JUVENTUS F.C. - 2008-2009

Juventus bag their first victory of the season after a win over Udinese.
The Positives:
Amauri opens his account for the season
Poulsen is looking good in the midfield
Sissoko was again fantastic in the CDM role
Smart tactics by Ranieri to save DP, Trez & Legro for the CL game midweek

Negatives:
Mellberg looks shaky & his defensive error in the last few mins could have cost us the win.

awesome freekick by the little master!
horrah for delps!

Yes. An absolute gem of a free kick it was. Del Piero continues his superb form from the last season

Lordanger wrote:awesome freekick by the little master!
horrah for delps!

Juventus’ season is now more than five weeks old and, although the club
have had a strong unbeaten start both at home and abroad, one player’s
virtual non-attendance in all of this has nevertheless raised a few
eyebrows.

Of course I am talking about Sebastian Giovinco, the
latest rage to hit the Italian peninsula. For several months now the
media has been full of speculation and counter-speculation regarding
the future of the wonderfully-gifted fantasista. First off all there
was talk that the 21-year-old may join Palermo in the Amauri-exchange
deal, leading to a number of notable fan protests.

Secondly
there were, and still are, continuous reports about Arsenal tabling a
transfer bid, rumours fueled originally by Giovinco’s contract dispute
in which much-maligned sporting director Alessio Secco is refusing to
meet the youngster’s salary demands.

In recent weeks the press
have now added a further reason as to why Giovinco would consider a
move to North London – a lack of first team action at Juve.

This
season the Bianconeri have played six competitive games, three in Serie
A and three in the Champions League, including the two preliminary
games against Artmedia. The sum total of Giovinco’s participation? A
mere 18 minutes, all occurring as a substitute in the second leg
against Artmedia, at a time when Juve, leading 5-1 on aggregate, were
already in the next round.

Clearly this is not what was
expected, either by the player, or by fans, who regard Giovinco as the
long-term successor to their legendary hero Alessandro Del Piero.
Giovinco has delivered a few public murmurings in which he has stated
that he is ready to play, but all in all he has remained quiet despite
his lack of action.

However, how long must the ‘Atomic Ant’ wait
before he is given a chance? Coach Claudio Ranieri regards Giovinco,
this season anyway, as an attacking left midfielder. Thus, he is
directly fighting the veteran Pavel Nedved for a starting spot. Last
week the 36-year-old inexplicably played three full games in seven
days, while Giovinco did not register a single second. In fact he was
not even on the bench for the slightly fortuitous Champions League win
over Zenit St Petersburg in midweek.

As Juve won all three of
these matches, no one dares to question Claudio Ranieri’s judgment, but
among the numerous team selection errors that the Tinkerman made (which
I will probably debate at a later point) it surely would have made
sense for Nedved to at least sit out for Giovinco in the game against
whipping-boys Cagliari yesterday. To be fair, Nedved was one of Juve’s
better players, but if Giovinco is not afforded the opportunity to play
against a team destined for relegation, when will he get a chance? Away
in the hostile environment at Sampdoria this weekend perhaps?

One
possible reason why Juventus have refused until now to play Giovinco
could be down to his lack of rest during the summer. He participated in
the Toulon Tournament with the Italy Under-21s at the end of May, while
soon after he was off to the Olympics in Beijing. Perhaps, Ranieri is
looking ahead to later in the campaign and believes a month’s
inactivity now may benefit Giovinco in the long-term. This is certainly
a possibility, although it doesn’t explain why Olympic team-mates
Claudio Marchisio and Paolo De Ceglie have both been heavily involved
so far.

Another possible factor could be that Juve are trying to
protect Giovinco from the judgmental media. The so-called “wonderkid”
has been hyped up to Lionel Messi proportions this summer without even
starring for a big club yet, so a failure to live up to these
expectations at the beginning of the season could have led to question
marks which can affect a player psychologically.

What is
abundantly clear is that technical, flair-players like Giovinco need a
run in the team to find their rhythm and show their worth. Irregular
action, with a few substitute appearances here and there, and you will
not get the best out of the player. At such a crucial age, this could
harm Giovinco's development, which would be a tragedy given his talent.

Whatever
the reasons for Giovinco’s inactivity so far, the time for
rest/protection is over. Juventus host another modest side, Catania, in
Serie A on Wednesday night, and Giovinco must not only play, he must
start.

Agree if Juve make him go away then it will be a big loss.

I am sure that Ranieri will play him in the mid-week fixtures coming up. Nedved has now played 3 full 90 min games in the last 10 days so I think he should be rested. Ranieri has done a good job of utilizing the players gainfully till now.
All I hope is that Giovinco does not make too much fuss about not getting an opportunity because we know that it is just a matter of time.

Trez out for the year , $h!t.

Yeah...that's a blow. But DP, Iaquinta & our new hero Amauri should keep the ship afloat. And we have Giovinco who can play as a CF as well.

DS wrote:Trez out for the year , $h!t.

Player Ratings: Juventus 1–1 Catania

JUVENTUS

Manninger: 6.5- Did well deputizing for the injured Buffon and could not be faulted for the goal. The Austrian didn't have much to do in goal as he was ahrdly troubled.

De Ceglie: 6.5- The youngster is a better fit than Molinaro and has a bright career ahead of him. Looked confident and in control at the back and should see some serious playing time this season. He was always on hand to deal with the danger when called upon.

Chiellini: 6.0- The Italian international was as solid as a rock at the back until he whiffed on Ledesma’s cross that gifted Catania the equaliser. He should have been more alert but was caught napping and that cost Juve the game.

Legrottaglie: 6.0- Missed a good chance to be the hero tonight as he ballooned his shot over the bar with three minutes left in the match. A good performance overall and his challenges were timed to perfection.

Grygera: 6.5- He had a quiet evening and did his work with minimal fuss. He created the odd chance down the right and his crossing was good.

Marchionni: 5.0- Lost possession much too easily and his crosses were not up to par. Will not be happy with his performance tonight.

Marchisio: 6.0- Never really found his rhythm in the first half but came to life in the second 45 minutes and was eventually substituted.

Giovinco: 7.0- Set up the first goal with a cross from his left foot and made a pest of himself all night long. The Diminutive starlet could have opened up his scoring account but missed a good chance in the 62 minute.

Poulsen: 6.0- Had a solid evening in the midfield trenches and should have won it for his team but Bizarri made a wondrous save from point blank range

Amauri: 7.5- He did a great job out-jumping two defenders and heading the ball past Bizarri. He is really on his game right now and is in scintillating form.

Del Piero: 7.0- Had four prime opportunities from free kicks on the edge of the area but did not deliver the goods on this particular night. Should have added his name to the score-sheet but he hit the bar in the 69th minute and was robbed by Bizarri in the 71st.

SUBS: Salihamidzic (69”) 6.0, Tiago (83”) NA, Nedved (84”) NA

Player Ratings: Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus

Juventus

Manninger -6.0: The goalkeeper was a spectator for most of the game and he was hardly troubled thanks to some poor finishing by Samp. His catching from corners was a little shaky and he would punch which was a little risky.

Grygera -6.0: The right-back galloped forward to support attacks every time Juve went forward. His defending was also good and he looked comfortable making some timely challenges.

Mellberg -6.5: He was influential in helping keep the Blucerchiati at arms length making some great blocks from Cassano and Stankevicius. He was wide awake with everything and he got his side out of jail on numerous occasions. However, he spoilt his performance by getting booked.

Chiellini -6.5: Always bright, sharp and confident as his commanding presence was felt by both teams. Great passing too. His consistency and positional sense was second to none in a text book performance.

Molinaro -5.0: It's really hard to understand why Ranieri plays him. He was always panicking at the back and his poor judgement could have gifted the home side the easiest of goals as he headed back to Manninger without realising Cassano was there. Lucky and should have done better.

Camoranesi -6.5: Another excellent showing from the Italo-Argentine. His runs were clever and dangerous and his crossing and short passing was top draw stuff as he pulled the strings for his team.

Poulsen -5.5: Again, the Danish midfielder was often guilty of giving the ball away a little too much. His challenges and breaking up of the play was good but his passing at times was Sunday league at best.

Sissoko -6.5: For once, the big and strong middle man played well. His break-up play was brilliant and his tackles were firm and well timed. Showed his passing prowess too. He is slowly becoming Juve's unsung hero.

Nedved -5.5: The lack of youth in his legs is catching up with him as he lost the speed battle when running forward. His runs were good but his finishing not so as he struggled to trouble Mirante in goal.

Amauri -6.0: At times he was left isolated up front but his movement on and off the ball was of high standard. He was always a nuisance in the box and he ought to have done better when the chances arrived.

Del Piero -5.0: A poor showing by Del Piero overall. He showed the odd glimpse of magic but it wasn't enough to push his side towards grabbing points. His performance ended early has he was subbed by Ranieri with Iaquinta.

Subs: Iaquinta 5.0.

Frustrating match... They seemed flat and dull, the only person who worked his ass of was once again Camoranesi. Sissoko and Poulsen did their portion, nothing special. Nedved seemed ineffective. Del Piero should've had a goal in the first half, but the post denied us. We gave the ball away way too often, had no spark or creativity.

Playing Sissoko & Poulsen, two DMs, on the same pitch helps solidy the defences. But it puts so much pressure on Amauri, Del Piero & Camoranesi. All of the attack usually runs through one of the three, usually Camoranesi though.
Why Giovinco wasn't brought in is beyond me, he was the EXACT thing we needed - a fiery player which would open up the game, keep possession and send in dangerous balls.

Ranieri rather lose points then use 2 ava. substitutions. Was Ranieri so confident in our play that he thought we didnt need to use our subs? Especially considering we had a midweek match this past week and half a CL game midweek this week.

I definitely give credit to Sampdoria, they played well defensively, gave us little chances and even looked dangerous at times vs. us as well.

I'm disappointed with the result, and the way things have been going these past few games...

Yeah. Agree with you there. Giovinco should've come on & probably in place of DP. He seems to be dull in the last couple of games & gives away the ball easily. I think he needs some rest. I guess we are also going to miss Trezeguet badly. Our attack seems to be toothless at the moment. Also De Ceglie should've played in place of Molinaro unless Ranieri is protecting him for the CL game.

But the positives that I saw were how Mellberg is taking on the responsibility in the central defense. He has been very good and commanding in the last 2 games now & seems to be forming a good partnership with Cheillini. You remember how shaky he was in the first 2 games. Good to see this improvement.
And yes, Sissoko at his usual best again. But Poulsen was dissapointing yesterday.
Any idea when Zanetti is back from injury. We can use some of his passing abilities in central midfield, which is what we are lacking at the moment. All our advances are being channeled though the wings which is not enough.

3zycupid wrote:Frustrating match... They seemed flat and dull, the only person who worked his ass of was once again Camoranesi. Sissoko and Poulsen did their portion, nothing special. Nedved seemed ineffective. Del Piero should've had a goal in the first half, but the post denied us. We gave the ball away way too often, had no spark or creativity.

Playing Sissoko & Poulsen, two DMs, on the same pitch helps solidy the defences. But it puts so much pressure on Amauri, Del Piero & Camoranesi. All of the attack usually runs through one of the three, usually Camoranesi though.
Why Giovinco wasn't brought in is beyond me, he was the EXACT thing we needed - a fiery player which would open up the game, keep possession and send in dangerous balls.

Ranieri rather lose points then use 2 ava. substitutions. Was Ranieri so confident in our play that he thought we didnt need to use our subs? Especially considering we had a midweek match this past week and half a CL game midweek this week.

I definitely give credit to Sampdoria, they played well defensively, gave us little chances and even looked dangerous at times vs. us as well.

I'm disappointed with the result, and the way things have been going these past few games...

I am surprised Giovinco was dropped inspite of his brilliant performance in the previous game. Ranieri needs to start rotating Nedved, DP, Camoranesi and Giovinco. Without that, Juve are not making the best out of their squad.

IMO Giovinco is more than ready to take up the challenge.

I agree with for me Juve are lacking flair or creativity while all summer we wanted VDV but I think Giovinco is ready to make an impact.

DS wrote:I agree with for me Juve are lacking flair or creativity while all summer we wanted VDV but I think Giovinco is ready to make an impact.

You a bianconero? ai ai ai ai

I told you before of all the Italian teams I like Juve the best though I also like Inter , Roma and have no feelings for Milan so you can say that.

Hey Tarun, any news about Giovinco playing tomorrow?

I would be really surprised if he does not. Nedved would eventually start given Ranieri's position to rely on the old guard for the CL games. But Nedved has been playing full 90 minute games on the trot now so it would only be reasonable to give Giovinco a go for a reasonable part of the game tomorrow.

And believe me Forza he is a joy to watch. Silky skills & very talented.

Red n' Black wrote:Hey Tarun, any news about Giovinco playing tomorrow?

TarunDang wrote:
And believe me Forza he is a joy to watch. Silky skills & very talented.

Red n' Black wrote:Hey Tarun, any news about Giovinco playing tomorrow?

Yeah, I've seen him play with Empoli and the Azzurini, I think he's awesome. I ain't Forza though!

Apologies Red n' Black. It all happened under the influence of drinks

Red n' Black wrote:

TarunDang wrote:
And believe me Forza he is a joy to watch. Silky skills & very talented.

Red n' Black wrote:Hey Tarun, any news about Giovinco playing tomorrow?

Yeah, I've seen him play with Empoli and the Azzurini, I think he's awesome. I ain't Forza though!

Today's game was a mess from the minute I saw the starting lineup. How is a midfield of Marchisio-Sissoko-Poulsen supposed to conjure up any sort of possession and provide any sort of assistance or service to the attackers. I mean it just doesn't make sense and it's something that is apparent even to a high schooler.No wonder why we lost the battle in the midfield... there was no connection between the midfield and attack. Poulsen, Marchisio and Sissoko (for the time he was in the game) simply acted like a second layer of defense, a poor one by the way. This left Giovinco, Amauri and Del Piero with no service at all. Oftentimes I saw Giovinco and Del Piero way deep in our half to just get the ball. What a bonehead formation by Ranieri.

Makes you think how differently things might've been had we actually got signatures from players such as Van Der Vaart, Diego, Aquiliani, etc. I want Secco gone for the most part, I'm willing to give Ranieri til end of season or at least til before the winter transfer window starts.

I think Ranieri should take responsibility for this defeat. His fascination for 2 DMs is not helping us in any way even if the idea is to provide cover for our injury ravaged defense. And like I mentioned on another thread lately, its time he started experimenting a bit to tide over these times. I think Nedved & Camoranesi have enough quality & adaptability to be able to move to the central midfield for some time. At least he should try this out instead of accepting these horrible results. Even give Tiago another go.

DP needs rest for a week or two. Its evident in his performances lately. We are completely dependent on the wings to build our play & even an amateur opponent can figure that out & choke us there.

3zycupid wrote:Today's game was a mess from the minute I saw the starting lineup. How is a midfield of Marchisio-Sissoko-Poulsen supposed to conjure up any sort of possession and provide any sort of assistance or service to the attackers. I mean it just doesn't make sense and it's something that is apparent even to a high schooler.No wonder why we lost the battle in the midfield... there was no connection between the midfield and attack. Poulsen, Marchisio and Sissoko (for the time he was in the game) simply acted like a second layer of defense, a poor one by the way. This left Giovinco, Amauri and Del Piero with no service at all. Oftentimes I saw Giovinco and Del Piero way deep in our half to just get the ball. What a bonehead formation by Ranieri.

Makes you think how differently things might've been had we actually got signatures from players such as Van Der Vaart, Diego, Aquiliani, etc. I want Secco gone for the most part, I'm willing to give Ranieri til end of season or at least til before the winter transfer window starts.

People at Interlista who saw the game are laughing at the performance of Sissoko. Apparently it was even worse than his performance against BATE as he got sent off this time... I can't believe that tho, no footballer can play worse than what Sissoko did against BATE... addmittedly I didn't catch this game.

Great buy, Secco!

Are you judging a player by a game or two's performance? We all have seen & read extensively how impressive he has been otherwise.

He is better than Muntari though

bluenine wrote:People at Interlista who saw the game are laughing at the performance of Sissoko. Apparently it was even worse than his performance against BATE as he got sent off this time... I can't believe that tho, no footballer can play worse than what Sissoko did against BATE... addmittedly I didn't catch this game.

Great buy, Secco!

Sissoko better than Muntari? Yeah, right

It is the magnitude of these two performances which is truely shocking... against BATE, Juve would have played better with 10 men without Sissoko than what they did with him messing up each pass.

TarunDang wrote:Are you judging a player by a game or two's performance? We all have seen & read extensively how impressive he has been otherwise.

He is better than Muntari though

bluenine wrote:People at Interlista who saw the game are laughing at the performance of Sissoko. Apparently it was even worse than his performance against BATE as he got sent off this time... I can't believe that tho, no footballer can play worse than what Sissoko did against BATE... addmittedly I didn't catch this game.

Great buy, Secco!

Buffon - Out for 4 weeks
Camoranesi - Out for 3 weeks
Trezeguet - Out until January of '09 at the earliest.
Mellberg - Out for 2 weeks
Chiellini - Week to week
Legrottaglie - No information
Zanetti - Out for a month

It's a really bad patch for us at the moment. I for sure will not be blaming Ranieri alone for the recent run of results. We have a good break now for a few players to recuperate. I think Legro, Cheillini & possibly Mellberg would be back before the next game with Napoli.

3zycupid wrote:Buffon - Out for 4 weeks
Camoranesi - Out for 3 weeks
Trezeguet - Out until January of '09 at the earliest.
Mellberg - Out for 2 weeks
Chiellini - Week to week
Legrottaglie - No information
Zanetti - Out for a month

An undercover journalist has unmasked Juventus sporting director Alessio Secco to be an Inter spy, sent in by Massimo Moratti to deliberately sabotage the Bianconeri.

Please note that this story is satirical...

Secco is hugely unpopular among Juventus fans, following a long-line of catastrophic blunders in the transfer market. Tifosi have drawn up petitions, directed hate-mail, and even caused Secco to have a motorcycle accident, in an attempt to force the director to resign, but so far they have been unsuccessful.

In a quite sensational development, it has now been revealed that Secco is not quite as brainless and incompetent as his transfer work would suggest. He is in fact a spy for Italian champions Inter, sent by President Massimo Moratti to infiltrate and sabotage bitter rivals Juventus.

The truth was uncovered last night when Secco was tricked by an undercover journalist disguised as Moratti. Secco, who was in Milan shopping with his Bianconeri bonus money, received a phone call from ‘Moratti’ at 22:15 asking for them to meet at the headquarters of Telecom Italia.

Once there, ‘Moratti’ poked fun at Juventus’ latest poor result, a 2-1 home defeat to Palermo, sneering: “What a bunch of losers! They can’t even beat a team playing in pink.”

To this, Secco replied: “Yes boss, we are really destroying them, and the funniest thing is no one has the foggiest idea. They all think I am just stupid, they have no inkling that I am deliberately buying rubbish players.

“I have already got Boumsong, Tiago, Almiron, Poulsen and Knezevic. Tomorrow I will complete the signing of Titus Bramble, while next week I will begin negotiations for his brother Tesfaye, who has scored twice as many own goals as his younger sibling.

“In January I will sell Sebastian Giovinco to Arsenal, and will offer a five-year contract extension to Cristian Molinaro.

“To get the fans excited I will also spread rumours that I am negotiating to buy Rafael van der Vaart, Diego, and Xabi Alonso, only to then sign another rubbish defensive midfielder in the summer. I think I will go for Gilberto Silva next.”

The journalist later discovered during the meeting that Secco had been working for Inter for five years, and had been a spy at Juventus for the last three of these. Secco befriended former Bianconeri transfer guru Luciano Moggi, before stabbing him in the back and playing a part in his and Juve’s downfall during the Calciopoli crisis. It was also on Secco’s advice that the much-maligned Claudio Ranieri was appointed as the club’s coach in 2007.

The journalist has now revealed all to the press, but it seems that Secco will not face criminal proceedings, and indeed he has already been forgiven by the rest of the Juventus board.

Juve chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli told reporters this morning: “He made a mistake, and he knows it, but we here at Juventus firmly believe in giving people a second chance.

“We believe that Secco has the potential to be the best transfer guru in the world, so we stand by him at this tricky time, and are certain that he will prove to be a big asset to the club over the coming 10-20 years, helping us get lots of third and fourth place finishes, and maybe win a few Coppa Italias.”

When Ranieri was asked about this sensational story, he burst out laughing, and joked, “He should be the next James Bond.”

Secco was unavailable for comment, although it is rumoured that Inter are considering retiring the number 29 shirt in his honour due to the brave and heroic service he has offered the club over the past five years.

TarunDang wrote:I think Ranieri should take responsibility for this defeat. His fascination for 2 DMs is not helping us in any way even if the idea is to provide cover for our injury ravaged defense. And like I mentioned on another thread lately, its time he started experimenting a bit to tide over these times. I think Nedved & Camoranesi have enough quality & adaptability to be able to move to the central midfield for some time. At least he should try this out instead of accepting these horrible results. Even give Tiago another go.

DP needs rest for a week or two. Its evident in his performances lately. We are completely dependent on the wings to build our play & even an amateur opponent can figure that out & choke us there.

I think you nailed the problem there. Ranieri's biggest mistake these last few weeks has been that he is trying so hard to find the best XI, that he has forgotten to rotate key players. Players like DP and Nedved can no longer play 3 games in a week. Their performances in the last 30 minutes of the game has started telling - they don't have the legs in the curcial final minutes. Even young players need rotation, and players like DP, Nedved, Camoranesi, etc even more so.

Its not that difficult to rotate, coz Juve now have the squad to do that. You just have to look at how few games fit players like Iaquinta & Giovinco have been used in this season to realise the error. These players are quality, and need to be used almost in alternate games to rotate, not sit in the bench for supersub appreances and odd game starts.

I really admire the way Mancio managed this at Inter, rotating players so regularily that the team remained the same and played the same inspite of different players every week. Ranieri will need to start doing that.

You are lucky to have Lippi as the azzurri coach, coz he realised this problem and game DP a break from international commitments. Now Juve will start well after the international break, but if Ranieri does not rotate again, you will have the same problems in a few weeks.

TarunDang wrote:It's a really bad patch for us at the moment. I for sure will not be blaming Ranieri alone for the recent run of results. We have a good break now for a few players to recuperate. I think Legro, Cheillini & possibly Mellberg would be back before the next game with Napoli.

3zycupid wrote:Buffon - Out for 4 weeks
Camoranesi - Out for 3 weeks
Trezeguet - Out until January of '09 at the earliest.
Mellberg - Out for 2 weeks
Chiellini - Week to week
Legrottaglie - No information
Zanetti - Out for a month

Next 4 matches should be tough, especially with our injuries. We need those healthy to play their heart out and pull some good results. It's getting critical.