Boss sees signs of progress

October 1st, 2000
Juventus Official Site

Carlo Ancelotti is starting to rediscover 'his' Juventus. And, judging by the look on his face when he met the press at a post-match conference at the San Paolo on Saturday night, he knows it.

"These three points are worth their weight in gold," he admitted. "But quite apart from the result, what is important is that the Juventus side I saw out there was regaining its confidence - and the crucial fighting spirit that has always characterised this club."

The situation had looked far less promising during the interval. "That is true," acknowledged the Juve boss. "We did show our limitations in the first half. But we dug deep and our recovery was really important. We can build our future on that."

As well as that infamous grit and determination, however, the result was also due to some shrewd tactical changes on the part of the manager. The substitution of Antonio Conte with Darko Kovacevic was a stroke of genius. "I don't want to take all the credit," insisted Ancelotti. "Although Kovacevic scored within minutes of coming on, while Del Piero netted an extraordinary goal."

But Ancelotti had a prompt reply for those arguing that the number 10 might be on the brink of a renaissance: "He has always worked well, whether he has been scoring or not," he said.

Darko Kovacevic, whose equaliser signalled the turning point for the Bianconeri, was less equivocal. "I went over to the bench to celebrate but there's nothing unusual about that," he told the assembled journalists. So how does he manage to score such crucial goals? Easy: "You just have to be in the right place at the right time and make good contact with the ball."

That isn't facetiousness, but modesty. Indeed, Kovacevic was eager to share the limelight as quickly as possible. "I am happy for Del Piero," he said. "So are all my team-mates and all the fans. He deserved it."

Del Piero himself wasn't celebrating, however. "This is a good result," he acknowledged. "But it doesn't necessarily mean that we have resolved all our problems." Indeed, a new one may have been acquired, since Zinedine Zidane emerged from the changing rooms with a muscle strain. The club's medical officer will assess the scale of the damage in due course.
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