Zaccheroni hopes to be more than Juve stop-gap
Reuters - Friday 29 January 2010, 18:46
ROME - Alberto Zaccheroni wants to be more
than a stop-gap coach after being put in charge by Juventus
until the end of the season, he said on Friday.
Italian media say Zaccheroni has been appointed as a
'ferryman' to steady the ship while the club line up a long-term
replacement, with the favourite being Liverpool coach Rafa
Benitez.
"I accepted this job with great enthusiasm," the former AC
Milan, Lazio and Inter Milan boss told a news conference after
replacing the sacked Ciro Ferrara.
"I'm proud to be here. Being the coach of Juventus is the
best there is. I've signed a contract until June 30 but my aim
is to put the (club) managers in a difficult situation."
After dropping to sixth in Serie A, 16 points behind leaders
Inter, Zaccheroni said his "minimum goal" was to take the Turin
side back into the Champions League qualification zone.
They are five points behind third-placed AS Roma, who are in
the final automatic slot, and four behind Napoli in fourth, good
for a place in the preliminary rounds.
Zaccheroni said he was confident his new players were up to
the job.
GREAT DETERMINATION
"I'm starting out with great determination and I'll try to
transmit this to the lads," said Zaccheroni who has not worked
since an unsuccessful spell at Juve's city rivals Torino ended
three years ago.
"If the lads become convinced we can reach our goals we'll
go a long way. There's a lot of talent here. I'll ask the squad
to give me all this talent."
He said the club were right to "turn a (new) leaf" while
conceding Ferrara had been hampered by a long series of injuries
to important players such as David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi
and Vincenzo Iaquinta.
The poor form of Brazilians Diego and Felipe Melo, who
arrived in the close season in big-money deals, has also been a
factor and Zaccheroni has ideas on how to solve this.
"I'll try to intervene at the technical and tactical level
but at the moment the main issue is psychological," said
Zaccheroni who won the league with Milan in 1999.
"Diego and Felipe Melo's performances are linked to those of
the team. The problem is collective."
President Jean Claude Blanc said Ferrara would stay with
Juventus in a role yet to be decided.