8/8/2001

MILANELLO - At Trieste, in the forthcoming TIM tournament, Inzaghi will face his past, playing for the rossoneri against Juve for the first time. "It's true that I will face Juve, but the thing that pleases me more, is that this Milan has clearly shown itself to be improving. Playing against big teams like Inter and Juve is a pleasure, but also for us, an important test in which we hope to do well."

Pippo feels that the road that Milan have traced in these first three matches is the right one; "Terim always tells us that when we go onto the pitch, we have to be happy to play, that we have to enjoy ourselves. As far as I'm concerned, I feel flattered to be a part of this side. I also consider, like Terim, that when you work with enthusiasm, you work better, and I've got bags of enthusiasm. Therefore, I feel that all the signs are there for a good season".

Inzaghi also stated that "Despite the two defeats against Valencia and Besiktas, we showed some excellent signs in both matches, especially in the first halves.It's normal that in the second halves of those matches, the coach wanted to experiment, and try a few things. However, experimenting or not, the results are important, as the fans have high expectations and a victory helps us to work with greater serenity. We are hoping to be 100% fit for the Berlusconi cup, although the important thing is to be ready for the start of the season".

The triangular tournament will start witha derby match against Inter; Pippo's first. "Even though it will be diferent from a league clash, it will be an important match, in which I'll be pleased to meet up with my old friend Christian Vieri. Along with us, this Inter side is one of the real contenders for the Scudetto. I speak often with Christian, and he has told me that Inter are much stronger this year. It's good that Milan has two such strong sides".

According to the striker,"Inter have made some excellent signings this pre-season, including their new coach. He has shown his ability by taking Valencia to consecutive Champions league finals, and his Inter this year will be fearful. I just hope that Milan manage to finish above them!"

Finally, Inzaghi glanced at his old Juve, admitting that he is a bit suprised to not have been replaced in attack; "Looking at it, I thought that they would buy someone in to replace me, but then there is Trezeguet, who when he has been selected, has done very well. The same applies to Kovacevic. In any case,they are already a very strong side. As an opponent of Juve now, I hope that they are a bit weker this year; the loss of Zidane and others will have come as a blow to them. However, they have bought Buffon, Thuram and Nedved, who are the best players in their respective roles. They already had a strong defence last year, this time it will be even harder to score against them".

[ACMilan.com]