Conte hails 'special' Juve team

Posted Monday, December 10, 2012 by ESPNSTAR.com

Juventus manager Antonio Conte was full of praise for his players after he saw his side continue their good run of form with a 1-0 win over Palermo.

Conte made his long-awaited return to the dugout on Sunday following a four month ban for his alleged role in a match-fixing scandal and guided the Bianconeri to all three points over Palermo, with full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner scoring the only goal of the game.

The result, coupled with Inter Milan's 2-1 win over Napoli over the weekend, meant that Juventus have extended their lead at the top of the table to four points.

And there was no better way for the Bianconeri to welcome Conte back, who spoke of the 'pain' he had to endure helplessly sitting on the touchlines during match days all these months.

"When you miss the smell of the grass it's a bitter pill to swallow, even if you spend the entire week working with the team," Conte was quoted as saying by the official Juventus website.

"The emotions of a game are unique and they're things you miss, but the event I've come up against has been a formative process as far as I'm concerned.

"Obtaining the results that we have over the past few months means that I've got special players, a special squad and also suggests that, perhaps, I'm also special..."

Despite the win, Conte was unhappy that the Bianconeri were unable to convert their domination over Palermo into goals and outlined his expectations of a more clinical Juventus side in future games.

"We should have put the game to bed earlier," Conte reflected.

"Of course, if we had drawn, we would have stayed locked in the dressing room for two days.

"We should have been more cynical, because dropping points today would have been a crime."

Lichtsteiner however believes that his side's inability to score more goals was down to the hard work put in by Palermo, whilst also dedicating his match-winning goal to Conte.

"I'll take him and the entire team out for dinner, because we've won a complicated game, against a strong side, who don't deserve to be where they are in the league," Lichtsteiner said.

"We should have put the game to bed earlier, but sometimes it's not that straightforward against certain teams.

"It was important to win, also for Conte, in order to welcome him back with a success."

Juventus will take on Atalanta in their next Serie A fixture.