Del Piero has ‘great respect’ for Juventus chiefs in difficult situation

Alessandro Del Piero has ‘great respect’ for those currently working at Juventus, so is hesitant to pass judgment on their campaign. ‘I have a frank rapport with the Agnelli family.’

The club legend was speaking at the Festival della Serie A event at the Teatro Regio in Parma today.

He looked back over his career with the Bianconeri and beyond, including victory in the 2006 World Cup for Italy in a penalty shoot-out against France.

His bond with Juve will last forever and many fans are calling for him to make a return in a directorial role, but is that too much pressure?

“Affection and expectations towards me can never be a weight on my shoulders,” assured Del Piero.

“My thoughts about the Bianconeri are full of emotion. I have a frank rapport with the Agnelli family, the presence of the same family in charge of a club for so many years is practically unique in football, simply incredible.”

It has been a difficult few years, this season missing out on Champions League qualification to minnows Como.

“I have great respect for those who work at Juventus, so everyone has to play their part, and it’s not possible to accurately judge from the outside.

“It is a complicated moment for Juve, they need to turn the page. If I had to say two words to the players, they would only be ‘Forza Juve,’ but maybe more than that… You’ll never hear me dictate what needs to be done.

“I think we should look at the positives from this season, as Como had an incredible campaign, as did Roma, taking the Champions League places off Milan and Juventus. Everyone suffers blows in their careers, but defeats are just as important as victories, in football as in life.”

When asked if the lack of success might affect the fanbase, Del Piero reminds people he saw so much worse after demotion to Serie B in the Calciopoli scandal of 2006.

“We had more season ticket holders in the year when we were in Serie B compared to the term before, when we had nine World Cup Finalists in the squad.”