Juventus is in turmoil after being soundly beaten 3-0 by AC Milan, and coach Ciro Ferrara's hold on his job is becoming tenuous.
Fans lit seats on fire inside the Stadio Olimpico after Sunday's home loss, which was Juve's third defeat in its last four games.
"I understand everyone's disappointment, from the fans on down to the club," Ferrara said. "The goal now is to recreate the enthusiasm we had at the beginning of the season.
"I don't think my job is at risk. I'm very focused on what we need to do to turn things around and I'm not the type of person that runs away."
Since beating league-leader Inter Milan on Dec. 5, Juve's fortunes have tumbled with losses to Bari, Catania and Milan _ plus a 4-1 defeat to Bayern Munich that knocked the Turin power out of the Champions League.
Juventus is tied with Napoli for third in the Serie A and faces the southern club in the Italian Cup on Wednesday.
Ferrara did not attend a league-wide meeting Monday between coaches, captains and referees in Rome, and club sporting director Alessio Secco would not offer an explanation.
"Ferrara? No comment. This isn't the moment for words, it's time for facts," Secco said.
A deep cut and a broken bone in the left leg of midfielder Christian Poulsen has added to Juve's injury woes. Juventus said Monday the Denmark midfielder will be out for a month.
Striker David Trezeguet was ruled out for 40 days following an ankle injury last week, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and forward Vincenzo Iaquinta are both recovering from knee surgery and Mauro Camoranesi is out for a month with a thigh injury.
In addition, midfielder Mohamed Sissoko is away playing for Mali at the African Cup of Nations.
"They're dealing with several injuries but they're also going through a moment of psychological insecurity," said Italy coach and former Juve manager Marcello Lippi.
"I don't know the necessary measures that need to be taken but there are people within the club up to that task," added Lippi, who is said to be considering a management position with Juve after the World Cup.
Juve's next Serie A game is at Chievo Verona on Sunday.

No comments:
Post a Comment