Del Neri: My Juve mission

Del Neri: My Juve mission
(PA) Tuesday 18 May 2010
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Luigi Del Neri firmly believes he can help Juventus rediscover their winning mentality. Del Neri left Sampdoria yesterday having guided the Genoa club to a fourth-place finish in Serie A.

The 59-year-old is expected to be unveiled as the new manager of Juve in the next 24 hours following the departure of Alberto Zaccheroni. In an interview with Turin-based sports newspaper, Tuttosport, Del Neri said: "Juve represents a starting point not an arrival one.

"In a club like this one, you are forced to achieve great aims. I will have to be demanding with the players, with the club and with myself. It's always a club that makes a coach great, not the contrary. If they have acquired me it's because they know me. In football, you win not because of a formation but thanks to organisation, winning mentality and quality."

This will be Del Neri's biggest career challenge. Despite spells at Roma and Porto, he is most famous for his successful stint at Chievo. He took Chievo from Serie B into the top flight for the first time in their history and established them in the top half of Serie A.
In a club like this one, you are forced to achieve great aims. I will have to be demanding with the players, with the club and with myself.
Luigi Del Neri

The Italian tactician guided Atalanta to defend their top-flight status for two consecutive seasons before joining Samp last summer. He added: "It's very difficult to join a team that has won everything in its history. But here we have to reconstruct a winning mentality."

For the second year in a row Juve, who are the Serie A club that has won the most league titles (27), finished the season empty-handed. Under Zaccheroni, who replaced the sacked Ciro Ferrara earlier this year, the Turin giants have endured a dismal run.

I Bianconeri lost four of their last seven games to finish a disappointing seventh in the standings and miss out on Europe's elite club competition. Juve will have to go through the qualifying round for the Europa League.

"There are years that are like this one, who knows why," said Del Neri. "There's no doubt that the team knows how to play but I think it's necessary to work on the approach."

When asked if Gianluigi Buffon will remain, with the goalkeeper a reported target of several English Premier League clubs, Del Neri said: "I hope so, I will talk to him. Gigi is the goalkeeper of the national team, to replace him would not be easy.

"He is someone that gives a lot on the pitch and in the changing room he brings ambition, hunger for victories. Buffon and (captain Alessandro) Del Piero represent so much also from an image standpoint."