The game against the polemics
Del Piero suggests the best way to honour Juventus-Roma

February 24, 2000
Raisport

The best way to honour Juventus-Roma? Through the match, without a doubt. Word of Alex Del Piero, who kicks away the polemics.

"We, the players, must help to break the tensions with a high quality match. Without hypocrisies: it's normal that on the pitch there's the maximum of agonism, that one is mad if he's losing, and maybe on that moment he doesn't offer his hand to the opponent, the important is to shake hands in the end. For the referee, unfortunately, it will be hard like all the other matches, because now, nobody is to lose".

Del Piero reveals that on the Italian team the mood, between Roma and Juve players, has been very warm, one joke after another, "and this makes me hope for the best". Even if on the current moment, for a curious coincidence, the black-and-white attackers and the Roma ones are competing over the blue shirt.

Not even the Inzaghi case induced Del Piero to the smallest polemic. Instead, it's undone this way: "On the penalty taken by me against Sweden there were two versions, both correct. Pippo's one, who's been told by Zoff, before the match, to take the penalty. And mine, I have called Inzaghi to tell him that the coach had changed his mind putting me in charge of it. I'll say that, if against Roma there's a penalty, we'll have Zidane to take it, to avoid problems...".

Taking the penalty is more efficient than the serious intonation Del Piero uses to ask to close the episode with Inzaghi, "for not making a national affair that doesn't exist, since it happens to everybody, on football above all between players with personality, having small arguments , but the finish soon". On the football relationship with Pippo, Del Piero stresses out: "We've been a talked about duo from the beggining: the critics told we were incompatible, too fast, those who believed in us were not many but then we did fine".

For Del Piero, Juve-Roma won't be decisive for the scudetto, but with some important differences: "If we win, they're apart. But that's not so much the problem, as it is that today there are many squads in danger, not like the duels Juventus-Inter of two years ago or Milan-Lazio of last year". From Roma, Alex fears above all the presence, in all the roles, of players "capable of changing the match" and that's why the danger comes from all the places. "With the results - concludes Del Piero - Roma has showed they're ready for the great goal".
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