Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero believes it will take time for the Bianconeri to get back to their absolute best. Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Del Piero talked about the troubled season his former club have had, including the recent run of 12 matches with just 2 wins:
From afar, how do you see Allegri’s situation and the debate surrounding his figure?
“Far be it from me to get involved in these kinds of things. Yes, I see and read that there’s a lot of talk about Allegri and Juventus, but in my opinion, things are quite clear, then it depends on how you want to see the situation. You can say that both Allegri and Juventus have done everything they needed to do, or on the contrary, that more could have been done, or a mix of both. I don’t decide, nor have I ever been consulted in this regard.”
But surely, you must have formed an idea.
“Let’s say it’s certainly a particular moment for Juventus and has been for several years now. They’ve faced various challenges on and off the field; they need to sort things out one by one, and it’s a long journey. And it’s not easy because at Juventus, there’s never time; they have the eyes of the world on them, and everything gets amplified. This is not an easy time for anyone. There’s great pressure: it needs to be endured, managed, and ideally transformed into positive energy. Juventus managed it for several months; lately, not so much: in the league, there have been several setbacks. That said, I repeat, the deeper evaluations and any solutions to be taken, I leave to those in the industry and those who can and should truly decide. I remain an outsider.”
So, as an outsider, how do you see the Milan derby?
“I have a couple of Interista friends and a couple of Milanista friends, and it’s incredible how they’re experiencing it, but I always tell them: ‘Think about how it feels for us Juventini…’. It’s true that for Milan, it would be really tough to hand the Scudetto over to Inter in the derby, playing at home. But one thing has to be said: Inter thoroughly deserved the title because throughout the year, they proved to be the strongest team of all. And then the beauty of these challenges is that when everything seems settled, something strange always happens…”
In the Italian Champions League, out in the quarters, but we have three semifinalists between Europa and Conference League. How’s the glass?
“Full, all the way! Let’s not joke around. Next year we’ll have 5 teams in the Champions League; the Italian journey in Europe in the last two years has been incredible, and then what happened last season was the exception, not the rule. The glass remains half full even if we broaden the discussion to the economic aspect, to the efforts and investments we can make compared to other nations. Italy, in the last two years, with ideas, creativity, and the ability to reinvent itself, something we’re very good at, has managed to carve out an important role in Europe. Now, to return to what we were in the 2000s, the road is very, very long, but we are making important steps, despite not having decent stadiums and many other negative aspects of our football.”
Surprised by Daniele De Rossi?
“Yes and no. I was part of the coaching course with Daniele; he finished last year, and I’m finishing it now, and I’m not surprised by his attitude, his football knowledge, his way of presenting himself, his energy. The results surprise me a bit, but even there, if you look at Roma’s squad, it’s excellent. Let’s say yes and no because in Europe, it wasn’t easy to do so well. Because sometimes things don’t work out, without any particular reason. Sometimes you make the right choices but something doesn’t work. I think of Bayern Munich. I’m happy for Daniele because he’s an exceptional guy, and he deserves it.”
You mentioned Bayern, who will face Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal. Is Ancelotti the favorite?
“Yes, because when Madrid reaches the semifinal… But it will be a very open challenge. Let’s say 51-49 for Real.”
And Italy in the Euros?
“We’ve qualified, we’re going through a generational change, but we’ll go to Germany to defend the title with all our strength.”
We started with Madrid, let’s end here. How does the Del Piero family live in the Spanish capital?
“Very well. We came from Los Angeles and were looking for a comfortable and international place in Europe. We found it. Life is good, the food is good, we’re close to Italy, and you can fly anywhere in the world; the kids are happy. And they all play: Tobias moved from Getafe to Alcorcon, Sasha is still at Getafe, Dorotea is at Olimpia. In Spain, at the training level, football is at the highest level, both for males and females.”
