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.

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!

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.

Right Hand Man. :lol:

Being the right hand man that all football fans wish they were, i would love to present to you the best team to put out against the Bavarians.

No Question…

We have a Fantasista between the posts, as Lippi rightly put it. Gigi is back to his best and should definitely start, unless he picks up a flu.

No Cana!!!

Please don’t start with Molinaro. Please, for old time sake!!! Grosso should be back after the rest against Bologna. With Giorgio back from suspension, he will form another good partnership with Nicola. And they will have to be at their best against Olic and Gomes. Gomes could be a straight forward partner for Chielini, but whoever he partners will be the danger man. Given they will be playing with Flying Dutchman Robben and Supremo Ribery, i wouldn’t mind having Grygera at right back. Yes, i don’t like him too, but he is the more experienced, compared to Caceres. Zebina is excellent attacking, and he is the only true right back we have. However, on a difficult European night on the road, what we need is one very good defender on one flank, while one marauds the other.

Melo-Marchisio-Camoranesi

Yes, at the moment, that is our first choice midfield. Tiago is an added advantage on the bench, since he just returned from injury. Camoranesi will be our key man on the day, as he has been the most consistent out field player. Marchisio and Melo will have busy nights, as they will need to help out the defenders, now more than ever. I only hope Melo does not get distracted with the alleged bust up with Ciro. He also needs to stop loosing cheap balls in the defensive third. Though it is easier to blame Molinaro for the goal agianst Bologna, it was his mistake that cost us possession in the first place.

Diego or Giovinco..

I have a thing for Seba, but objectively speaking, i would love to see him start. He is growing with every game, and from the evidence of play over the weekend, Diego is not match fit. Maybe he could start Poulsen alongside Melo and Marchisio and make Camo play behind the front two. That would be too negative if you asked me. But honestly speaking, he should start with Giovinco, with Trez and Iaq in attack.

Trez-Iaq

Yes forget the Ranieri era, they can play together. All you need is constant supply of the ball from Grosso, Seba and the rest, and Iaq will fight for the ball, while Trez does the tap ins. That remains the only alternative since Amauri has not been himself and Ale is just returning from injury.

Good luck Ciro, glad i am only a Right Hand Man.

There We Go Again!!!

In the mid week game at the Marassi, we chased a draw. Then at the Olimpico in Turin, we gave away a draw. This performance is reminiscent of some show-ins or lack of during last season.

Diego…Absent!!!

We made tactical errors. This, Ferrara would have to take the blame for. Diego had been out injured for three weeks, and as soon as he recovered, we threw him into the deep end. Yes, he could have played against Genoa but didn’t: that is not the point. In view of the match against Bayern, Diego needed play time, but should have started from the bench. With this below par performance, his confidence would have taken a dip. I had made a prediction for Giovinco to play in that hole, and it was what i expected. Giovinco or Camo would have been able to continue the rhythm the team had on Wednesday.

Alex…Too Late!!!

Great coaches are the ones who are able to make substitutions that ring changes in a game. I have had problems with Ciro’s substitutions already, and today, they were late. Alex hadn’t played football since pre season, and he was brought on for just 6-7 minutes. It was good he started from the bench, but he should have been given a good twenty minutes to make him feel the rhythm of the team better. Perhaps, had he been brought on earlier, he would have created a goal or scored one himself. Don’t forget the partnership he has had with Trezegol spans almost a decade. And given that Amauri hasn’t been himself this trip, should have been given the kick earlier on. Amauri should not have even started.

Iaq…Why On the Bench?

Yes, Iaq-Trez partnership doesn’t come off in a 4-4-2, but with this new formation and had Giovinco also started, the two would have been perfect together. Iaquinta is in fine form and the coach should have played him for about 60-65 minutes, and then brought on Ale. The best thing for a player on fire is to keep him on the pitch, not rest him. With the chances created, The Canon would have slotted one in, at last.

Marchisio…Is Right!!!

There is no use beating Inter and Milan if we can not win against smaller opposition. Samp did us a favour, and we shot ourselves in the foot. Last season, we blamed Ranieri, but this time who do we blame? The truth is that, we lost two points because our strikers failed to deliver. We continue to put our hopes in the hands of Gigi, but there is only so much he can do, and Adailton just told us that. Amauri has not delivered, and should have been duly benched.

BIG CLUB… SMALL CLUB

When we talk about Ciro, what we remember is his lack of experience. But we forget that he has been excellent since his appointment. My only worry is that, he has not been challenged enough, until the game at the Marassi.

When you play a team like Genoa, an up and coming team in the Italian championship, the last thing you want is to give them is the slightest confidence. But that was what Ferrara did by announcing he was changing his tactics. Juve are a big side, and Genoa are at least two classes behind. When you meet such a team, the best move in my opinion, is stick to your formation and force you opponent to change their tactics. The truth is that, the team we sent out last night did not go out there to win, but to contain the Griffone, which was unfortunate.

We played with all our available central midfielders, three of them, which was very dangerous. I thought the best thing to do was maintain our first choice players, with Poulsen on the bench, and Camo, Claudio and Melo in the middle. And when it comes to consolidating a lead, we introduced Poulsen. Apart from the first half exploits, Camo was ineffective in the 4-3-3 metamorphosing into 4-5-1. Seba should have still started the game, regardless of the opponent. Instead of changing the formation against Bordeaux who had two holding midfielders, we chose to do so in the wrong game, and it cost us two points.

I say this has been Ferrara’s most difficult challenge of all. Forget the Lazio and Roma game. While the latter was in a shocking state of declinee in the last 12 months, Lazio fans could say all they could, but hey are not even on Roma’s level. Never mind the super cup and cup triumph. Juve should come out of their shackles and show the world what they are made of. The Old Lady should be teaching a team like Genoa what it means to be in the top 6 of Serie A, not given them unnecessary respect. Give this Genoa team to Inter, and they would demolish them into pieces. How then are we going to play against Bayern, 5-4-1?

All said and done, and given our opponent’s drive, and our own timidity, the draw was a fair result, Ferrara is still on the learning curve. But i hope he learns quickly, no mercy for the weak, starting with Bologna on the weekend. It is a chance to regain the top spot; score alot of goals, and hope Samp do us a favour against Inter.

No Diego, No Ferrara!!!

Four games, four wins, 10 goals scored, one conceded. Such is the record of our charismatic trainer. Ferrara has seemingly done nothing wrong at the helm of affairs, and looks destined for a good tenure. But is he realy good enough and worth the hype?

Remember what a certatin Guardiola achieved with Barcelona in the 08/09 season both in Spain and Europe. They destroyed eberybody in their path and secured a record treble. However, without taking anything away from Pep, he had a group of talented players, already assembled by his predecessor. The only enforcements he made were in the form of Keita and Hleb, who never lived up to excpectation. Look again at Jose Mourinho’s Inter, and you would agree no one except perhaps Barca and Chelsea have a better man to man squad in all departments. And the current Chelsea team was built by the Special One. What this tells us is that, when a coach is given the needed resources, he is more likely to produce the goods. I remember Walter Mazzarri say anybody with Jose’s Inter could win the Scudetto, much to the chagrin of the Portuguese.

Let us look at the best coaches over the years, and teams they have built, not just the players they bought. Sir Alex Fergusson, the best at the moment, has produced players. No he produced stars, and won trophies. Look at the likes of Becks, Roy Keane, Giggs, the Neville brothers, Scholes, Ronaldo, and you will see what i am talking about. These are players who were unknown quantities when they started out at old Trafford, but under the guidance of the Scott, became wonderful and great players. Look at Arsene Wenger, and you will remember Fabregas, Henry, Vieira, Bergkamp and the team of the Invincibles. Yes, they did not all come from his academy, but he had the vision that Juve didn’t have about Henry’s future, and saw the talent in Fabregas at the age of 16 that Barca never saw.

On the contrary, we have Mourinho, who apart from his success at Porto, relied on already made stars. The likes of Cavarlho, Lamps, Essien, Terry and Ashley Cole were stars before the Jose reign. He did well to give them a win by all means mentality that saw them win 5 domestic trophies in 3 years at the Bridge.

Then back to our own Ferrara. One time, i heard him say our play moves through Diego. Wow, what burden on his shoulders. Is his success on the Old Lady bench going to depend on the performance of Diego and Melo. If it actually does, should he be counted as among the best rookie coachies at the moment? Well, i can’t give you that answer, but the only hting i can say is that, great coaches are those who produced great players and won trophies, not the ones who relied on already made superstars like Diego.