Alex: "It's a final"

May 4, 2001
Juventus Official Site

There’s no doubt, Sunday’s game against Roma isn’t just any game, it has a value that goes way beyond the prestige, as the Bianconeri know full well they are playing for a good part of their Scudetto hopes. Alex Del Piero is not mincing words: “Its a final, there’s only one acceptable result and we have to win it at all costs. A draw or a defeat would be the end, but I don’t even want to think about it. We need to concentrate only on the game, without looking too much to the other teams: the Scudetto question would be over only in the event of a result for the Giallorossi, otherwise everyone would be back in the game again, including Lazio”. What do we need to win? The Bianconero champion lists the ingredients: “Motivation is not lacking, but in the end the team can do more, put something more into it, perhaps even a dose of luck. Its not enough to be fired up, you need to be intelligent and sting when you have the chance”. Something that Juve, to their regret, have failed to do on a few occasions: “Our strengths and weaknesses? Among the former I’d put the fact that we create good play and many chances. Among the latter, the lack of substance in attack and some defensive errors. We have to put more viciousness into it to make the jump in quality. Lets not look backwards, we just need to correct the mistakes we have made on some occasions”.

Two powerful teams are coming face to face. Alex is convinced that there is not only one leader in each side, that it won’t just be a battle between he and Totti: “Like ourselves, they have many leaders on the field in different positions. This is the difference between today’s Roma and that of the past, a Roma that, as such, is now equal to Juve, Milan and Lazio. The fact that the fans look to me doesn’t bother me, rather its an extra stimulus to play my best in these last few games”. The eve of the match has been calm, without controversy or strong words on either side. Del Piero is not surprised: “Its a demonstration of how much we care about this match, and thoughts are only on what transpires on the field”. The same goes for the fans, who Alex doesn’t believe would abandon their team at the crucial moment: “Its true that this year there has been a strange atmosphere – admits Alex – because we started badly and then got back into it. I believe that the fans have the same desire to reach the final objective. The fact that all tickets were sold out in one day says it all...”
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