12 December 2007

Chiellini: “In Rome to win”

With Christmas getting nearer, Giorgio Chiellini already knows what present to ask for: a great 2007 finale for his Juventus. Before the winter break starts, the Bianconeri want to confirm the good things done in the first half of the season.

The defender spoke about all this at today's press conference, previewing the next two games, especially the one on Saturday night, against Lazio in Rome. “We have Lazio and Siena before Christmas and we want to win both games, even though we know it won't be easy. We've done well up until now and we want to consolidate our position in the League. We've got a long way to go in the tournament and we have to try and remain close, knowing full well that we have a team like Inter Milan in front of us, who have showed they're clearly head and shoulders above the rest, especially in the last few matches. In any case we're not giving up”.

The first match is in the capital against Lazio, who have just been eliminated from the Champions League. “I don't think Lazio will be demoralized or angry – Chiellini continued -, they did what they could against Real Madrid and I think the players themselves knew that winning there was going to be almost impossible. They'll be fired up and immediately wanting to fight to get to more ambitious positions in the League than the one they currently occupy. We have to fear Rocchi and Pandev most of all, as they've scored almost all Lazio’s goals, we'll have to be good to contain them”.

This is the last away game of the year: the last chance to get an away victory, after going so close recently. Chiellini confirms everybody's desire to win away from Turin again: “Apart from the derby which doesn't count, we've only won at Cagliari and we were even a bit lucky that day. We need to improve in that respect. We don't always seem to fully express our character and personality away from home, although it's true that our opponents are more motivated in front of their own crowd. That's why we're going to Rome with the intention of winning”.

Last of all, a comment on the defence: Juventus are getting better and better at the back and Chiellini and Legrottaglie in particular are truly shining - two players that ran the risk of leaving in the summer. Nicola was linked to a move to Turkey, and Giorgio also wasn't sure about his future for a short while, but quickly - and luckily! - he overcame those doubts. “I'm really happy I stayed, leaving would have been a big mistake. After what happened in July, I understood that sometimes you need to count to ten before speaking and I did wrong back then. Mistakes are useful learning tools”.