Ferrara’s men have had quite some time to rest and refocus during the long international break so I don’t want to hear excuses from the team before or after this one regardless of our Champions League fixture against Bordeaux on Wednesday.  Of which I’m happy to announce, Milan’s trash and Bordeaux’s treasure, Yoann Gourcuff might be unavailable in that one due to a groin problem he picked up against Ireland on international duty.  Fucking Henry.  On a side note, Bordeaux just lost it’s first home game of the season today losing 1-0 against Valenciennes which lets Lyon go level with them on points in Ligue 1.  Both Gourcuff and forward Marouane Chamakh weren’t featured.

Back to Sunday’s game.  On Udinese’s side of the ball, like I was saying earlier, they’ve got a nice stockpile of injuries themselves and a key suspension that will severely hinder their chances of coming away with win in Turin.  Giovanni Pasquale, Alexis Sanchez, Simone Pepe, Christian Obodo, Antonio Floro Flores and Damiano Ferronetti are all out injured.  Last but certainly not least, Antonio Di Natale will be watching this game from the sidelines as the diminutive striker is suspended following his fourth yellow card of the season he picked up for taking his protest against a referee too far in a match versus Fiorentina last week.

Udinese coach Pasquale Marino will obviously miss Toto.  But without forward Floro Flores, who I consider to be very underrated, and Simone Pepe, who’s craftiness on the wings I definitely won’t miss, Marino’s hands are unquestionably tied.  D’Agostino can’t do this all by himself especially when Ciro’s sure to employ either Poulsen, Momo, or Melo to closely mark the Palermo born midfielder.  You want to talk about motivation Gaetano?  Well Ferrara won’t have any problem getting Felipe up for this one either.  The battle of Juventus’ transfer targets last year should be good to watch.

On our side of the ball, the injuries aren’t as grim.  While Iaquinta is still unavailable until the beginning of December, Trezeguet will be out for month after an MRI confirmed a problem in his left calf muscle that he picked up in practice Thursday.  T-Rez however will be given a prize for his goals record he achieved vs. Atalanta before Sunday’s kick-off.  Salihams is still injured for God knows how long and Alessio’s favorite defender Jonathan Zebina is out because of a fractured perm.  Also, neither Marchisio or Tiago will be featured here but Wednesday’s CL game might be a different story.

The biggest news concerning our infirmary however is our captain’s return from injury.  Alessandro Del Piero’s season can finally begin.  With close to 15 days of uninterrupted training with the first team, Alex The Great is ready to impress once again.  Here are some pre-match comments about Del Piero made by coach Ciro:

“Del Piero is a second striker who likes to meet the game and start off from outside, to then go to the centre. He prefers a specific pitch area, remaining anyway a striker. I won’t clearly say how we will play tomorrow, but if we’ll go on with the same module of the last matches, being a left external among playmakers is a position that Alessandro can well cover, of course with different characteristics”.

“But we cannot expect he can cover the complete band, and therefore we’ll find a right balance. But like we played in the last matches anyway, I don’t think that Giovinco has such defensive characteristics. Alessandro Diego and Camoranesi can surely play together”.

“Having Del Piero at our disposal is a great advantage, for the strength he passes on to the group and for what he can do on the pitch. We missed him in this period, but [those] who played for him behaved well”.

I can see two possibilities for tomorrow’s line-up: 1) Ciro goes for the 4-2-3-1 and employs Del Piero to the left of Diego right from the start with Amauri as the lone striker, or 2) Ciro goes for the 4-2-3-1 and Alex starts on the bench with Seba given the nod.  As you can see, I’m totally not giving the 4-3-1-2 a chance.  With Trezeguet and Iaquinta both out, Ferrara will most likely not start the only two strikers he has at his disposal at once (here Immobile might an interesting option).  The second possibility, where Giovinco starts, seems to make more sense as it provides Ferrara with more room to manoeuvre Del Piero and place him where he’s needed the most throughout the game.  Of course I could be totally wrong on this.  As long as we win though I’m sure I’ll survive.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

“We are very happy.  It was a perfect evening due to the result, the match played and the way we handled the match.  This is the spirit of Juventus.  Clearly, if we see tonight’s match this would seem like the best tactical approach but in an entire championship sometimes you have to change”.

“Today the players played like great champions.  They were perfect and I can only thank them and say a big well done.  This would be the perfect Juve but I am aware of the fact that it is not easy to maintain this rythm.  It is however, the starting point of our team”.

Asked who according to him is the man of the match, the Juventus coached said: “It is hard to pick out a single player because today played as a team and in such cases you create more and suffer less.  Even the players who came on did really well”.

From now on: “This should be the charge that launches us.  It is true we came from a series of negative results and this conditioned us but we showed that we can come back and now we have to maintain this”.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

tic toc tic toc tic toc… KABOOM!!!

Tonight won’t be the type of showcasing you hoped it would Cassano.  If I’m Ferrara I’m betting you have more trouble playing against yourself than my defenders.  So, my guys are gonna play you tight hoping you start feeling like the calls aren’t going your way.  Once the fuse is lit, watch the implosion from a safe distance.  I’m sure you’re a nice guy Antonio, but there’s no fucking way your going to just walk into our house and continue to build a case for South Africa tonight.  Not now, not against my Juventus.

Mannini, incredible positioning.  Pazzini, much more dynamic then I had thought.  Castellazzi, great hands.  But in my opinion against the Bianconeri, the three of them can’t do this thing by themselves.  Take Cassano out of the game and you take Sampdoria out of the running tonight.  That said, we need to play great at the same time.  Oh yea I forgot about that part. Ciro’s take on the match:

“We need a top level Juve to beat the team which is in most in form at the moment. To win we must play a great match. Decisive match? Here they are always decisive and we must try to take advantage of the home stadium”.

“Cassano? He is strong this year as he was in the last year or when I played against him as a player. He is decisive and fundamental but Sampdoria had an excellent game organization which allows even other players to do well”.

To face a well launched Sampdoria, Ferrara would have liked to have a complete squad, however after Iaquinta he also lost Caceres (nose fracture) and Felipe Melo received a blow in the last training session. All this, however, does not frighten the coach:

“I am hopeful about Felipe. I think he can recover without any problems. Injuries and suspensions are part of the job. The important thing is knowing how to manage these situations. Nonetheless I have an excellent and numerous squad at my disposal. I have faith in those who will be playing and Samp at the moment is capable of motivating the team”.

juventus.com

In other news, Caceres was operated on this morning and will be discharged from the hospital later tonight. Apparently he’ll be able to resume training as early as Saturday. Anyways, the usual suspects are still out injured which means our lineup will probably look like (4-2-3-1) : Buffon – Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso – Sissoko, Melo – Camoranesi, Diego, Giovinco – Amauri. Our youngster Immobile was called up but he probably won’t see any PT. On their end, Semioli is out so expect a (4-4-2) consistinng of: Castellazzi – Stankevicius, Gastaldello, Lucchini, Zauri – Mannini, Palombo, Poli, Ziegler – Pazzini, Cassano.

myp2p.eu (match thread), atdhe.net (direct match link)

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

“We know what the strong points of Genoa are. They have been playing this sort of football for years, with players who know each other by heart and with a continuous change in positions. Sometimes one of the three defenders moves up to the attack putting himself in a condition to shoot at goal and when this happens he is always covered by a team mate. They play well on the flanks, know Gasperini’s schemes by heart and they carry them out showing excellent football high in intensity”.

Ferrara knows well what the attitude of his team must be: “I think it is important to be shorter, both in the offensive and the defensive phases. This will allow us to win back the ball more easily and avoid long balls when we are in possession. Long balls are instinctive when you have team mates which are physically strong and perhaps it is the easy solution, especially when the opponents attack you”.

“We must be clever enough to move the ball around even when we are under pressure and everybody must move around. We won two difficult away matches against Roma and Lazio but it is not enough. Our victories must pass through other victories, starting from tomorrow”.

juventus.com

For the match against Genoa, Ciro Ferrara called up 21 players. The list does not include Del Piero and Diego whose condition is improving and are due to return. Tiago is also out as well as Cannavaro and Sissoko. To compensate, Felipe Melo and Salihamidzic have recovered completely from their respective injuries.

1. Buffon
2. Caceres
3. Chiellini
4. Felipe Melo
6. Grosso
7. Salihamidzic
8. Marchisio
9. Iaquinta
11. Amauri
12. Chimenti
13. Manninger
15. Zebina
16. Camoranesi
17. Trezeguet
18. Poulsen
19. Molinaro
20. Giovinco
21. Grygera
29. De Ceglie
33. Legrottaglie
39. Marrone

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

Secondly, the Stadio in Livorno has the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in my life. Dry, grass-less, and basically impossible for Clarence Seedorf to derive any motivation to hustle whatsoever. Who can’t relate? Finally, the Olimpico isn’t Armando’s Wonderland and Juventus isn’t the team with all the tamed Brazilians… just the injured ones. More preview after the jump.

Felipe Melo is out, Diego is out, and Tiago- he’s Brazilian right? Close enough, he’s out as well. Melo is suffering from some distortive trauma to the left ankle and Tiago is down with a bit of contracture to the left thigh picked up during our deserved tie against Bordeaux. Both are apparently sidelined for seven days which is great news considering our match next week is at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris against Genoa. Goosebumps.

Diego’s high right thigh muscle strain, which was originally feared to keep him sidelined for several weeks, should only see him out of the squad for this weekend’s match against Livorno. That means we should have him back close to full strength before we battle it out for the top spot against our Serie A “B” team, midweek on Thursday, September the 24th.

“I am feeling much better, and I will be back on the pitch very soon,” Diego told Tuttosport.”It was not the result we expected, but we know that it’s not easy to win in the Champions League as the play is different,” he added. “We are coming off the back of three wins in the league, but the competition in Europe increases. The point is not enough for our group, but there is still plenty of time to recover and move ahead.”

Fabio’s story is a little more serious compared with the last three. He suffered a first degree distortion to the long muscle of the left thigh which will see him out for two to three weeks during which physiotherapy and gradual training will be carried out. So far it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be available for Bayern Munich on the 30th. Somewhere out there Legrottaglie is smiling. If he’s looking for a trip to Cape Town next year, here’s his best shot.

Rounding off the infirmary report, Sissoko’s still out while Del Piero, who was busy attending the presentation ceremony for the Davis Cup tennis play-off between Italy and Switzerland today in Genoa, shed some light on his recovery progress.

“I hope to be back in 7-10 days,” ADP told Il Secolo XIX. ”However, I feel better. We’ll see how it goes at the start of next week. It’s annoying to watch games like that against Bordeaux from the stands, because I want to live them as a protagonist.”

For the line-up this weekend one would have to expect Giovinco to start as trequartista again. So far his performances have been positive as he’s been steadily removing the rust with each passing moment. In attack rumour has it Amauri will be rested and Davide Trezeguet will got the nod to start up front alongside Vincenzo Iaquinta. For me it’s a toss-up on who should be rested in favour of the Frenchman. Amauri’sinches away from his first goal and both him and Iaquinta have really been working overtime for us.

Speaking of Amauri, apparently we’re planning on extending his contract past the 2012 mark to 2013 as well as increasing his salary by €500,000 a campaign. I’ve got no complaints here. After all you want to keep your World Cup heroes happy, right Alberto?

Ok back to the line-up against Livorno. Behind Giovinco you’ll probably see Poulsen in the middle covering Felipe’s spot flanked by Camoranesi and/or Marchisio. Claudio looked pretty tired against Bordeaux and I’d be surprised if he has enough in the tank for tomorrow’s match. If he doesn’t, Ciro might use Salihams in his place at left midfield, who’s recently been training with the team, or use his abundance of healthy full-backs like De Ceglie in there instead.

In defense we’ve got Zebina/Grygera there at the back again finally, each could start ahead of Martin Caceres on the right, then we’ve got Chiellini and Legrottaglie in the middle with either Molinaro or Grosso starting on the left. In goal we have best goalkeeper in the world. ‘Don’t call it a comeback, he’s been here for years’. Basically, Ferrara has plenty of options to patch up the holes in our starting XI but he’ll need to use some of his creativity intuitively according to Livorno’s strengths and weaknesses to ensure we successfully pick up where we left off.

“I expect us to be ruthless and not to look at Livorno’s place in the table. We should not miss out on the points. It happened last year sometimes too much,” he added before reflecting on his side’s injury crisis.”I am not worried by the injuries, but I am looking at the positive aspects. The substitutes have always been ready when needed,” Ferrara concluded.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

THE GOOD:
The French cannot conquer Turin- This is our 11th home game against a French side in the Champion’s League, which seems awfully low to me. The results? 9 wins, 1 draw, and the last draw you have to go all the way back to 1983-1984 Cup Winners Cup against PSG, which finished 0-0. It was also the last time we’ve failed to score at home against the French (put your sexual puns here) scoring 22 in the other 8.
Bordeaux cannot conquer Italia- They have never won a game in Italy, with 2 draws and 5 losses. Better yet, in 6/7 of them, they didn’t score. The only game they have scored in Italy (you’re reading that right) was a 3-3 draw against Fiorentina in 2000.
Juventus hasn’t lost at home in 5 years- Last time was that dreadful 0-1 loss to Deportivo in 2004. There have been 16 home games since then, with 11 wins and 5 draws.

Those statistics all read beautifully. If it continues to be so, we can assume Bordeaux cannot beat us, cannot score, and that we will triumph. Obviously football is about 90minutes, but these records are very encouraging.

Apparently he did have hair, once upon a time.

FORMATIONS AND LINEUPS:
Juventus- Definitely out of the game are Grygera, Del Piero, Diego, Salihamidzic, Sissoko, and Chiellini, who is serving his 1-game suspension from last year’s red card against Chelsea. Juventus.com chopped off a few names, as De Ceglie, Tiago, and Legrottaglie will be available to Ferrara, so don’t worry.

In defense, it is assumed that Cannavaro will return from his rest to partner Legrottaglie, with the absence of Chiellini. Grosso is likely to get the nod at left-back, despite playing 80minutes Saturday and last Wednesday in Bulgaria, and right-back I think Caceres will be given his Juve Champions League debut. While Zebina is fit to play against his countrymen, he’s just returning from injury so playing him might be a risk.

In midfield, I hope Camoranesi sits this one out. He’s been in mediocre form recently, and I think it’s equally due to his work to adapt to the 3-man midfield, but also simply, he’s played too much recently. Tiago should start over him, I assume that that was why Tiago was rested on Sunday, not because Ferrara prefers Camo, but because he wanted Tiago fully-fit for today. Felipe Melo will anchor the defensive-midfield, and Marchisio will likely be sent out to battle. These players have all played a lot recently and it’s proof of the depth you need in midfield. Sissoko and Zanetti could come in handy in this situation, but obviously both are unavailable. Maybe even Poulsen will get a cameo.

In attack, Giovinco will substitute for the injured Diego, and Ferrara will likely return to his current-duo of Iaquinta-Amauri, with Del Piero still trying to get over his injuries.

Predicted XI: (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Caceres, Legrottaglie, Cannavaro, Grosso; Marchisio, Melo, Tiago; Giovinco; Iaquinta, Amauri

Bordeaux-
I will be perfectly honest with you. I know very, very little about Bordeaux, except they produce wine, and good wine at that. Ex-Interista Laurent Blanc (actually, who played alongside Ferrara at Napoli with Ranieri as their coach) has done very well with the team, leading them to break Lyon’s Ligue 1 hegemony last season. Obviously ex-Milanista Gourcuff has been a revelation at the squad, so we will have to watch him closely. Aside from that, I don’t know who plays there or what their lineup is, so I’m copying Goal.com’s lineup and recommending you check out Jennifer at the Bordeaux Offside for more information.

Predicted XI- (4-5-1): Carrasso; Tremoulinas, Ciani, Planus, Chalme; Wendel, Diarra, Fernando, Gourcuff, Gouffran; Chamakh

Looks like they play with a pretty compact midfield. I’m guessing given his surname, Diarra plays a defensive midfield role. Our midfield is going to have a battle on their hands.

According to women, he is apparently quite good looking. I guess French women need someone to lust after, the other fantasista wouldn’t work out.

KEY PLAYER:
Juventus- Giovinco- Against a packed midfield like Bordeaux, Gio might struggle as he thrives on space to run at defenders. Expect him to get fouled a lot, this game is going to ask plenty of questions of him in which I will go to greater detail below.
Bordeaux- Gourcuff- Because he’s very good, and he’s the only one I know. I’m ignorant, I know, but I have better things to do than watch Ligue 1, like gnaw my arm off.

PREDICTIONS AND PREVIEWS: 2-0, in a tight affair like the Lazio game. Expect us to get on the scoresheet 2nd half, and late in the game. For other previews check out the Bordeaux Offside, and Goal.com.

FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE-

Ciro Ferrara is preparing to lead Juventus for his first time in the Champions league. The coach, strong from a positive outcome of 5 victories in as many matches on the Juventus bench, will find and ex-team mate, Laurent Blanc on the Bordeaux bench: «I have great memories of us as team-mates – underlined Ferrara. We met recently in Nyon and it was a pleasure just like when I got to know he became the Bordeaux coach. There is a relationship of esteem and friendship which binds us». The friendship comes from the years spent on the field together, the esteem from the excellent results obtained up to now by the Frenchman: «They are the champions of France and are unbeaten for over 15 matches. This must make us reflect. Tomorrow, it will not be a normal match for us because it is the first in the Champions League. The first of the group stage always has dangerous twists but we want to do well. What differs compared to the championship? Well, the championship isa long race and a defeat now and then is acceptable but in the Champions League you cannot afford to lose. Our objective at the moment is to qualify from the group stage and to do so we must not drop any precious points. Therefore the match is much more delicate from this point of view».

For tomorrow’s match, Ferrara will have Zebina back but will not be able to count on Del Piero or Diego after the latter was forced to leave the field due to an injury during the match against Lazio: «Del Piero is continuing to work and when he will not feel any more pain he will be available while Diego has had good news. We had been worried after having seen him leave the field but the tests showed it is not a big problem. We will see if we can have him back by the end of the week or for the match against Genoa».

The Brazilian will be substituted by Sebastian Giovinco: «I am satisfied with all those who played against Lazio and even with him. There is no question anymore about whether he has matured. If he is part of this squad it is because we believe in his qualities and he has all the possibility to show them. A player must always take advantage of the occasions he is given. I read somewhere that I would not have fielded him when Diego was injured. This is not true. The simple truth is that Seba joined after the others due to his commitments with the Under 21 squad but I have always fielded him when he was available. Tiago as playmaker? He could adapt to that role, just like Camoranesi, but I do not want to go against the characteristics of the players. At the start of the season I said I did not want to put too much responsibility on one player and neither did I want to construct a team around one player. Juventsu, at the moment, is having positive feedback especially from the players who come on to the field after the start of the match and who are winning us points and this should be one of the strong points throughout the season».

Ferrara warned his players with regards to the next opponents: «Bordeaux is a team with important points of reference such as Gourcuff, Chamakh (who is very good when it comes to heading the ball and giving the ball to his mates), or Wendel who has great technique. They are well organized, they all defend, are clever at building up the action rapidly and have players like Diarra o Caini who are good from set-pieces and therefore we will have to be careful even when it comes to inactive balls».

The most renown player of Bordeaux is in fact Gourcuff who, after having managed to gain himself an important role with Milan, has become even more the start of the French team. This fact may bring to light the difficulty Italian football has in launching young players: «Sometimes players who arrive in Italy at a young age find it hard and for Gourcuff this was the case especially in a team like Milan. Some players manage to express themselves better in their own country and this seems to be the case: Gourcuff had shown he possessed great technical qualities but managed to find continuity in his country. With regards to the capability of launching youngsters it seems to me that Juventus has done so allowing them to reach high levels».

When looking for Gigi pictures, I noticed he has been awfully smiley lately. This is good.

Gigi Buffon- It is a new opportunity for the bianconeri to try and confirm themselves even in Europe:. This is the objective of Buffon – who was busy addressing the press conference together with Ferrara – and his team mates: «During Saturday’s match against Lazio, we never stopped fighting and believing in the victory even when we encountered difficulties. After just three matches in the championship it is still early to say for sure but we have undertaken the right road».

The bianconeri are therefore about to get back to Euroepan football and just like a year ago, the group stage is not a simple one. Buffon, therefore, wants a Juve that is ready to face the match against Bordeaux with the same ardor fielded against Real Madrid and Zenit: «last season we played against highly acclaimed opponents and yet we won the group and gave signs of being an important team. In the successive round we faced an improving Chelsea and we could have even gone through. Now it is still early to say if we can aim at winning the competition but we surely have a more competitive squad».

The squad was in fact strengthened by the signings of the likes of Cannavaro, Grosso, Felipe Melo, Caceres and especially Diego. The former Werder player will miss the European debut and even though the news with regards to his injury are positive (7 days of recovery) and put everybody’s mind at rest, Buffon thinks that Juventus is ready for the appointment even without its Brazilian champion: «Diego is an important player for us and we would like him to play in every match but a great team cannot depend on one player. In order to be competitive it must have an ample squad with many players of a high level».

THE GIOVINCO QUESTION: I meant for this to have its own post, because I think it’s a very important debate, but with the packed fixtures list I figured it was important to have a preview up about the first Champion’s League game. It isn’t a discussion on his recent comments, I understand his frustration, but about his role.

To me, Diego’s performance against Roma confirmed that perhaps Giovinco is not set out to be trequartista. The two goals he scored, I’m not sure Giovinco would have, he probably would have been knocked over by the defenders and taken a free kick, he doesn’t have the kind of power that Diego used to hold off the defense. As such, he gets knocked over too often and has trouble staying on his feet. Against Lazio, he was muscled off the ball a few times, but he seemed to thrive when he had space and drifted out to the flanks.

If he was moved up front to Del Piero’s position, he’d have a bit more space but more importantly, other players couldn’t be so foully with him as they’d be conceding free kicks in prime locations or even penalties. But from what I’ve seen, he doesn’t have a strikers killer-eye for goal, he is definitely more of a provider than a poacher.

So where is his ideal position? Is it as Ranieri saw it, on the flanks? Is it as a trequartista, or as a striker? (He gave some of his best performances last season as a winger) Is his mediocre performances at trequartista due to a lack of form, or his size? The counter-arguments are that he hasn’t been given a lengthy run out in the team, perhaps he could improve there. He is young, so many of these skills, such as becoming more of a goal-scorer, these could be learned. But some traits are inherent, like his size. Another possibility would be to convert him to a regista, like what was done with Andrea Pirlo. Giovinco has great vision, though it would waste his dribbling ability. So to close out the preview, where do you think Giovinco’s ideal role is?

Where is Giovinco’s best role?(polls)

C’e’ una stella che indica il camino, forza Juve, vincere e’ il tuo destino!!

My feelings of indifference towards the Laziali are not shared by all…

RECENT ENCOUNTERS:
Our record against Lazio is fairly mixed since the return to Serie A. The first year, we defeated Lazio comprehensively, 3-2 in Rome following a brilliant Zanetti-ADP display, and then a crushing 5-2 win at home late in the season. Last season in Rome, Manninger conceded an easy goal to Ledesma, before “The Beard” pulled it even with a bullet header off a corner to finish 1-1. The return leg was one we will never forget of course, that, appropriately, of Pavel Nedved’s farewell to calcio in which we triumphed 2-0. While our league results have been pretty positive, Lazio outplayed us last season on their way to the Coppa Italia, winning both in Lazio after coming from behind and in Turin.

RECENT FORM:
Juventus- (WW)- We’ve started the season on the right foot. The squad is determined, united, and eager to win. Ferrara has certainly pushed the right mentality onto the team, and with the squad adjusting well to the new tactics, we have played forceful and gritty. Against Chievo we struggled but held our resolve, whereas against Roma we outplayed them in their own home. Let’s hope for a combination of the two.
Lazio (WW)- Lazio are another one of the teams thus far 100% in the league, as Ballardini has similarly had a positive effect on his squad. He did well last year with Palermo, giving them more consistency and a big-game spirit, and it seems he’s transmitted that to the white-and-blue half of Rome. They defeated Inter in the SuperCoppa, and then edged past Atalanta and defeated a plucky Chievo (as we all know) in Verona. They are in good form as well.

FORMATIONS AND LINEUPS:
Juventus- This is when the season starts to get tricky, with a few injuries as well as fatigue. 7 Juventus players started in the Azzurri win over Bulgaria in Turin, and with the Champion’s League starting this week at home against Bordeaux, I would expect several of these players to get rested, namely Iaquinta, Cannavaro, and Camoranesi. Grygera came back from international duty with a slight problem and Del Piero has not been able to resolve his thigh issue quite yet, so left at home are Del Piero, Grygera, Sissoko, Salihamidzic, Zebina, and Sissoko.

In defense, I would expect Legrottaglie to get the nod to partner with Chiellini, giving Cannavaro the rest for the mid-week game. Caceres should certainly debut at right-back as Zebina, Grygera, and Brazzo are all staying home for this game. Left-back is interesting, Grosso played Wednesday but said he’s in good condition and ready to start, but he also might be rested for the Champion’s League game this week, though Ferrara has indicated he will play. It all depends on how much Ferrara wants to rotate, of course, and here we will get a good look at an important part of coaching; squad rotation. I would prefer Grosso to be rested, a lineup of Caceres-Legro-Chiellini-De Ceglie, which is our 2nd-string defense (except for Chiellini) and I feel pretty good about it. That’s a new feeling.

Midfield is a guessing game as always. Tiago, Camoranesi, Marchisio, Poulsen, and Felipe Melo all played international games a few days ago, so no player is “fully rested.” The good news about Felipe Melo’s international game is that he will receive a length ban I would imagine, for kicking a Chilean player in the crotch, so less exhausting Europe->South America travel for him.

In attack, Iaquinta is widely expected to be rotated out, and with Del Piero absent, one would expect Trezeguet to return to the squad, and hopefully bang in a goal. That would do wonders for his confidence. Diego should return as trequartista as he was not called up by Brazil, though Giovinco could get a surprise appearance up alongside Amauri or maybe slot in for Diego.

Predicted XI: Buffon; Caceres, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Grosso; Tiago, Melo, Marchisio; Diego; Trezeguet, Amauri

Lazio- Zarate and Rocchi are fighting to be fit for the match, whether either of them will be is anyones guess. Inzaghi Jr, Stephen Makinwa, Siviglia, Brocchi, and Cribari are all definitively out of the match. Ballardini will probably go with his preferred 4-3-1-2 with Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem as trequarista and Juve-killer Julio Cruz up top. (God, I wish he retired) For better information, check out Cathal and Franco at the Lazio Offside, they do good work.

Predicted XI: Muslera; Lichsteiner, Diakite, Radu, Kolarov; Dabo, Baronio, Mauri; Matuzalem; Cruz, Zarate.

KEY PLAYERS:
Diego- Duh. This kid has taken to calcio like he’s been here for 5 seasons. What has impressed me a lot about Diego is his excellent tactics and his willingness to chase down the ball when the other team has possession, in general, sacrificing for the team. It shows despite playing in the most arrogant position, he is humble and a team player.
Cruz- I need not explain why.

KEY BATTLES:
Ballardini v. Ferrara- Push- Both are young Italian coaches who impress both with their tactics as well as motivational skills. Both are very good coaches.
Cruz v. Bianconeri- Bianconeri: He has a fetish for scoring against us, as does Rocchi, but I’m confident we can keep them quiet.

FERRARA’S THOUGHTS:

«We will be playing against a team which has the same amount of points as us and which immediately achieved important results, especially in the Super Cup. I know they have some problems with the line-up and that Rocchi and Zarate might not be available but Cruz will be there for sure and he is a player who often caused harm to Juventus having scored even against me. In any case, I hope to find the best Lazio opposing us. We have a delicate and difficult match ahead of us against a team which will create various difficulties. We are returning to Rome immediately, but we have already forgotten about the victory we had a fortnight ago even though we want to win again and continue down the same road».

[Regarding international players] «They all got back safe and sound even from a psychological point of view thanks to the many victories obtained. Only Grygera suffered a blow which must be evaluated. Caceres returned today whilst Felipe Melo will join us in Rome but there are no problems with him. The same applies to Grosso who immediately fit in well. I think there will be some changes with regards to the last match also due to Tuesday’s Champions League match».

[About fatigue and rotation] «With so many matches to be played it will be harder to recuperate the physical and mental energies and we will have to manage our strengths. We knew this and this is why we wanted to build an ample team. I will have to rely on everyone».

Other previews and prediction: 2-0 to the Bianconeri. I think we’re going to hold this one, a refreshing change from the past two years where we returned from international breaks horrendously.
Lazio Offside
Football-Italia
Football Italiano
Goal.com (EN)

LAST WORD: This man is insane.

PAGELLE: (ratings)

Buffon- 7.5: While he probably could have been a bit more attentive on Roma’s sleezy cheap goal, he more than made up for it with that brilliant save on Totti. A goal at the end of the half for Roma very well could have changed the game. How a man as big as him has the reflexes he does is confounding, he defies the laws of physics.

Grygera- 8: His offensive contribution was mixed, and he started the game a bit slowly, however Zdenek made some terrific challenges and looked defensively sharp throughout the rest of the game. If he can get some consistency, I see no reason why we need to dump him.
Cannavaro- 8: I’ll try and refrain from anti-Cannavaro comments, but you all know my position on him and nothing will change it. He got roasted once by Menez, but made great blocks, tackles, and generally looked defensively untroubled.
Chiellini- 8: An absolute monster in the air, the Cannavaro-Chiellini partnership is starting to gel so it seems. Equally capable when switched back to left-back.
De Ceglie- 7: The worst of the defenders but there is absolutely no shame in that tonight. Defensively he looked quite good to me most of the game, and offensively he worked hard. His crosses started Molinaro-esque but they improved. Ferrara obviously believes in him and with a solid run-out in the team, he will be our new starter.

Marchisio- 6: Still hasn’t really found his form this season, though he played better last week against Chievo. Roamed the midfield and caused plenty of pressure but didn’t really do anything that stood out in my mind. Unfortunate to go off with an injury that will likely cost him some Azzurri caps over the next two weeks.
Tiago- 7: To quote Datasport, “every game he looks more like the player Juventus thought they had bought 3 years ago.” Goddamn it took a long time, but it seems Tiago is finding his position in the team. He was smart with possession and determined without. His performance was good today, but not brilliant.
Felipe Melo-8: Maybe he’ll win me over after all…and then probably head out to Real Madrid the next day. He started out pretty poorly and conceded that led to De Rossi’s goal, but was brilliant for the rest of the game, someone needs to take a video of his performance today and show it to Sissoko. He sat deep in midfield and broke up plays excellently and covered defensively for the fullbacks when they ventured forward. Scored a great goal at the end to cap off a great debut. A good game, but to quote Yule Brenner, “This doesn’t mean I like you.”

Diego- 9: One word, genius. This kid is destined for some great things, as Datasport put it, it looks like he’s been playing at Juve for 10 years. There has been almost no problems with him, he has adjusted instantly to Serie A and much of the credit has to go to Ferrara for building the team around him. Two great goals and created plenty of opportunities. Just as Sissoko can learn from Melo’s performance today, so too can Giovinco. Diego’s first goal made me wonder if Giovinco would have had the physical strength to hold off Riise. The Zidane comparisons are premature, but one thing that reminded me of Zizou was the fact that Diego isn’t that fast on the counter…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Iaquinta- 7: As usual, ran his heart out for the team and was a bit unlucky to not score. This man bleeds bianconero.
Amauri- 7: While not quite as good as last week, Amauri was very threatening today and won his duel with Mexes, though he was desperately unlucky to not get his name on the scoresheet. The referee unfairly called him back a number of times because of his size, a clash, the Roma player drops to the ground, whistle went against him, lame. A presence in the air.

Subs-
Camoranesi- 6: Camo didn’t do it for me today, he looked to be in decent form but didn’t seem to find his place in the 3-man midfield.
Poulsen- 5.5: Ran around and carried the ball but didn’t do much. C. Zanetti had a class game for Fiorentina…too bad we don’t have him to come off the bench.
Legrottaglie- 7: Came on, read the plays well and had Totti locked up in the air. Can’t ask for anything more.

Random thoughts about the game-
Ferrara: Goddamn I love him. Great team selection and the tactics were great, as Juve owned most of the possession. Under Ranieri there were several changes we were all crying out for, ie- Given the strength of our CBs, why not occasionally move Chiellini to LB and play Stendardo-Legro in the center? I grinned when he did that today. It hardly could have gone better today, and a lot of credit needs to go to Ferrara.
Roma: Julio Sergio, really? What the hell man, look out Doni. And that was a classy goal, and by classy, I mean scuzzy like scoring when a player is down injured. Cassetti is and always has been rubbish. Menez has a lot of maturing to do. De Rossi was pretty crappy today, especially given his primary job was to stop Diego. He did not do that. Cerci has a bright future. Who needs 2 Roma-born-and-bred players when you have 2 Torinese on the pitch? Roma started with 4 Italians, we had 7. (8 if you consider Diego/Amauri to be half Italian)
Del Piero v. Totti: Some Romanistas have laughingly suggested that Totti is vastly superior to ADP. You can do all the backheels you want, but match-winning goals are a bit more important. Totti hasn’t had any against us the last 3 years. ADP had had 2.
Rocchi: Good god, the first half he was whipping out that yellow card like he was Chinese. (Sorry, had to put that in there. What does that mean, anyways?) Then the 2nd he wasn’t. A pretty good refereeing performance but too often he whistled for fouls that he shouldn’t have.
Inter: The Scudetto race is officially on.

When this is on your bench…your team is in good shape.

“I am happy with the two goals and the victory. We played a great match. It is thanks to the Juventus environment, to Ferrara, to my team mates, to the affection of the fans. It is thanks to all this that I managed to fit in well. The strength of Juve is this: the capability of players of great class to adapt to a scheme and to sacrifice themselves if necessary.” -Diego Ribas da Cunha

Just look at our tifosi back there behind those two Brazilians- I fucking love this club. Enjoy the photos everyone. Alessio’s gonna spit something out a little more comprehensive in a bit probably, but as I’m sure he can agree, some photos say it all.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

RECENT ENCOUNTERS: The good news of course is that the last few years, despite Roma’s near-Scudetto in 07-08, we’ve kicked their asses. 2004 was the last time they’ve won a game against us, kicking our ass 4-0 in Rome, but Spalletti has never beaten Juve and the last few seasons read 2-2, 1-0, 2-0, 4-1, which bodes pretty well. Last encounter in Rome was against an injury-ravaged team and we thrashed them good, 4-1, with the highlight of the night being Nedved’s wonder volley from the edge of the box. Roma’s not so injury-ravaged this time though, so it’ll be a very different game.

You know what’s awesome about this video? I realized when searching YouTube that last spring’s 4-1 drubbing in Rome is the 2nd of the last 5-6 years or so.

RECENT FORM:
Juventus- Preseason games ignored, we labored hard against Chievo. The scoreline should have been bigger, but for an opener against a very resilient squad, I’ll take it.
Roma- The million-dollar question: Can they replicate their Europa League form in Serie A? The team fell to Genoa last week 3-2 in an exciting encounter, but have thrashed their opponents in the Europa League with two 7-1 results already. Those are pretty rubbish teams, but they did look different in those matches; more determined, more cohesive, etc.

FORMATIONS AND LINEUPS:
Juventus- 4-3-1-2: This may be the first time in 2 years it isn’t 4-4-2. Well, not true, we did experiment with 4-3-3 and even a 3-4-1-2 once. Out of the game are Sissoko and Zebina certainly, Salihamidzic likely to miss out and Felipe Melo and Diego are pushing for full fitness. Cannavaro-Chiellini look set to continue their partnership as Legrottaglie looks on forlorn from the bench, and given the substitute in the last game, De Ceglie preferred over Molinaro. Grygera will likely man the right-flank, though Caceres played well in a training match, scoring a long-range goal.

In midfield, Diego will certainly be slotting into the trequartista, provided he is healthy, and after a positive game against Chievo much will be expected of him. I’ve got a new phrase I’ll be using, and that’s the Melo effect. Simply, if a player is transferred into the squad and cost a lot of money or has a big name, he will start over the incumbent regardless of form. It sort of can be applied to Cannavaro, but Felipe Melo, if healthy, will almost certainly be starting, which makes no sense as his preseason form was pretty crap. Marchisio and Tiago will probably round it out, though if Melo is missing, Poulsen may get yet another chance to prove himself and hopefully get that reencounter with Totti we’ve all been waiting for.

In attack, Del Piero should be fit, but it remains to be seen if Ferrara will choose him. Trez still looks like he’ll be waiting for his chance, after a positive game last week I think Ciro will stick with Iaquinta-Amauri. Iaquinta had a few good chances though I think sometimes his decision-making was iffy, and Amauri looked in phenomenal form despite not getting on the scoresheet.

Predicted XI: Buffon; Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, De Ceglie; Marchisio, Tiago, Poulsen; Diego; Amauri, Iaquinta

Roma- The Giallorossi have a few absentees, notably Doni, Andreolli, Vucinic, and Brighi. From the looks of their Europa League exploits, they haven’t really missed them. For better info, go read Chris’ take on it (expect a lot of comments about ladri, thieves, maybe a chateau d’if reference, and of course irrational hatred for Nedved) at the Roma Offside.

Predicted XI: Channel4 says this- 4-2-3-1: Artur; Motta, Mexes, Burdisso, Riise; De Rossi, Pizarro; Taddei, Menez, Guberti; Totti
Goal.com says this- 4-3-3: Artur; Motta, Mexes, Burdisso, Riise; Taddei, Pizarro, De Rossi; Totti, Vucinic, Menez.

Pick whichever you like.

A lovely picture yours truly took in Florence. That much I can agree with Viola fans.

KEY PLAYERS:
As much as I hate to admit it, Goal.com’s preview is right on this one. Diego for Juve, and Totti for Roma. Diego had a great first half where he was dribbling past half of Chievo and putting in great final passes, whereas Totti has scored a lot in the opening Europa League games. A lot.

KEY BATTLES:
Spalletti v. Juve- Juve- Spalletti has a pretty poor record against Juve with Roma, having never won in the 3 seasons he’s played the Bianconeri. I rate Spalletti pretty highly, but I don’t think they will win this weekend, a draw would be a good result for them. After Iaquinta’s brace last spring, Spalletti probably won’t be complaining about how Iaquinta doesn’t “score enough.”

Nazionale Capitano v. Romanista Capitano- Push- Funny how different the two are, Cannavaro is not really associated with a particular team in Italy, whereas obviously Totti is the symbol of Roma, of all-time. Both have started out the season on the right foot, and it will be a fascinating duel between them.

Roma-born-and-bred Midfield General v. Turin-born-and-bred Midfield General- Push- De Rossi has been in pretty poor form this season and he’ll have his work cut out to contain Diego, but that doesn’t free him of responsibility to roam the center-midfield. Some have called Marchisio the Turin answer to DDR, and while I don’t necessarily agree with the comparison, the duo will have an interesting battle.

Prediction: 2-1 to the Bianconeri. Totti, Marchisio, and Amauri to score. Roma’s offense has been good the preseason, and that simply means Juve’s defense which has been decent needs to stifle them. Roma’s defense has been pretty miserable and we should be able to exploit that well, but ultimately, I think we need to do our best on defense and the result will take care of itself. Let’s beat these whiny inferior bastards.

Other previews:
Goal.com (EN)
Football Italia
Football Italiano- Juve preview
Football Italiano- The Roma side
And for sheer entertainment, Chris’ preview/review of the 2-2 draw in Rome from our return to Serie A.