Juventus forward Carlos Tevez has revealed that the Serie A is the most difficult league he has ever played in, and says the Bianconeri will aim for Champions League glory next year.
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Tevez, 30, tops the Italian goalscoring charts with 15 league goals this season, with his latest strike in a 2-0 win over AC Milan on March 2 helping Antonio Conte's men to an 11-point lead in the title race.
Despite their advantage, Tevez admits that the tactical element of the league has taken some time to get used to, while their opponents are all eager to beat the table-toppers.
"I've played in many countries, but the toughest championship is the Italian one because a great deal of emphasis is played on tactics here," he told Juventus' official club channel.
"I was always aware of our potential both on and off the pitch. We're a strong team and know that when we play together, it’s difficult to get the better of us.
"You can tell Juventus is a big club because everyone views us as the team to beat."
Conte’s men started their Champions League campaign aiming to go further than last season’s quarterfinal showing, but Juve suffered European heartache in controversial fashion as they lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in a rescheduled final group game to miss out on the last-16 of the competition.
While Tevez suggests the weight of expectation was too much this season, he believes his side can go all the way with less pressure in the 2014-15 campaign.
"It's everybody's dream," La Gazzetta dello Sport reports him as saying. "Not only the fans dream of it, but we players also do.
"From next season, we will take to the field without any pressure of having to win the Champions League at all costs, otherwise it's going to be hard to win it."
Juve face Fiorentina twice in five days, with a Serie A tie on Sunday before a last-16 Europa League clash next Thursday, and Tevez insists they cannot rest up given that La Viola delivered Juve’s only league defeat this season in a 4-2 thriller.
"I'm in good shape and we're working to try and recover as soon as possible for Sunday's match against Fiorentina," he said. "I think it will be a decent game, because they're the only team to have beaten us in the league so far."
Tevez's goals and tireless displays have endeared him to the Old Lady's fans, who now see him as a worthy successor to Alessandro Del Piero -- and the significance of the No. 10 shirt is not lost on the striker.
"It's an important shirt for the fans and for me," he added. "When I pull it on, I'm delighted. Whenever I have the ball at my feet, I know that it's got to end up in the goal. I don't know how fast the ball will go, but I know it will end up there."