Ranieri: "A Lot Of Warmth Before Europe"

Now the friendly tests are really over. The exhibition in Villar Perosa ended the summer friendly schedule. From Monday morning, when the whole squad will fly to Bratislava to close the deal in the qualifier, things for Juventus will start to get serious.

Before facing Artmedia and Fiorentina in the space of five days, all the Bianconeri enjoyed a day basking in the love and warmth of their fans, as many as 5 thousand of whom travelled to the Val Chisone for the traditional in-house game. Which is just what everybody needed, according to Claudio Ranieri, interviewed after the match:

"We really must thank all these people for how they greeted us. Our fans are important and we'll definitely need their support this season. The team always give their all on the pitch, but I'm sure that all this warmth can give us at least three or four points more in the League. I'm happy about the younger players' performances again today;

They confirmed all the good stuff they showed in the European friendlies too. Pasquato? He showed that he's too superior to other players his same age, he'd waste a year if he stayed in the Youth Team, he needs to go and gain experience on loan; he has what it takes to become a top player".

Before leaving Villar Perosa, the Manager couldn't avoid talk about Tuesday's game: a game that will be prepared with a morning training session on Sunday, the last day before travelling over to Slovakia.

"We're going there to close the deal and qualify, knowing full well that we'll need to have the same determination we had in the first leg in Turin. We'll be facing a team who will really want to make a good impression in front of their own fans".

One man who can only be happy about the younger lads' excellent performances, and not only those employed by the first team today, is Massimiliano Maddaloni. Making his debut on the bench in Villar Perosa today, and disregarding the result (the last thing to consider in games such as this), the Youth Team Manager was impressed.

"I'm happy with how the lads played. Apart from the by now famous ones who have been working with Ranieri since the start of the pre-season, I liked Duravia, Giuseppe Giovinco, De Paola and Daud, but they all did their part. Seeing them play with the first team is very gratifying for me and the others who work in the Youth Academy, because at the end of the day, that really is our aim".

Juventus.com