Delneri fires parting shot

Outgoing Juventus boss Luigi Del Neri has criticised supporters and the media for holding the Turin club to unrealistic expectations.

Juve twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw against Napoli on the final day of the Serie A season on Sunday, though the proud club still finished seventh and five points shy of securing a European berth.

That indignity was enough to spell the end of Del Neri’s short reign at the Stadio Olimpico, with the club already confirming that the manager will not return for the second and final year of his contract.

Speaking after the draw, Del Neri was critical of the perception that Juventus’ season was a failure, saying the media were unfair in their assessment of his squad.

“It was a very complicated season with problems that kept coming up, above all injuries, so this squad could do no more than it did,” Del Neri said.

“The coach pays the price, but we all gave our best. Here the project is to win, so there was no time to construct a squad at Juventus.”

“The difficult thing to deal with was a club and fans who wanted to win straight away, despite many changes. The two simply are not compatible.”

“The media went against the reality of the situation and proved very damaging for the team. We were not allowed the time to relax and concentrate.”

“Many of the Juventus players this season were having their first experience under such a strong spotlight. In my view, all of them can have a place in Turin next season.”

“If you want to build a team, then it takes time. Otherwise, if you want to immediately challenge Real Madrid or Bayern Munich then you have to buy fully-formed stars.”

Antonio Conte, who successfully led Siena to promotion for the 2011/12 Serie A season, is expected to be confirmed as Del Neri’s replacement sometime this week.