Del Piero talks us through
it
August 21, 2000
Juventus Official Site
The Catania public chanted
his name loud and clear and Alessandro Del Piero responded in the way he
knows best - setting up one goal and scoring another. So don't anyone tell
him it was just a friendly. "The fact that we were playing a foreign opponent
in front of such a warm crowd meant that it felt like a proper game. I'm
glad we won - it was a good psychological test for us, and we proved we
were able to step things up when we needed to," explained Alex, who played
in a spot normally reserved for Zinedine Zidane.
In fact, Del Piero's adaptability
to the role won't have gone unnoticed by the new national coach, Giovanni
Trapattoni, who is sure to be looking for ways in which to play him and
Roma star Francesco Totti together. Del Piero, however, does not see it
as such a new departure: "It isn't such a new role for me, as I have sometimes
played there in the past for Juve, on those occasions when Zidane was unavailable.
It's all very well for people to say that I'm now going to be called up
as an attacking midfielder, but it's ultimately up to Trapattoni to choose
what he wants to do with me."
There is, of course, one
major problem with fielding Del Piero behind the front two: he loves scoring
goals. "For an attacking midfielder, it's considered a bonus, but for a
striker it's obligatory." Del Piero's delight at scoring in Catania was
obvious. In his own words, "I can't explain how I feel after scoring. In
this case it seemed like a bit of a dream. I was happy to get my name on
the scoresheet because I had worked very hard on the pitch, and also because
I haven't been in that situation too often in the last two years."
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