Diego holds little hope for World Cup

(GSM) – Juventus midfielder Diego has admitted that he doesn’t expect to be part of Brazil’s World Cup squad.

The former Werder Bremen playmaker has had a struggling first season in the Serie A and doesn’t seem to be in Dunga’s plans for South Africa.

When asked if Juventus’ poor season is to blame for his lack of opportunities on the international stage, Diego said: “All I can say is that I am prepared to play the World Cup.

“Even though I know that it will be hard to be there, I still have hopes. I played for two years under Carlos Alberto Parreira and also two and a half years for Dunga.

“He knows my value and my way to play. I am 100 per cent available if he decides he needs me.

“I have never had any problems with the national team manager. Quite a few of the players I played with at the Olympics for Brazil in 2008 are currently not involved in the squad: I can only assume it’s for footballing reasons.”

Diego then tried to explain Juve’s poor season.

“It was not just one single reason. Several factors came together, worst of all the injuries.

“We had almost 65 injuries during the season. Some weeks it was two or three players out, in others, even more.

“In addition, there were tactical changes, a managerial change and the obvious problems for new players to find their feet.

“Yes, it turned out to be difficult to follow a rhythm and we faced a lot of difficulties because of that,” he concluded.

Finally, Diego reflected personally on his first year in Serie A.

“I love my life in Italy and have really adapted well, I think. My Italian’s quite good, too. Football-wise there are big differences, however, with Germany.

“It really is a different game. In the Bundesliga, especially at Werder Bremen, I always used to play attacking football.

“In Italy, the teams you come up against are more compact and they’re focused on defence. You have to get used to that. That’s the main difference for me,” he concluded.