MY ACCOUNT
Former Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro says the Bianconeri can still win the Scudetto this season, insisting Massimiliano Allegri’s men have a chance in a “four-man race” for the title.
Cannavaro noted the slip-ups of Juventus’ rivals as a reason for his belief in his former club’s chances, claiming “it seems that nobody wants to win” Serie A.
The legendary centre-back also demanded far-reaching changes across Italian football in response to the Azzurri’s recent failure to reach this year’s Qatar World Cup, but would not be drawn on talk he could replace Roberto Mancini as the national team’s coach.
Juventus are six points behind leaders Milan with six games remaining, and narrowed the gap on their rivals over the weekend, beating Cagliari 2-1 before Milan drew 0-0 with Torino and Napoli lost 3-2 to Fiorentina.
Juventus have now won three consecutive away league games for the first time this season, and the 48-year-old, who left the club for Real Madrid after captaining Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, believes Allegri’s men remain in the hunt.
“It seems that nobody wants to win it,” the 2006 Ballon D’or winner said at an event in Tuscany. “The feeling is that when there is the chance to make a difference, something always happens.
“The championship is always open, anything can happen. Seeing the results of those ahead [of Juventus], it’s a four-man race.
“We know Juventus, they never give up, it is certainly a championship that can give us surprises.
“It’s a strange championship, when you have the chance to knock the others off [the top], nobody does. It’s a championship that anyone can win, all four of them. If the results are [to continue like] these, it will be an interesting ending “.
If Juventus were to win the title, it would represent their 10th Scudetto in 11 years, and their sixth under the tutelage of Allegri.
Cannavaro was also asked about his country’s second consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup after Italy suffered a shock play-off defeat to North Macedonia last month.
“It hurts,” he said of the failure to reach Qatar. “After 2006, we are no longer able to [have our] say at the World Cup, which has always seen us as protagonists.
“Beyond this, this resignation to the fact that it has to be like this saddens me. It is a shame, there are generations [of Italians] that have not seen a final phase [of a World Cup].
“We need to change quickly. I don’t have the cure, I don’t have the recipe, it’s not up to me.
“It [the Italian Football Federation] is an organisation that doesn’t work. Before, the [Italian] teams went to Europe and commanded, we went to Champions League finals, now we haven’t reached it for years.
“It [talk of Cannavaro succeeding Mancini] is normal. You can’t focus on one man, but on a system that has failed for too many years. I haven’t heard from anyone.”
