07 May 2013
Juventus assistant manager Angelo Alessio says the Bianconeri will be vying to surpass Fabio Capello’s seasonal points tally of 91 when they line up against Atalanta in Bergamo tomorrow night.
Despite concluding this year's race for the Scudetto crown with Sunday afternoon’s 1-0 triumph over Palermo at Juventus Stadium, Alessio insists the team will not let up in their quest to continue making history.
Addressing the media at the club’s Juventus Center training complex, the 48-year-old said: "Our objective is to win all three of our remaining games and beat Capello’s record. We want to end this triumphant season in the best possible way.”
Conte’s trusty right-hand man was joined in the press room by first-team coach Massimo Carrera, who revealed the manager’s intention to rotate his starting line-up for the remaining fixtures of the 2012/13 campaign.
He said: “He will hand the opportunity to those who have played less but been extremely useful in our run to Scudetto success. We’ve got three games to go and know they won’t be easy. But we always play to win, just as we did on Sunday against Palermo.
“Achieving further targets would be important for a group that has done magnificent things over the past two years. They could go even further into the history books and deserve to do so.”
Both Alessio and Carrera have provided an invaluable contribution throughout a rollercoaster season and proved more than able deputies in the dugout when tasked with leading the team in Conte’s absence.
But the duo were quick to identify the manager’s rigorous behind-the-scenes preparations as the main reason behind the Bianconeri’s unrelenting momentum.
Alessio continued: “I was suspended for the first two months, so I was alongside Antonio and know how he and I both suffered over that period of time. He missed being on the bench and you could tell - he was like a caged lion.
“That’s why our preparations during the week were even more meticulous. We’d repeat certain concepts and tactical situations which enabled the team to play the next game by heart.
“The best moment for me was the first meeting with Napoli, an extremely difficult game, which we held in great importance and managed to win. Every time I’ve been on the bench, all the instructions and preparations have come from Antonio.
Carrera concluded: “When I was in the dugout, I aimed to bring everything we prepared during the week into the game. It was all planned out beforehand, even changes the other team could make had been considered – all I needed to do was lead the group.
“A great deal of the credit from that period goes to the players, who showed themselves to be men, taking responsibility and playing as if Antonio was there on the touchline.”
