Veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon believes Juventus could be a ‘scary’ prospect in January when the season resumes. The Azzurri and Bianconeri legend spoke with RAI Radio 1 (via JuventusNews24) and offered his thoughts on his old club and the World Cup in Qatar which kicked off yesterday:
“It is strange because clearly the emotional involvement is usually very high, while in this case it wasn’t.
I didn’t understand whether this was due to Italy’s absence or whether it was the fault of the lack of media coverage due to the fact that it is being played in winter in the middle of the seasons.
The ceremony was beautiful. The match was a bit more disappointing, I expected more from Qatar. But I think if you think about their game, they were affected by the responsibility.
In my opinion they are stronger than what we saw yesterday. Not being used to playing certain events, with a full stadium, may have affected them.
Lose the EURO’s and qualify for the World Cup? It depends at what age. At 40 I probably would have preferred to win the European Championship because I wouldn’t have had another chance to win it.
If I was younger, participating in the World Cup is something you wouldn’t trade for anything.
Cameroon? I have always supported them as a second team, ever since the 1982 World Cup and then found this consecration in 1990 when it was the real surprise of the Italian World Cup.
There were several players who entered my heart, I know the entire 1990 squad by heart.
Iran? I think Iran’s presence is very fair because sport has to be meritocratic and they have deserved this opportunity on the pitch. If then this participation also becomes a way to send signals of collective humanity, it is welcome. Long live the courage of Iran’s players.
Juve? Juventus, in my opinion, when the season starts again, will be a team to watch because with their full squad, Juve can be scary.
Now talking about a comeback in the league seems to me out of place, because to give way two difficult things would have to happen.
The first is that Juve give consistency to the last results, the other is that Napoli jam up and seeing Spalletti’s team in the first four to five months they look like a perfect machine.
It is clear that the habit of being in these positions plays a fundamental role. But I think there is a joy in Spalletti’s head and in that of his players that I have not seen at other times.
Growth of Italian players? Two things have happened: the first is that they have given Italian goalkeepers the chance to play and make mistakes without being immediately sidelined.
The second is that some of them, like Vicario or Provedel, have also grown in age and have found the maturity that justifies the role they are playing in their respective teams and the media consideration.
Vicario is doing things out of the ordinary. Provedel is having a season of incredible linearity with a very high performance.
Then there is also Meret, who is having an exceptional season in Napoli together with the team, and now Carnesecchi is also back and should be taken into consideration because he has champion shots. The reservoir of Italian goalkeepers is important.
The Austria game? You can’t make a judgement based on the game against Austria. As we know, we have never excelled when playing friendly matches. The coach wanted to test us with a view to the future, so to give too negative a judgement would be completely misleading.”
