Conte is in charge, say Juve

Juventus have backed boss Antonio Conte after he left out Milos Krasic and Alessandro Del Piero from the side that beat Fiorentina.

Krasic was not even on the bench after a dip in form, while Alex was an unused substitute in the 2-1 victory.

“Krasic is not going through a good moment and his exclusion is therefore normal,” director general Beppe Marotta told Sky Sport Italia. “We’re not hiding anything.

“Alex is our captain and our leader, no matter whether he plays or not. We have the greatest respect for him, but the Coach’s decisions can not be questioned.

“When he decides to pick Del Piero we hope that he’ll be able to contribute to the cause.

“This season, which wasn’t the case last term, the Coach has a full squad to choose from and is therefore able to make the best decisions possible.”

Krasic is being linked with a January exit as a result of his faltering contribution, while the club continues to be paired with new players.

“January is still some distance away and we’re only looking at what players we have available to us, which meet our needs in terms of our objectives,” Marotta added.

“The League table speaks for itself, even if the standings are only interim right now.”

Juventus are currently top, but Udinese and Lazio will have the chance to leapfrog them later this evening.