After taking command of Serie B, fallen giants Juventus are already setting their sights on winning the scudetto on their return from 'purgatory'.
Several of the stars who stayed in Turin after Juve was relegated for the club's role in the Calciopoli referee-rigging scandal have called for the squad to be reinforced and readied for a Serie A title challenge next season.
"We have to go up immediately and return to the summit of Italian soccer," said France striker David Trezeguet, who is expected to play against Cesena Friday after a month out with injury.
"As things are, the squad is not strong enough to be at the top of Serie A. We need to buy players".
Juventus are joint top of Serie B with Bologna. They have 28 points from 15 games, after overcoming the nine-point handicap that was also part of the club's Calciopoli punishment.
There is obviously a gulf between Juve and the rest of the second division and they are expected to cruise to promotion.
Coach Didier Deschamps - a Juve midfielder of the 1990s - has managed to blended the class of stars like Trezeguet, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon with the talent and enthusiasm of some promising youngsters.
But Juve's big names believe that, while this outfit is fine for the promotion campaign, it is not up to a title challenge.
"I have nothing against Serie B, but it is clearly inferior," Trezeguet said.
The implicit threat in the French international's words is that he will move elsewhere at the end of the season, if there are no big investments on the transfer market.
"I know the club has to think about balancing the books, but I want to be competitive," he said.
Trezeguet's words were echoed by Buffon.
"I want to know what the club's plans are for next year, then I'll decide whether to stay or go," said Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper.
Azzurri midfielder Mauro Camoranesi and French defender Jonathan Zebina have also hinted they'll move in the summer if the squad is not competitive.
Eight international players left scandal-ravaged Juventus last summer - Emerson, Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Lilian Thuram, Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan), Adrian Mutu, Manuele Blasi (Fiorentina) - as well as coach Fabio Capello.
But rather than thinking of potential replacements for those stars, Deschamps is focusing on the here and now.
"What interests me is winning promotion to Serie A without having to dispute the play-offs," said the former France star.
"Let's say that this is our year of purgatory and then we'll see what happens. But we shouldn't forget that we have not won the Serie B championship yet".
