6 July 2008
Iaquinta: «We're stronger than ever»
«I read in the newspapers about me possibly leaving to for Rome or Naples and I have to say that annoyed me a little. Truth is I met the Club before leaving for my holidays in Calabria and they said they're happy with me and on my part I'm happy to stay here, because Juve have given me a lot and I can feel the fans' affection for me». Vincenzo Iaquinta strongly denies the rumours in the press that linked him to several transfer negotiations. Truth is that the striker will be one of the four strikers next season; Juventus were already excellent up front, and now they're even more competitive with Amauri's arrival: «We're playing three competitions and we needed another forward. Amauri's signing makes us even stronger up front and we were already the best in that department last season. I'll try and do everything I can to play as much as possible. I'm motivated; I want to show what I'm worth. Playing with three up front? We haven't spoken with the Manager about formations, but last year we played with three up front in both games against Roma and it went well».
Inevitably, talk then moved on to possible transfer market candidates for midfield: «For us forwards, it's always best to have a skilful midfielder, who can play the ball vertically. It must be said we already have one at Juventus: Tiago is that kind of player and I hope that if he stays he can show his worth. If Tiago played as I've always seen him play in training, we wouldn't need anyone else. He didn't play much last year, but he was coming from a foreign League, he had to adjust to ours. And then there's Zanetti, who can make some great long passes for the strikers, we saw it very well with Del Piero… I read a lot of midfielders' names; I hope we get a really strong player, so that we'll be competitive with any team. Xabi Alonso is a great player and I like Stankovic too, but reading what our fans think of him in the papers, it seems unlikely…».
Vincenzo is expected to have another season in the spotlight: last year he started off great, but towards the end a few injuries slowed him down, and cost him the call-up for the European Championships. One of his goals now is getting back into the National team: «I'm happy that Lippi's back, he's always called me up, he's always believed in me and made me part of the World Cup team. But I'm sorry for Donadoni, because he always had faith in me too ».
The last thought is for Pavel Nedved, who seems to be one of the most motivated players during these first pre-season training days: «Nedved is always motivated; his determination impressed me as soon as I met him last year. At 36 he still wants to push the rest of the team on in training... I don't think he'll hang up his boots next year, in fact I'll probably end up retiring before he does...»
from : Juventus.com