From the papers

March 13, 2000
Juventus Official Site

The papers have plenty to talk about this morning following a pivotal weekend in the Serie A calendar, with the biggest news being Juventus’ extension of their League lead to six points. “Cheerio, Italy,” the Corriere dello Sport imagines the Bianconeri saying as the Scudetto favourites prove to be the only side capable of taking advantage of Lazio and Inter’s 2-2 draw on Saturday night.

Inside the Corriere, Filippo Inzaghi pays tribute to Alessandro Del Piero, who set up both goals. “He is a superbly gifted player,” Inzaghi tells the Rome-based daily. “We have been partnering each other now for three years, with only his injury putting space between us.” But the message coming from the Juve camp is still one of caution. “This was an important win,” concedes Inzaghi, “but there are still nine matches to go and every one of them will be like a final. We cannot let up for a second.” Ancelotti concurs: “We must be careful now to control our enthusiasm.”

The Gazzetta dello Sport, like the Corriere depicts Juventus as waving goodbye to the chasing pack, although it points out that this was by no means a brilliant performance by the Bianconeri, who failed to really threaten for the duration of the first half. The Gazzetta also picks up on Ancelotti’s caution and describes him as “scared of allowing himself to dream…” With characteristic modesty, the man himself admits, “This team is used to coping with situations of this kind, but I haven’t had as much practice.”

Tuttosport, naturally, goes one step further and announces that Juventus “are in paradise”. Both Del Piero and Inzaghi come in for praise, the first for his invention, the second for his unerring finishing. And just in case anyone has any doubts, Inzaghi confirms, “There were no signs in this performance of after-effects following our disappointing exit from the UEFA Cup last week. But we all knew that we were capable of picking up where we had left off.” Glad we cleared that up…
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