From the papers

January 17, 2000
Juventus Official Site

Juventus are now Serie A leaders, thanks to the win over Perugia yesterday. Historically, the team at the head of the table at the halfway point of the season has almost always gone on to win the Scudetto. As a result, this morning's Gazzetta dello Sport headlines its Serie A coverage with the words "Princess Juve". "Quite apart from the goals scored, the strength of this Juventus side is its ability to impose itself on any match, and against any opponents," observed the Gazzetta, before going on to note that "moments of pure class" from Zinedine Zidane help too.

Tuttosport is even less restrained this morning, and is already calling the Bianconeri "Champions". "A superb Zidane led the charge against Perugia," says the Turin-based daily, which also carries quotes from the man himself. "It's been a year since I've managed to express myself on the pitch at this level," the French superstar admitted. "But I have to admit that this side makes it easy for me to look good." Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, can still see room for improvement. "We are still lacking the killer punch," he mused. There's no pleasing some people.

There is more from the Juve boss in the Corriere dello Sport. "We had a good first half," he admitted. "We were fast and the moves we had rehearsed in training were coming off. Above all, we looked very strong physically. But I thought we went off the boil in the second half - in the same way that was to cost us dear against Parma."

Finally, the consensus seems to be that Alessandro Del Piero is also showing signs of recovering his best form. "It's strange to think that a year ago I was hobbling along on crutches. Nobody thought then that I would be back and doing my bit for this Juve side."
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