Conte braced for tough Scudetto fight
Posted Thursday, August 01, 2013 by Foxsports.com
Juventus manager Anotio Conte is anticipating a tough fight for the Serie A title this season with six sides capable of challenging for top spot.
Juve will be gunning for their third straight Scudetto title this season after reinforcing their attack with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, but Conte is aware that his competitors have buffed up their squad over the summer as well.
"The values of clubs are changing and our rivals are all getting stronger. I think that it will be a very open Serie A campaign," Conte was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"AC Milan and Inter have a lot of tradition, Napoli have spent a lot of money and have signed a great coach, while Fiorentina have legitimate hopes as well. They do not only have Mario Gomez, but also have Giuseppe Rossi up front.
"Lazio have improved their squad again and Roma have done some great business with the sale of Marquinhos for that figure."
Italian football suffered a setback after the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, but Conte believes that Juve are at the forefront in putting Juve back among the elite football clubs.
"We are still catching up with the big European clubs, but we hope to reach them at some point," he said.
"We are already ahead of our own schedule. When I came here, the plan was to win the Scudetto within three years."
The former Juventus man also praised his new strike duo of Tevez and Llorente.
"Tevez is an extraordinary player. He's a real professional and a fantastic person. He works very hard for the team.
"Llorente is the ideal athlete. He has a perfect mentality and it's a joy to see him in action on the training pitch."
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