Tiago continues Juve battle

Unhappy Portuguese midfielder Tiago has continued to ponder on his lack of first-team football at Juventus. Claudio Ranieri is known to be unhappy with the ex-Chelsea and Lyon man, with rumours surfacing that a transfer could happen in January.

"If things carry on like this I'll leave in January," the 26-year-old raged. "I've spoken to Ranieri and told him that I'm not happy because this isn't what I came here for.



"So far my time with Juve has been a disappointment. I thought I'd be a first-choice player, but it has been the exact opposite and my time here hasn't been easy.

"Initially I admit that I felt tired, but I got back into shape by the time the season started and the boss has still preferred other players."

Last night, a clearly riled Alessio Secco, the Juve sports director, snapped: "At Juventus there are no groups of favoured players. The Coach makes the decision and we have the utmost respect for him," pointed out the director of sport.

"We have faith in Tiago and consider him an excellent player, but we did not like his comments and he disappointed us.

"Nobody has ever doubted the professional qualities of this lad, but he should think more about his efforts on the field and in training if he wants to catch Ranieri's attention. Only Ranieri decides who is worthy of a place after viewing the weekly work done within the squad."