De Boer questions Juventus strength

Inter coach Frank de Boer has questioned whether Juventus have genuinely strengthened their squad ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, despite the arrival of a number of high-profile names.

The Serie A champions have secured the services of Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic and Dani Alves among others, but De Boer has stressed there is no guarantee the new signings will fit in and improve the team.

“Juventus are a great team and have an exceptional squad,” De Boer told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“They have brought in Higuain, but they have lost [Paul] Pogba at the same time. We will have to wait and see how they cope with these changes in midfield.

“I don’t think it’s a certainty that they are stronger than last season. Yes, they have a lot of big names, but we don’t know yet whether these big names fit in the team.”

Inter are looking to qualify for the Champions League again in 2016-17 having not played in the competition since 2011-12, but De Boer has warned he needs time to make the team his own.

“We’ll see my Inter after four months, that’s the norm,” De Boer added. “In January, you will have more of an idea about what we are trying to do as I have only just arrived.

“We also must be very careful at the moment not to be too intense in training as it can lead to many injuries.

“I remember [Jurgen] Klopp taking over at Liverpool last October and tried to immediately impose his high-pressing style which he used at Borussia Dortmund and it resulted in several injuries. Sometimes it is better to slow down.

“Getting into the Champions League [is our goal]. With good organisation and the right mindset, you can do just about anything in football. However, we know that Roma, Napoli, Lazio, Fiorentina and Milan are all good teams and must be respected.”