to the top spot, but Napoli could restore their place after the Monday evening game against Cesena.
Mauro Camoranesi scored with a header against the club where he started his Serie A career.
“I liked the second half much more than the first,” continued the Coach. “We worked hard on the feeling between the players this week, as the squad has been reshuffled a great deal.”
Pavel Nedved sat out the first of his five-match ban and the fans in the Stadio Olimpico in Turin made sure he wasn’t forgotten with several banners and chants in his honour.
“Nedved’s absence was a tough thing to get used to, but in his place Raffaele Palladino played a great game, confirming his excellent quality and grit.”
Alessandro Del Piero also returned as a substitute a month after his thigh injury and nearly created another goal for Juventus.
“It was a satisfying performance. I chose to introduce him when our opponents were starting to tire and his opening 20 minute spell was excellent, although inevitably he ran out of steam at the end due to the long time he spent on the sidelines.”