Del Peiro winner shows he has still ‘got it’.

Del piero’s winner against Lazio, signified both an incredible milestone for the Turin maestro, where the game against Lazio capped a staggering 700th appearance for the club, whilst his heroics nudges the club one point ahead of rivals Milan.  The deft free-kick cold be a life – saver for manager Antonio Conte, but such a performance will surely see his contract-extension finally drawn up.

The game was yet another test of the clubs scudetto credentials, with the recent record of five games unbeaten, dating back to the 5-0 victory over Florentina, supposedly making the Lazio matchup a walkover. Home-advantage gave the club a fresh impetus to replicate Milan’s 1-0 result against Chievo, the game was a turgid affair, with Simione Pepe giving the club the lead on 29 minutes, only to see this cancelled out by Stefan Mauri’s header before half time. The club enjoyed a total of 27 shots, but only to see them repeatedly wasted by a strike-force that has only mustered 10 goals this term. In fitting with the expectancy of the occasion, Del Perio settled matters on the 82 minute with yet another late moment of genius, as seen with his 70th minute heroics against Inter – Milan earlier last month. 

This was no doubt a pivotal moment in the clubs season, with five games remaining, the clubs number 10 may have played himself into series contention for a starting place in the eleven. The clubs upcoming fixtures include a total of four home games, with away fixtures against mediocre opposition in the form of Cesena and Cagliari sandwiched in-between. But the pick of the bunch will be the home game against Roma, as the club knows that any slip ups against the club chasing champion’s league qualification, could result in severe consequences.

But questions still remain over Del Piero’s immediate future, with clips of such stunning moments of class, the club would loath risking a cult hero for good.  The club has been openly seeking a big name striker, so it would be likely that the 37 year old would have to spend more time on the bench, the on-going reluctance from President Andrea Agnelli to give the player a new contract also seems to be unwavering. If this is a final swansong for the much loved Juventus star then, he will have the chance to complete the domestic double with a possible Coppa Italia medal up for grabs, along with a potentially stunning sixth Serie A title. Whatever happens to Del Peiro, his finest hours in a bianconeri's shirt may still be on the horizon. 

Comments

[Abdul Azim]

ADP deserves respect and recognition. This gentlemen has pulled the heroics single handedly over the years in a number of critical matches and the Juve board are planning on chucking him out like a piece of rubbish!