Fabio Cannavaro backs Juventus for the Scudetto, but isn’t ruling out Inter or Napoli.
The former centre-back played for all three clubs, and gave his thoughts on this year’s tight Scudetto race.
“The Scudetto race? I was expecting something different since the summer,” Cannavaro told Corriere dello Sport.
“Do I like Napoli? Yes, very much, but don’t forget Inter. For me though, the favourite at the moment is still Juve.
Fabio Cannavaro backs Juventus for the Scudetto, but isn’t ruling out Inter or Napoli.
The former centre-back played for all three clubs, and gave his thoughts on this year’s tight Scudetto race.
“The Scudetto race? I was expecting something different since the summer,” Cannavaro told Corriere dello Sport.
“Do I like Napoli? Yes, very much, but don’t forget Inter. For me though, the favourite at the moment is still Juve.
“All I’m saying is, among all the teams that are making this an interesting and exciting League I see Juve as favourites.
“Inter, Napoli, Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina are confirming what we thought about them, but to be honest I didn’t expect this [negative] period from Roma.
“As for Inter, although a lot of people don't like the way they play, they’re first and that’s all that matters. There’s not much to say, they’re a very solid team, difficult to deal with and to beat.
“And the more time passes, the more difficult it will be. At San Paolo [against Napoli] Inter played very well and were unfortunate.
“[Stevan] Jovetic hitting the post and [Pepe] Reina’s great save from Miranda’s header can’t be ignored.
“Fiorentina are the surprise of the leading group, they were already playing well under [Vincenzo] Montella, but this year they’ve been brilliant.
“They’re beautiful, but I still think they’re lacking that nasty edge.
“Napoli? If Fiorentina are beautiful, Napoli are gorgeous. At the moment they’re the most beautiful team of all.
“[Coach Maurizio] Sarri was smart to figure out the right time to change the formation, the former one didn’t make sense. Among other things, it seems to recall when [Marcello] Lippi was there.
“As for Juve, the squad is more competitive, they have confidence and solidity. Juve are Juve. They’re a team that give the best of themselves when they’re under pressure.
“When I went to Turin, I understood that Juve aren’t a team to be hated, they’re a team to be copied. You arrive there, and you realise playing isn’t the important thing: winning is.
“Roma? I repeat, I didn’t expect this period. I didn’t expect them to be so defeatist, though they’ve had injury problems and the Champions League hasn’t helped them.
“However, they’re a team based too much on the counter-attack. They don’t have much creativity and that makes it more difficult.
“I see the Scudetto as a fight between three teams: Inter, Napoli and Juventus, with Juve the favourite because in the end the squad makes the difference.
“For the Champions League places though I wouldn’t rule out Milan, they’re quietly climbing the table.
“The January transfer window will be important. If Napoli can bring in three international-class players then they’ll make that final leap. With three competitions you need a big squad.”
Cannavaro was also asked to name his Coach of the year, and perhaps unsurprisingly went for Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri.
“I’d say Sarri, for all he’s done with Empoli and Napoli. Best of all, he succeeded with Napoli, because he’d already been working for many years at Empoli and had a consistent project.
“I also want to mention [Juventus Coach Max] Allegri, with the Scudetto and the Champions League final he could hardly not be mentioned.”