Del Piero And Tiago, Once Again Protagonists Against Real

The last time, at the Santiago Bernabeu, one had left the field with a standing ovation from all the Madrid public, while the other saw himself earning the best match ratings. Alessandro Del Piero and Tiago have a particular feeling against Real and even in Seville they were amongst the best.

The captain once again left his mark with two perfect crosses for Cannavaro and Salihamidzic and once again he was accompanied off the field by the applause of those present:

"They are feelings which always make you happy and which you never get accustomed to. Today we did well, closing up well and being compact while giving the impression that we are more of a team then them. These victories are important and charge us up but they must be treated accordingly. We have not done anything yet but tonight we showed we can play at high levels against anyone".

Even Tiago is satisfied. The Portuguese hit his second post after the one against Nancy in Joeuf but most of all he confirmed himself as being a new signing compared to the past years.

"I am happy because we won playing well and because of the way things are going for me. With the change in scheme I feel better. Before I was sacrificed on the defence while now I am more free and I can express myself better participating more in the attacks and proposing play. Besides, a feel more faith in me".

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Cannavaro: "We Are More Of A Team Then Real"

For once, even Fabio Cannavaro can smile after a match between Juventus and Real Madrid and he can do so even more. The victory against his former mates is also thanks to his goal at the beginning of the match. The first goal by the defender after his return home is a beautiful present to the fans who welcomed him enthusiastically from the first day in Pinzolo.

"It is always nice to score. I did not celebrate only out of respect to my former team-mates. Today’s match was a challenging one, difficult as it always is against Real. The field of play did not help us but we managed to give a good performance and we’re happy to have reached the final. Juve more of a team? I think so. Real has always been like that, even when I was there. In difficult matches like this it counts on the individual moves of the single players".

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Ferrara: "These Victories Help The Winning Mentality To Grow"

Ciro Ferrara said so from the first day in Andalusia that Juventus wanted to win the Peace Cup and the results are proving him right. After having beaten Seville and Seongnam, his team also gave him the joy of a victory against Real.

Besides feeling happy with the access to the final, the coach is also pleased with another step forward made by the group:

"Such victories definitely help to create a winning mentality and we are working mostly for this. I am happy with the result and with th performance. Everybody was charged-up ever since this morning’s training session and I could not have asked the boys for more. Now we are in the final and we are already thinking of Sunday’s match".

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Juve Win The Battle Of The Titans

Ciro Ferrara’s team have lived up to the coach’s words fielding a great match and cruising to the final of the Peace Cup after beating the merengues featuring Cristiano Ronaldo.

The bianconeri had a fiery start immediately scoring the lead on the 4th minute. A free-kick by Del Piero is headed home by former-galactico Cannavaro with a helpless Dudek sent to the other side of the post. Four minutes later, it was Torres who cleared a dangerous cross destined to Amauri.

On the 9th minute the Brazilian goes close tos coring after receiving from Del Piero with the ball going inches or rather millmetres wide. Another absolute protagonist is Buffon who on the 16th minute saves greatly on a Guti shot.

Real try to react and on the 21st minute it is Raul who sees the ball go slightly high over the post. Juventus however continue to have the upper hand and on the 24th minute a defensive error by Real sees Amauri shooting at goal and Metzelder saving on the line with the ball destined for the net.

Amauri wins the ball again and dribbles even the goalkeeper but finds Pepe in opposition. On the half hour mark it is Chiellini who saves on Cristiano Ronaldo after a good run by the Portuguese ace.

Nine minutes later Chiellini fouls Raul in the area and the referee orders a penalty for the merengues. Cristiano Ronaldo scores from the eleven metres. The last chance of the half is for Real with Benzema left unguarded by the defence but the ball goes slightly high over the bar.

The second half sees Legrottaglie coming on for Cannavaro and also a substitution of the referee. Juventus continue wither agressive and brilliant approach to the game and exactly on the same minute another cross by Del Piero, this time finds Salihamidzic who heads behind Dudek into the net.

Two minutes before Giovinco shows great footwork to enter the area and cross towards Amauri who forces the keeper to a difficult save. One minute after the second Juve goal, Ronaldo enters the area and shoots but finds Buffon in great shape who saves. From the rebound the ball reaches Raul who shoots hitting the post. The best keeper in the world saves again 3 minutes later following a powerful free-kick by Metzelder.

On the 60th minute Giovinco makes way for Zanetti. Four minutes later Raul sends the ball very high over the bar in what seemed a dangerous opportunity and two minutes later it is Benzema who is not precise enough on the shot.

The 68th minute sees Del Piero being replaced by Iaquinta and four minutes later Marrone comes on for Felipe Melo. Juventus administer the match with great personality and go extremely close to scoring a thrid goal when a brilliant shot by Tiago hits the post in what seemed a sure goal.

On the 89th minute Camoranesi dances the samba with the ball as he goes past two defnders with a magnificent move worthy of Nureyev and shoots with Dudek saving with some difficulty. The dying minutes see Real in a desperate attempt to equalize and the galacticos go close twice.

First on the 90th minute with a Benzema header going high over the post and then on the on the 93rd with Buffon finding some difficulty to hold the ball after a cross from the right but blocking Cristiano Ronaldo from shooting at goal.

The match ends in a well deserved victory for Ciro Ferrara’s bianconeri who on Sunday will play against Aston Villa in the final of the Peace Cup.

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Chiellini’s Charge

"Playing against great champions is always nice, especially against those who play abroad, because you are curious to know how you measure up". Giorgio Chiellini is charged-up and ready for Real Madrid. For a fighter like him, the match against the phenomenal merengues is even more stimulating:

"Real is made up of great champions but it won’t be easy for them either to immediately find an identity and perhaps it will not be possible for all of them to play together. We must maintain our identity of a team that we are trying to improve".

Asked about the value of Kakà and Cristiano Ronaldo with the Brazilian being paid much less Giorgio is objective:

"I think the difference lies in the fact that it was necessary for Milan to sell the player whereas Manchester United would only give up Cristiano Ronaldo at an irrefutable price. Saying who is better whether it is Kakà, Ronaldo or Messi is impossible. Objectively Kakà is not less valuable then Ronaldo or Ibrahimovic. Diego? In recent years he improved a lot. He showed he is capable of great numbers and Juventus can be his launching pad in becoming like them".

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Ferrara: "Friendly Matches Do Not Exist"

The Peace Cup is about to enter its most exciting part: On Friday Juventus and Real Madrid will play for access to the final of the tournament and expectations are on the rise:

"We will try to win – began Ciro Ferrara during the eve’s press conference – It is of great satisfaction being able to play such great matches, even though it is not the Champions League. When there are such matches, during a preparatory period with many important novelties, there is great curiosity to know the real value of the teams. Even though it will not give definite judgments, indications on what must be improved and on the good done up to now can be drawn. We are here to try and win the tournament and if this must be by going past Real, then it is even better".

In such cases one cannot speak of friendly matches and this is true in the eyes of Ferrara: "To me there is no such match as a friendly match. This is the mentality we must have whether the opponent is Real Madrid, Vicenza or Cisco Roma. If you are Juventus and you are striving to become a strong team you must always play to win. In such matches you don’t even need to work on motivation. It is a match between great champions and therefore all want to show their value".

The match against Seongnam which opened the doors to the semi-final for Juventus, already gave useful indications especially withy regards to Diego’s talent and the personality of Felipe Melo:

"It was important for both of them to begin gaining confidence with their mates during the match. It is clear that some players are more fit then others. The intention is to have all in the best condition possible before the start of the championship and therefore it is clear that Diego and Felipe Melo will have to play for longer periods".

For Ferrara the match is a first as a coach but in his past as a player the precedents are quite a few: "I remember Real-Madrid- Napoli (2-0) on my debut in the Champions Cup, played in an empty stadium. At the time I was marking Butrageno...". Apparently El Buitre in the past few days was seen in the hotel were Juventus are staying: "He was here? I didn’t see him, but in reality I didn’t see him neither when he scored in the return match – joked Ferrara – Luckily now things are different and I don’t play anymore…".

With regards to the possible formation against Real, Ferrara did not reveal anything: "we do not want to give any advantages to our opponents. All details are important even in this sort of match. Sometimes it is important to manage the group well because it is only right that all the players feel as if they are protagonists and having the chance of competing for a place. Even other coaches with more experience then me behave in this manner so it isn’t wrong. I announce the formation to the team during the technical meeting before going to the stadium".

No indications are given with regards to the starting eleven but there isn’t much doubt about the scheme to be used: "We will not change our scheme. We will try to play in our manner, knowing that before us we will have a team that is made up of great ball jugglers. We have other characteristics but we are working to keep ball possession as high as possible, even though the Italian teams are used to move forward immediately and seek the goal. It is a sort of culture we carry with us".

"The fact of fielding more offensive elements is not always a guarantee of scoring more goals. You can even have a different type of formation and shoot at goal by means of the midfielders. It is enough to think of Rome who for many years only had Totti in front with midfielders capable of shooting at goal".

Real seems to be a perfect machine following the signings made but Juventus is no less competitive: "Perfect teams do not exist. There are very strong teams but it does not mean they win all their matches. Having spent a lot of money does not always correspond to definite results".

"We lived this at Juventus, when for many years, notwithstanding a careful management, we kept on winning. They invested very much but we feel we can make it. I will not give percentages but I know Juventus can win".

Ferrara wants an aggressive Juventus, capable of spectacular moves but also of concreteness. The coach is not inspired by any team in particular, even though he admits he admires Guardiola’s Barcelona very much:

"Last year they played great football, with all the men moving but I wouldn’t like being quotes as saying that I would like a Juventus similar to Barcelona. I do not want to cite past teams, otherwise one would have to think of too many formations that made history like Napoli or Sacchi’s Milan".

"Remaining in the present day, Barcelona has great quality but even Manchester is a great team. I want a Juuventus capable of maintaining its characteristics of a team that never says die. It will be hard to be as spectacular as Barca and so we will try to be more concrete".

During the press conference, Ferrara is flanked by Giorgio Chiellini and the coach is asked if he intends re-transferring the defender onto the flank:

"I believe that at the moment is one of the strongest central defenders in the world and therefore I do not think I’ll field him as fullback. It could be a solution in a case of emergency, but generally we will be trusting the left side in the hands of important players like Molinaro and De Ceglie without forgetting Brazzo, who can also play in that position".

Finally a thought about Caceres who could soon become a bianconero: "The medical tests went on well and therefore it is probable he will be part of this team. He will be another element to give us a hand. Ariaudo’s future? Well, he is willing to improve and with five central defenders he might find very little space. It could be useful being loaned out to gain experience but even staying could be important. I believe very much in him and we will decide together on what is best".

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Molinaro, 26 Years Of Running. Happy Birthday Cristian. Your wishes On JuventusMember

While awaiting the match against Real Madrid and trying to win the prestigious Peace Cup, Juventus have something to celebrate already. It is a particular event which does not pass unnoticed.

Today, Thursday 30th July 2009, is the 26th birthday of Cristian Molinaro. The defender from Campania has reached this age on the run, just like on the field. Having got back with the group after totally recovering from the problem which halted him last year, he now promises to have another year as protagonist.

The best wishes from Juventus and all the fans go to “Moli”.

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Ferrara: "Championship Mode Right From The Start"

"The fixtures handed us important matches at the beginning and at the end. It could be dangerous both for us and for our opponents. In any case, it is better to start with two great away games, so we can get into championship mode right from the start. All this without forgetting Chievo who, if I recall correctly, last year managed to play a little joke on us".

This is the way Ciro Ferrara commented the fixtures of the Serie A drawn this afternoon. The start for the bianconeri will be a fiery one: after the first match in Turin against Chievo, Juventus will be playing two away matches (with an international break in between) at the Rome Olimpico – the first against the giallorossi and the other against Lazio:

"In the first few days it will be impossible to see the teams ready – continued Ferrara - it will still be a sort of running-in. The two away matches in Rome are difficult and will see the teams still not one hundred percent there, but this applies to all".

For a great start there is also a great closing. After the match against Inter on the 15th match day, the last match will be against Milan, a match which perhaps would be better to play without having the necessity of winning the 3 points:

"In reality having a difficult match on the last day changes very little – concluded the Juventus coach – I think that consistency drives the team to winning the championship".

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