ADD A BARZOOKA

Finally, a much-needed addition. Andrea Barzagli, the 2006 World Cup winner with the Azzuri has joined the ranks of Chiellini et al. His versatility, rather than his personal exploits as CB has won me over. He provides a genuine back-up to the Chiel-Bonu partnership, a role Legrotagglie has failed to take up. Also, he can be used on the right side of defence, where Motta has ridiculously failed to deliver, and usurped by the 18yr old Dane. While Juve have maintained their taste for Italian players, more has to be done to make the Old Lady a force to reckon with. Instead of wasting more funds on average players, Juve should start focussing on the next season with players like Pazzini, looking very likely to join Inter. Anyway, this discussion is postponed to another day.
But truly, Andrea is a valid reinforcement.
FORZA JUVE.

HANDSOME POINTS!!

The Old Lady is doing better now. Two games against teams with dangerous wingers and creative attackers, the Bianconeri stood firm.

First against City, Juve were thought to be in for a battering down the flanks, with Adam Johnson the tormentor in-chief. Though he scored, Juventus were the ones with the best opportunity for a late winner through the ever-green ADP. Mannninger was very good, and so were our defensive pairing.

Then in the Derby, it was a certain Eto’o and one Sneijder who were supposed to destroy us. Placing Marchisio on the left flank to foil Maicon’s movements worked wonders and prevented the exploitation of De Ceglie and Motta. And even though we missed his grit in the middle, a certain born-again Melo alongside the more creative Aquillani kept things ticking alright. The flying Serb was sensational in both games and got a few shots on target.
In the end, two games that could have ended up in us conceding so many goals ended up earning us two crucial points and respect. They were a pair of handsome points!!

BLOND BOMBSHELL

(Krasic13, 34, 71, Bonucci 57)JUVE 4-2 CAGLIARI(Matri 20, 81)

Del Neri was right. We are Krasic-dependant. Can you imagine what it would have been like had we lost another 2 points, even worse still 3? The Old Lady, since the beginning of the season is showing that she can indeed score goals. Unfortunately, the only problem was at the back. However, if we can always outscore our opponents, we definitely have a chance of winning. Again, poor display by our full-backs allowed Lazarri enough space to exploit a poor Bonucci at the back for Matri to score twice. But a fantastic hat-trick from Milos ensured we did not suffer the defence setback. Melo was excellent alongside a timid Aquillani, but upfront Amauri-Iaq gave us more options in more than one way. Who is that Leandro? Ariaudo would have been better. But Storari is proving inept at deputizing for GIGI. Maninger deserves more space. But all the same, Forza Milos!! Forza Juve.

WE NEED A COACH FOR THE FUTURE

There have been rumours making the rounds concerning who should be the Bianconeri’s new coach in the summer. While some of the names are potentially good for the future of the team, others are only better for the short term success.

A man like Gus Hiddink is a very accomplished coach. He has achieved a lot in his long years in football. However, aside from his successes in Holland, he has achived very little in the field of club football. His performance at Chelsea is comendable, but then again, it was for less than 6 months. He seems to be a very good candidate for emergency sitautions.

Then the issue of Rafa comes in. Rafa has won the champions league with Liverpool. He moulded the team into a title challenging team last season. These are facts. But then again, i continue to look for talents he has brought to the club that have been hits. Besides Torres and Mascherano, others like Lucas, Voronin, Degen, Babel and Dosena have been flops. Rafa has not been able to to bring young talents to Liverpool, as compared to United and Arsenal. On this front and coupled with Juve’s record of introducing youngsters to the team, Rafa is not the man for the long term future of the Old Lady.

Potentially good would be Genoa’s Gian Piero Gasperini and Fiorentina’s Cesarwe Prandelli. Not only have they proved their worth over the years, they both have a history with the Bianconeri; An issue very dear dear to the Juve hierarchy. Also, they are Italians, and also favour quality Italian talent over expensive South American names. Juventus has for a long produced a large number of Italy’s players, and the board will definitely be glad.

Though i was not happy with the dismissal of Cirro, i believe care should taken not to force things through. We need a coach who will utilize Giovinco and De Ceglie to their best ability.

JUVE 101:INTRO TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE OLD LADY

This is an introductory course for effective management of Italy’s most successful football club. Given the successes chalked by the Bianconeri, it’s paramount for a non-footballing person like Blanc and a novice on the market like Secco to go through this crush course by 31/1/10, or fail my paper.

Mr. Blanc, you show solidarity and trust towards the team after setbacks like defeats to Bayern, Milan and Chievo, not after beating Inter. Refusing to do so amid heightened speculations of possible replacements to Cirro, makes the coach insecure, and destroys the unity of the camp.

Secco, you make purchases that are consistent with the football philosophy of your trainer. Purchasing Melo for his exploits in a 5-match tournament in South Africa, while you were in advanced negotiations for a ball-playing midfielder you needed so badly was a grave error. Not only was he too expensive, he failed to live up to expectations.  A sporting director of a side like Juve should be proactive and not reactive.

Juve played with a target man and second striker, with two wingers, over their successful periods. But bringing in a playmaker in the form of Diego, despite his technical abilities was bound to disrupt the team, and so more personnel were needed in other departments of the team.

Players who underperformed over 3 years are not given lucrative contracts. Molinaro is one such, and despite his loyalty and been loved by Ranieri, was not up to Juve’s standards, just like Gila couldn’t make it at Milan. Instead, quality players like Pavel and Cristiano are maintained at all cost, and not left to strenghten your opponents. They are convinced to stay, while possible replacements are ushered gradually into the team. See Giggs, Scholes and Neville at ManU. Otherwise, the right personnel must be readily available to take their places before letting them go. Barca sold Eto after lining up Zlatan; ManU sold Ronnie when the cash was too tempting and also had Valencia in line.

Back to Blanc, and i say kudos for bringing Bettega on board.. My only advice is you give him enough room both with the media and the transfer of players.

I wish you both the best of luck in the upcoming business-end of the season.

ENOUGH VEGETABLES IN THE GARDEN!!!

This is an open letter to Secco and co. They seem to be enjoying the interviews and appear to have lots of money to spend. I wonder if they have the welfare of the club and its fans at heart.
Over and over, i hear Ranocchia’s name been linked with the Bianconeri. I do not question his ability. Neither do i underestimate his quality and good investment at such a youthful age. However, i would also like to point out to one Lorenzo Ariaudo, a product of the Bianconeri’s nursery. Why is it that, the club could not allow him a chance to join another team to gain Serie A experience, when it was clear he was not going to get any play time at all? We live him to rot on the bench and instead look out the window and admire another team’s assets. What makes Juve different from the Milanese clubs is its productive academy.
What of Iago and Daud who have been sent out to gain experience? What of Immobile, who can easily slip into Trez’s shoes come next August, so long as he has some play time? Despite the absence of most of our strikers at certain times of the season, Immobile has managed only 2 appearances. Fausto Rossi as well as Luca Marrone are all capable players, and instead of providing them with the opportunity to shine, we still resort to the inconsistent Poulsen and tired Melo, not to even mention the injury-prone Tiago. All these 3 regulars are decent players and i would not want to join their bunch of critics, but when one is not playing as required, we need fresh legs. And what more than a bunch of kids who are hungry to gain recognition their English counterparts are receiving. It would increase competition and this would even be for the best of the team.
Mr. Farmer, please weed the garden and you will be amazed at the amount of variety we have!

Winners Grinners

Juve 1-0 Maccabi

eThanks to whoever made Ciro see  the light. A new look Juve completed the task against Maccabi Haifa. The Bianconeri finally manage a win after 5 games in all competitions. The saying that defenders win you championships couldn’t be better portrayed. Stunning saves by Super Gigi and a powerful header by Chiellini won us the game.

So many positives tonights. Giovinco-Diego-Camo looked wonderful, and played wonderful. Diego provided the assist, and Giovinco caused all sorts of troubles. He won a lot of fouls for the side. Though the team was comfortable on the whole, it never managed to close the game with so many chances. Come on SIENA!!!

Why Ferrara? Why?

I still cannot believe my eyes. How on earth do we even expect to do well in Italy and Europe with a static formation. 4-3-1-2 is not working Ciro! The match against La Viola gave only one positive; that Momo is an excellent player, and so many negatives.

Amauri and Iaq do not play well when they do not have the service. They are both good in the air but with this formation, they lack the service needed. We keep playing the ball in thee middle, while we still hold on to two static strikers. What is needed apparently, are good full-backs, or wide midfield players like Camo and De Ceglie in the team. These two will not fit into Ciro’s ill-inspired 4-3-1-2. Alternatively, we need the creativity of Giovinco on the pitch.

Seba is not as strong as Diego, and adds nothing to defence like his Brazilian counterpart does. However, he has the ability to also create his own space, beat his marker and feed the strikers. While Diego prefers scoring to creating chances, and he is very good at that too, Seba is not good at converting chances, but better at creating them. While we miss Alex as the second striker, we have The Atomic Ant who can play in a similar role, yet the coach refuses to yield.

The only way the coach’s formation will be successful is when he has good attacking full-backs. In Grygera, Zebina and Molinaro, we have a bunch of inconsistent players, while Grosso can not provide the service week in week out, as was evident over the weekend. Alternatively, we have to pray Diego conjures his magic every day, to make up for those shortcomings. And if he is marked out like he was against Palermo, then we have no chance of fighting for the Scudetto.

Scared of Top Spot?!

It had to be bad to get worse, and tonight at the Stadio Barbera, it got even worse. One thing i have come to realise about the Old Lady since the return to the top flight is that, they are scared of being chased. Juventus is scared of being at the top of the table.

Whenever th chance hands itself for the Bianconeri to stretch the lead, they find excuses after 90 minutes. The same thing happened last season, especially after Inter were beaten 3-1  by Atalanta. And this year, with only 7 rounds, we have missed that chance on two occasions. What baffles me is the manner in which we blow the chances. First gifting Bologna a point and losing two in the process, while this time around, we did not even turn up for the 3 points up for grabs.

Is it psychological or it is tactic. Ferrara is a known motivator, so the latter is the more likely factor, given that he is a rookie. With the talent at his diposal, he really has no excuses and can not blame fatigue. We have played the same number of games as the Nerazzuri, yet they two points clear. The problem with us is that, unless we are playing really well, we can’t get the result. This should not be the case for a giant like us.

We keep blowing up opportunities like these, and we might be in big trouble. I still can’t see the reason why a proven creative force like Sebastian Giovinco gets ignored by chief motivator, when his services are needed most. And i can’t even believe Amauri started this game. Yes he is good, but coming at the back of three draws, man, you needed your best arsenals from the start.

DRAW DRAW DRAW DEFEAT

Palermo 2-0 Juventus

It had to get worse. And i hope it doesn’t get any worse. Juve succumbed to the first defeat under Ciro, despite promising hope of a spectacular. Goals from alleged Juve target, Cavani and Juve old pupil, Miccoli sank the Old Lady from the first half.

It was an interesting starting line up, with Amauri back in the side, despite a lackluster season so far. Curiously enough, Giovinco did not even come on when Diego was not producing. In need of a goal, Ferrara brought on Paolo, and though i wished he would play, never in this circumstance. Trailing by two goals, i don’t think the best is to bring on a defender, no matter how attacking-minded they are. So Seba sat and watched, as Trez and Grygera came on to no effect on the score line. In the end, he took off Camo and i think played a 4-3-3 formation, with no creativity in the side. It is in a game like this that managers worth their salt show their worth. I don’t think Ciro did that. Too bad, and even Buffon couldn’t help out.