With no game to review this past weekend the guys still got together and chewed the fat of a number of topics that normally there would not be time to delve into. First up was the Azzurri’s qualifier against Slovenia which was very difficult for three Juventini to assess for a number of reasons, chief among them being impressive displays from fullbacks. (you may need to google what that actually means, we know it’s been a while!) Of course the majority of the focus was the Bianconeri on display and what their performances may mean upon returning to club duties.

From there a close up of the players away from the club on loan began, with Ekdal, Marrone, Amauri, Pasquato and Giovinco featuring prominently. Lastly there is a preview of the Roma game, which seemed an ideal opportunity to invite the Giallorossi-supporting Julian De Martinis on the show. Initially he was allowed to discuss his team then Adam blames him for Marco Motta & it descends into who’s Captain is better…..

Hope you all enjoy the show (even you Julian!) Thanks for listening as always

Aaron, Marco, Lars and Adam

Quack Quack…

Well-known for his sympathies with his family’s hometown (Bari), it gave Aaron no pleasure to make his long-awaited return to the podcast right after a loss to Lecce. In spite of the result we were in good (gallows?) humour during this post-game recording as we discussed the non-existent defence, porous midfield and blunt attack of this lunch-time no-show of a game.

Despite the many flaws, for which the players all needed and seemingly received a rough ride in training this week, we move on past the loss and try to focus on the positive work being done at the club. Our plea to Delneri: more anti-Inter, less anti-Lecce. We also give a mention to ex-Juventino manager Claudio Ranieri, who seemingly can’t catch a break at Roma or ever topping his 2nd-best rep.

Thank you for Joining our four-man team (no stragglers playing anyone onside here either) of Aaron, Marco, Lars and Adam.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Raise that voice, San Gigi!

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6- Since he’s come back, San Gigi has hardly had any saves to make. He’s played against Catania, Bari, and now Sampdoria, and seriously, we should be charging him admission. Today, Sampdoria only had one real effort on goal, a mis-shot that luckily landed right in Pazzini’s path, who horribly scuffed it. Is it a coincidence our defense has tightened up since San Gigi is back? I don’t think so, he certainly is very vocal and provides that leadership that perhaps Storari, as great a shot-stopper he is, had been hit-or-miss on.

Motta: 5- Sadly, every game is turning out to be the same for Motta. Can’t really defend, caught out of position, offers very limited in attack, it’s becoming painfully clear that his option will not be picked up come June. I wonder if he knows that.
Bonucci: 7- Classy play from defense, he’s certainly more of a passer than Giorgio is. The two of them formed an unbreakable pairing today, the fullbacks general mediocrity notwithstanding, and hardly let Pazzini or Macheda have an eye on goal. Had a very good effort on goal, altogether a very confident performance from Leonardo.
Chiellini: 6.5- Dominated aerial play and kept Sampdoria quiet for much of the game. He’d get Bonucci’s rating although he had a nervy moment here and there, one he was booked for, and one was a possible penalty shout for bulldozing over Macheda in the box. Not saying it was a penalty, but some referees might have called it.
Grosso: 6- Came on as a sub shortly after Traore, and much like his generally “acceptable” performance this season after having been frozen out of the squad, did his job as a professional. Limited Mannini’s movement on the wings, didn’t offer much up top, but an improved defensive display.

Guberti was playing in Serie B two years ago, c’mon Marco…

Krasic: 5.5- Like our team in general, he hasn’t really clicked back into gear after the Christmas break. Milos had a few accelerations that probably freaked out Ziegler and Samp fans, but faded fast from the game and had very little influence. Rightfully hooked after the break.
Aquilani: 6- Was very inconsistent today, and Juve’s performance closely mirrored that inconsistency. Doesn’t seem as fully fit as he was back in December, physically he faded as the game went on. It might be because as Adam notes on the newest episode of “It Ain’t Over”, he had a lot more defense work to do, helped out Motta on the right wing on occasion.
Sissoko: 6.5- It was a very physical match with lots of tackles, exactly what Momo thrives on, and he had a good performance. Won the ball back, for much of the 1st half, he controlled the midfield with Aquilani and Marchisio. A lively battle with Poli and Palombo.
Marchisio: 6- As a winger offered his typical hard work and coverage, but I really don’t like him as a left-winger, I think his talent is wasted. You can probably copy-paste this line for every one of his games at left-mid.

Pepe: 6.5- Surprised me at how naturally he slotted in at seconda punta, of course, it was his original role years ago, but he rolled back the years instantly. I think that’s as good as a performance as Floro Flores would give, sorta ditto for Martinez. Moved to a winger position and cooled down a bit, but a good performance.
Amauri: 3.5- What can you say anymore about Amauri? Forget us, this man needs to get the fuck out of Turin for his own sake. Unless he wants to pull a Winston Bogarde, clearly the playing environment is not working for him, and a move might shake things up to get him to be a half decent striker, because right now, Erjon Bodgani has FIVE more goals than him in Serie A.

Il Mister applauding his former fans…Sampdoria fans.

Delneri: 5.5- While Delneri clearly his been working at the defensive problems we had (and it’s paid off) there are a number of decisions that are baffling to me. I’ll go into them more below.
Del Piero: 6.5- Yes, he missed a golden opportunity to win the game, but three possible reasons. First, that’s not an easy goal to score, he should have, but was trying to place it and leaned back too much. Second, he’s had the flu and was very sick yesterday, and third, the Marassi pitch was dreadful. Disappointing for him to miss, but he made a difference when he came on and proved at age 36 that he’s still a crucial member of this squad.
Martinez: 7- Speaking of difference-makers, whew. El Malaka came on and totally changed the game, opening Sampdoria’s defense up time and time again despite coming on 6 minutes before regulation time ends. Created 3 golden opportunities, two Alex shots, and headed back for Amauri to somehow not bang it in.

Things I Think I Think:

#1- Moments that Delneri made me facepalm-
a. Why on earth is Amauri still starting? Some said supposedly Delneri gave Amauri today as his “last chance” to prove himself, as much as I’d like to believe it, I doubt it. The man is awful, and he destroys our offensive play simply by existing. Unable to get into goal-scoring position, too slow to beat players like Volta to the ball, cannot shoot, cannot score, he’s awful. I understand maybe Delneri wants to keep his value/self-esteem high, but I think both are still ruined by him playing. It’s time for Delneri or Marotta to come out and say “Amauri’s time at Juventus is finished, we thank him for his efforts but it’s best for us to both move on.” Promote Libertazzi (1:20 in the video) and give him some time, he’s promising. Or Giannetti, he may have been relatively anonymous against Catania (I think it was?) but Amauri literally destroys our play by being up top, Giannetti wouldn’t necessarily help, but he wouldn’t harm it either.
b. Why didn’t El Malaka come on earlier? Jorge Martinez has had many critics dating back to this summer, you may recall I am not one of them. While he probably wouldn’t have been a primary transfer target for me, there’s no doubt he’s a creative and versatile player. It’s a shame he showed up to training overweight and out of shape. Regardless, he started to show some of his talent heading into November before breaking his foot against Milan. And in the last two weeks, he’s looked very lively when playing. He played 30 minutes last week, trained all week, why on earth couldn’t he have done a half? Whether it was up top with Del Piero as he did before, or as a winger, he changed the game. Couple more chances and surely we’d have buried the, right? As someone mentioned- maybe if he gets in good form, we’ll see a long-haired South American tricky dribbler and a blonde Eastern European tearing up the flanks again…
c. Did Delneri confuse the wings? There’s a couple things that Delneri has done tactically on the wings that makes plenty of sense. Pairing an ultra defense right-back (Grygera/Sorensen) with an ultra-offensive winger, of course Krasic, makes sense. There might not be overlapping play between them, but they stick to their task, and do it well. On the other flank, Marchisio started playing left-wing to accomodate Paolo De Ceglie’s less than stellar defensive abilities, although they did improve as the season goes on. Grosso shouldn’t need anyone to hold his hand, so Pepe should be able to play in front of him no problem, with typical Pepe hard work. I don’t understand why Marchisio is playing on the left-wing when he doesn’t really need to (I guess playing time out of position is better than no playing time) or why Delneri chose to go with Motta again. As I said, Motta might realize by now he probably won’t get picked up, and if he does, his performances will surely drop, but playing him behind Krasic limits Milos immensely. Milos has to track back more, play more defense, offer coverage…things that surely limit his attacking play, right? So play Sorensen/Grygera-Milos on the right, and on the left, if Marchisio is playing, we want a more attacking fullback. Like maybe Simone Pepe.

#2- I’d Love Andrea Poli on this Team. Should Sampdoria be interested in selling (they’re probably not) there’s no question we should look at Poli. Very young still, Delneri launched his career last year and he formed a great center midfield partnership with Palombo, he’s been on the outs of the first team most of this year, and put in a pretty good performance today to show what promise he does have. Poli has denied any interest in moving to Juve, and relations with Samp of course are not very good, unfortunately.

Milos and a future teammate?

#3- I’d also take Ziegler. (and Palombo, Lucchini, and I guess half of Samp) Sure, Milos was having an offday, but Ziegler did a pretty good job at left-back for Samp, a very efficient display. He’s worked under Delneri in the past, and while he wouldn’t be a big upgrade on De Ceglie, I think he’d be a fine player to rotate in with him, it’d be nice to have a reserve left-back that isn’t atrocious. Certainly a big upgrade over Traore or Grosso, that’s for sure. It seems Ziegler will finish the next 6 months of his contract at Sampdoria, but he’s eligible to negotiate a move in June starting now. Marotta should start talking to him- Milan is interested as well, though perhaps Beppe doesn’t want to “upset” Sampdoria in case he decides to go Crazy this summer…

#4- The Quality has Disappeared from Sampdoria- Boy, and some people complain about our side being too functional and not creative. Not only does Andrea Poli not get enough playing time, they dumped Cassano for virtually free, their creativity has dried up. Not good for two strikers like Pazzini and Macheda who thrive on service in the box. It’s sad to see Samp this year, they are a shell of a team they were last year, and it’s hard to see a positive future for them. Di Carlo won’t get them relegated, but he’s used to working with teams full of garbage teams, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a creative, forceful Sampdoria anytime in the near future. That talk about the Vialli-Mancini partnership being recreated with Pazzini-Cassano? No more. I wonder how long Giampaolo will want to stay at a team destined for mid-table finishes…

#5- Team Eats- Pesto, I happen to know everything there is to know about pesto. I love pesto. I love pesto on pancakes. I love it on pizza. And I take pesto and put a little bit in my hair when I’ve had a rough week.

Milos v. Sampdoria 4 months ago…

#6- Krasic needs a break. From calcio, and from Motta. Maybe Milos is just a bit tired? I know he’s He-man and all, but even superheroes need to take a break once in a while, right? Kid has been playing nonstop for about a year now, with CSKA and the World Cup occupying pretty much his entire summer, it’s easy to see how he could hit a bit of burnout now. Or maybe it’s just because he has to track back more to cover Motta, which makes him a little more tired, and begins a vicious cycle…

#7- Roma and Udinese coming up this Week- Reasons to care about these upcoming games- sure, it’s just Roma in the Coppa, but we’re both tied on 9 wins, and 10 gives us a big fancy star. I’d like the Coppa, but 2nd best is Roma not getting that silver star before us. Petty? Absolutely. And Udinese might want a bit of revenge. We spanked them 4-0 at their home earlier this fall when their season was starting off absurdly slow. Then again, that was revenge for losing 3-0 at the Stadio Friuli last March. Does revenge transfer stadiums? I don’t know, but Udinese thrashed Inter 3-1 today, and have been scoring absurdly freely in the last month, one of the in-form teams in Serie A. They will not be the same team we rolled over in September, although I feel Udinese played well but Inter also played poorly.

#8- This team today with Luca Toni in place of Amauri gets the 3 points. Just sayin. Also, a small (very small) part of me does feel for Amauri. You can see the goal-scoring drought is weighing on him, his confidence is shot, he’s probably depressed. Like I said, leaving Torino might be the best option for him career-wise as well as psychologically at this point.

#9- Mercato Madness- Zarate? Don’t like him. Overrated and attitude issues. Forlan and Fabiano are great players, but too old to move to make them our “franchise prima punta”, we’d have to replace both in 2 years or so, and that’s not worth the investment Sevilla or Atletico would want. Matri’s available on free in 6 months, and he’s an interesting idea, but my mind is still shouting the same thing it was about 18 months ago- “Pazzini, bitches.” If we move for him, Garrone might not invite Beppe to his birthday party next year, but it’s worth it…

On behalf of the Juventus Offside, a very warm “thank you” to Cesena for gifting the game to us. Given our injury situation, our still rather delicate morale, we needed a win, and 3-1 suffices nicely in a game where we have an 18-year old kid playing center-back alongside a still rather inexperienced center-back. Of course, Cesena didn’t start out that nicely, they took the lead after 11 minutes after our defense was generally caught napping. But a penalty (and yellow card) from Pellegrino put us back on track, and when Pellegrino was sent off for a crappy hack on Pepe, the game was over. Cesena folded up shop, attempted to play 10 9 men behind the ball, and let us dictate.

So in that sense, maybe this isn’t a victory we should celebrate. But I’m going to, you know what? The injury situation is bad enough, and that’s two wins in a row in Serie A, something we haven’t done yet this season. And a decent motivation boost like Milan, that despite all the injuries and reasons we should be drawing to inferior teams, we’re still coming up with the points. We need to carry that to Brescia, and do the same, unlike Inter who dropped 2 points at home in a similar injury crisis. Bring it on, Zebina and co.

LE PAGELLE:

Storari: 6- Marco had to do nothing for most of the game, other than pick the ball out of the net. And then made a good save about an hour later. Remains plenty attentive even when there’s not much going on, signs of being very mature.

Motta: 6- Wasn’t totally impressed with the performance, he struggled real bad in the beginning with Giaccherini, but grew a bit more into the match. An average performance, let’s hope he grows with the plenty of time he’ll be getting.
Sorensen: 6- Nerves clearly got to him in the first 15 minutes of the match, which is totally understandable for an 18-year old making his top flight debut. After that, Bonucci and his formed a capable partnership.
Bonucci: 6- Still plays around with the ball too much on occasion. We all wondered if Bonucci would get enough playing time this season, but only 2 months into the season, he’s the most experienced central defender! Nutty.
Grosso: 6- Kept Jimenez onside for the goal, but a very impressive performance considering he hasn’t played in 6 months. Capped with a great tackle to win possession for the 3rd goal. I still want him gone in January.

Marchisio: 7- A real dynamic performance from the future captain, switching wings, playing central, winning the ball back, defending the flank as a quasi-terzino, just a real tactically brilliant game from him. Covered the flanks when players moved up, switched with Pepe, and crossed a delicious ball in for Quagliarella to head into the net.
Sissoko: 5.5- Could have been sent off during the match, it was another “Groan Momo” kind of games. Still yet to get into top form, but frankly this game is never going to be one he’s going to make his mark in. When we’re playing a team that parks the bus, Momo isn’t going to unlock them. And defensively, there’s much less required.
Aquilani: 6.5- Another class performance from Albertino, excellent vision and consistent passing, he also displayed his new-found skill at defending when Cesena were attempting to get back to a 2-2.
Pepe: 6- Offered a typical Pepe performance- ran a lot, covered his wings for the forward runs of Motta/Grosso depending on what flank he is. I think the confusion of moving around is messing with him a bit, he’s gone from playing up top in a 4-3-3 for Italy, then midfield, then a fullback against Milan, back to midfield today. On SKY they mentioned “it all came apart for Pepe in the last 20 yards.” Got Pellegrino sent off, though, which killed the game more than any goal would have.

Del Piero: 7- Two days before his 36th birthday, Alex started the match having played 90minutes just a few days ago. The conventional wisdom (which I also have espoused) is that Del Piero cannot play two games in the same week. Yet again, he proves us wrong, with an excellent game just after playing the full Salzburg game. Always creative, always looking to supply his teammates with passes, and always looking at the goal. Class is permanent.
Quagliarella: 6.5- Another great header to make it 2-1. I have to say, I questioned Quagliarella’s consistency and whether he’d be good enough for Juve, but 5 goals in 8 games in Serie A is evidence enough. He’s scoring, and that what counts. Got a little greedy later in the game, but on his form, why not have a few pops at goal?

Delneri: 6.5- Not an exemplary game from Juve, and ordinarily it would earn a 5.5 or 6. But given the injury problems we’re dealing with, GDN is managing this team very well.
Salihamidzic: 6- Like Grosso, he came on after a 6 month absence from professional football and performed admirably. Grosso needs to go, but Brazzo deserves to finish out the season as part of the team. Partly to woo Dzeko, perhaps, but he seriously deserves it. Nice little chipped cross to Iaquinta for the 3rd goal.
Iaquinta: 6.5- Another return from injury for Vincenzone, but while looking rusty again, he capped the night with a lovely goal to surely put the game away.
Melo: s.v.- Wasn’t match fit when he came on, and limped off. Good news is that scans have revealed that there’s no real damage.

Quagliarella and Del Piero are developing quite the relationship

Things I Think I Think:

#1- For Roberto’s minute-by-minute match summary, check it out here. He goes more into the actual gameplay of the match.

#2- What’s the Real Momo? As I discuss on “It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings” this week, Momo had a rough last year. He was pretty much injured the entire fall, and then dealt with a major family tragedy in the Spring as both his in-laws were killed in a car accident in France, and thus, he had 5 siblings-in-law all under 18 that moved in with him and his wife. To that end, Zaccheroni urged Juventus fans to write off his performances from last season, and give him a fresh start. The thing is, he was pretty average back in 08-09 or so, too. Coming up on his 26th birthday, he likely won’t develop too many new skills, like distribution. Is he a good reserve CM? Sure. Can he grow from where he’s at? Yes, but as a reserve that’s less certain.

#3- Tactics, Tactics, Tactics: As the title implies, Cesena shot themselves in the foot with the penalty and sending off. Or we can say Pellegrino shot Cesena in the foot for both. Up until that point, it was a fairly even game, but down to 10-men, Cesena withdrew into their own half. Which favors players like Aquilani, Grosso, and Motta, who like to move forward and open up the other team, not so much for Pepe or Sissoko who don’t really have the magic to unlock the other teams bus. To this end, looking at the map of the average position, it’s quite clear. This was a game where Cesena defending, and Juve attacked. That’s why the players are fairly spread out, and much more advanced than say a much more compact game against Milan.

Blue is position against Milan, Red is against Cesena, just the Starting XI members

#4- Good to see you, Stephen: I always liked Appiah, he was a real talented player but unfortunately, some pretty devastating injuries has derailed what was a promising career. And I’ll always remember him fondly for this golazo against Cagliari, during the game that marked our 28th Scudetto. Did Moggi make that goal too?

#5- The passion and the grinta: Lars Pedersen has a wonderful write-up about the magic of supporting a team battling against the odds. Read it.

#6- The Stars Were Out in Torino:

C’E UNA STELLA IN CIELO CHE INDICA IL CAMMINO, FORZA JUVE VINCERE E IL TUO DESTINO!

Juventus traveled to the San Siro just a few days before our 113th birthday, and boy, did the Old Lady look banged up. No Krasic, no Chiellini, no Prima Punta….no problem. We played a tactically brilliant game, everyone sacrificing for the side and came away with a 2-1 victory, the first time we defeated Milan at their home since 2005, the last time Mediaset/Milan the FIGC suspended our best player. And in the shadows of the night, Allegri and Milan had a big wake-up call: Surely, they will not be able to ride their superstars to Scudetto glory, it will require much more. For us, the growth of our side defensively and tactically continues to improve and perhaps, put a little hope into Bianconeri hearts.

LE PAGELLE:

Storari: 6.5- Never had any miracles to save, but had to stay attentive and be smart. Did his job very well against his old squad.

Motta: 5- Didn’t read the play well or make tackles with assurance. Another relatively poor performance.
Bonucci: 6- Was troubled occasionally by Ibrahimovic, but otherwise played another very solid game, confirming that he is Juve material.
Legrottaglie: 6.5- Came into the coaches plans in the last few minutes of warm-up, as Chiellini suffered a minor calf injury and failed to recover. Played immaculately at the back, marshaled the backline well.
De Ceglie: 6.5- Has really grown into his role as a left-back in the last 2 months, such a shame he is out for so long. Looked confident in marking and tackling, and of course, his crossing was money as usual.

Felipe Melo dominating the midfield

Marchisio: 6.5- A very intelligent and tactical performance from Claudio, who plugged holes, started counter-attacks, and held his flank well, be it on the left or right.
Felipe Melo: 7- A tremendous performance from the ball-winning Brazilian. Was in the midst of every midfield event, tackling and winning the ball back frequently.
Aquilani: 5.5- Bit of a let-down after his performances recently. Was slipping all over the pitch, managed to get a bit more into the game when he changed boots, but still a relatively subdued game from Albertino.
Martinez: 6.5- Battled real hard on his flank, playing with personality. Also managed to show flashes of his technical ability.

Quagliarella has learned well from Grygera- If I stick to Alex, I can stay at Juve.

Quagliarella: 7- Ran a lot, pressuring Pirlo in midfield and keeping Milan’s defense honest. Scored a wonderful header, and also picked out Sissoko with an intelligent cross-field pass for the 2nd goal.
Del Piero: 6.5- Didn’t see a whole lot of the ball and sacrificed with Quagliarella by pressuring Milan’s midfield, but was effective and intelligent when on the ball.

Delneri: 7.5- A tactical masterpiece. Nothing more to say than that.
Pepe: 5.5- Talk about a tough environment to change positions in. Beaten by Ibrahimovic for Milan’s goal, but never should have been marking him in the first place.
Sissoko: 6- ROFL. That is all.
Amauri: s.v.- Brought on to waste-time, so we could launch the ball up to him and the Italo-Brazilian would protect it. Did the job required of him.

A very hardworking performance from Quagliarella

The definition of tactically compact

Things I Think I Think:

#1- A Tactical Masterpiece: The team was united, compact, always in position, fighting for the ball, it was brilliant, every coaches dream. As we discussed on the podcast, our team can outrun and outhustle Milan. We bullied them in midfield and acted clinically on the counter-attack. Everyone put in a committed performance, the only underperformers I’d say were Motta and Aquilani.

#2- Legrottaglie’s contract must be extended: If you’re a long-term reader of this blog, you already knew I’d be saying this. As one who owns not just one, but two Nicola Legrottaglie jerseys (03-04, 09-10), I do love the man. A lot. He may have turned 34, but his experience and leadership are invaluable. Would Rinaudo have walked in and played as well as Nicola? Doubt it. And that was Legrottaglie’s first start of the season! He also acts as a great mentor for the team, Motta, De Ceglie, Chiellini have all spoken of the attention he’s given them as defenders, and Storari named him as one who welcomed him to Juve and helped him settle in Torino. He needs a year extension, and if he’s still working at 35, why not? Even if he’s the 4th choice central defender, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one in Italy. Certainly not one with his demeanor, experience, and maturity.

Who gave him their shirt…?

#3- We won without Buffon, Chiellini, or Krasic: It bears repeating. Serious kudos to the entire team who played their hearts out there. More proof that a tactically organized team can easily beat a group of superstars. Imagine this team when we get Krasic, Chiellini, Buffon, Iaquinta, Amauri, Lanzafame, Martinez, De Ceglie, and Traore back.

#4- Injuries are different this year: We’ve had injury problems, but it seems Agnelli’s work did fix whatever the issues at Vinovo were. Buffon and Rinaudo are out with back problems, but most of our current injuries seem to be impact ones. Time for Agnelli to start stocking vitamin/calcium supplements at Vinovo, I think we might have drugstore there.

#5- Del Piero breaks all the records there are: It was just a matter of time though, right?

Gattuso responds by attempting to break his face:

#6- Krasic watch: Totti slapped Oliveira and got a 1-match ban. Gattuso clubbed Del Piero in the face and escaped any punishment. Antonini took a massive dive against Legrottaglie. Felipe Melo went down having hardly been touched by “Milan’s Greek guy.” FIGC, are you watching? Where are the bans for these?

#7- Full match narrated by Zuliani

#8- Team Eats: Uhhhh, a muffaletta and some cheese fries. Not very Milanese, I was in a bar watching the game. There were actually a few Milan fans there, but American football fans are hit or miss. He wanted a yellow card for De Ceglie’s tackle on Bonera that resulted in them injured. When I pointed out De Ceglie won the ball fairly before the knee-to-knee contact, he interrupted and literally said “Foul, bro.” Cringe.

C’E UNA STELLA IN CIELO CHE INDICA IL CAMMINO, FORZA JUVE VINCERE E IL TUO DESTINO!

Then comes the Milan preview (how’s THAT for a segway?), a look at how the two teams may line up, what tactics may suit Juve at San Siro, Aaron’s belief that Seedorf is powered by prune juice & the special “Welcome Back To Serie A” that Chiellini may have prepared for you know who.

Of course there are other topics up for debate, namely if Brescia are now an indoor football team thanks to Zebina…

Thanks for listening as always!
-Adam, Aaron, and Marco

Juventus dives back into the championship after the away match in Salzburg and Del Neri wants to see the spirit, which last Sunday allowed the bianconeri to beat Lecce and which even before that play an excellent match against Inter:

“I expect continuity in results, commitment and attention. We will try to show on the field that we have built a certain mentality, even though we know we will be playing against an aggressive team. I hope, even in the future, that there might be no ups and downs but a constant rendition. Bologna is a solid team. I saw them play against Inter and I got an excellent impression. What I expect from Juventus is that we face this match with the right attitude and with the rightful respect for the opponents”.

Against the rossoblu, Grygera will be missing due to injury. To substitute him, Del Neri excluded any surprises such as the moving back of Pepe: “First I must try this out and I don’t think I’ll do so during a match unless I do not have any other options. I must see whether he has the right attitude to play as fullback during training. We will see what alternatives there are, even in the Primavera. Camilleri, for example already played at important levels, even though he must now recover from injury”.

The match of Juventus against Salzburg and even the other matches in the Europa League and Champions League showed difficulties by the Italian teams: “No match is simple but we must wait before passing definite judgments in Europe or the championship. In the cup one plays against teams with different attitudes and sometimes you are made to pay for this. You cannot always field the same formation and therefore you need the capability to take the opportunity by fielding those who played less”.

In the championship, Juve seems to have found the right line-up with Marchisio on the left. The fact he has reached the yellow cards limit will not condition Del Neri: “The match against Bologna as it stands now is more important then the one against Milan. At this moment, the team needs protection and having players with certain assets we have opted for this attitude up to now”.

“It depends on the type of match: Krasic and Martinez seen in Manchester did not seem bad at all…we do not lack solutions. We score a lot? This is because we have excellent players. There are teams who have an excellent base to score a good number of goals and other teams with different solutions. I am happy to have them and then perhaps more attention is paid to the goals conceded by Juventus rather then scored”.

“I however, tend to see the glass as half full and am happy when we score 4 goals. I still don’t know where we can get yet, though. The “works in progress” are continuing but we must try to improve and remain serene whether things go well or not”. Juventus.com

It’s 3 a.m. right now and I’ve got to get up in six hours to watch this game. So here are the official call-ups, and check the comments section below for formations, live streams, and last minute updates as per usual. I’m off to sleep. See you all in the morning.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

The level of nostalgia might be at an all-time high for Manninger, but he’s aware that this will be an encounter against a team that although sit seventh domestically and are four games without a win in Europe, will try to get back into the running of qualification. Met by reporters at the airport on their way to Austria, Manninger answered a few questions. Here’s the gist of what our Austrian goalkeeper said:

‘… For me it will be a special game, but in the end those are three very important points. Salzburg are a very organized team, with a very technical coaching staff, that have lots of support from their fans. Granted they’ve started the domestic season poorly this year, but they certainly have the talent to cause us problems and on that day they’re looking to win as well. This will be an important match also for their team, staff, and fans, so it will be difficult for us in that sense. …’

Although as difficult as it may be, Juventus should theoretically be able to keep a clean sheet against a side that failed to score a goal in their last two European matches, especially considering our much improved backline. If Del Neri gets worried however, he only needs to pick up the phone and call ex-Bianconeri and ex-FC Salzburg coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, who I’m sure will be more than happy to answer any questions Luigi might have. Il Trap led Die Bullen to one and a half championships before he took the Ireland post in February 2008.

Tonight Del Neri will rest Milos Krasic, and tips Jorge Martinez to have a fabulous game on the right in his place. On the other side of the field, Pepe should get the nod in left midfield as Marchisio shifts back into his natural position with Sissoko in center midfield. Behind that midfield four, Marco Motta gets the job at right back, with Chiellini and Legrottaglie in the middle, and Paolo De Ceglie at left back.

Last but certainly not least, Del Neri will field Amauri and Del Piero in attack seeing as Fab-Quags and Iaquinta are both unavailable. Quite the debate went on about Amauri and his usefullness to the team recently, not to mention the various Giovinco conversations, so no doubt those who defended the number eleven’s quality will look to the multi-dimensionally challenged forward to put a few in the back of the net. Here are the official call-ups. Check the comments below for live streams, formations, and other last minute updates.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

Everyone recognize the guy on the left?

Welcome home, Pavel.

Obviously, I’m extremely pleased with what we’re seeing right now. The scorelines, the enthusiasm, the desire to win reminds me of the beginning of the 2007-2008 season. We had crushing victories like 5-1 over Livorno, or 5-0 over Palermo to announce our return, but also some nailbiting entertaining encounters like our 3-2 victory against Cagliari, which we replicated (1 better!) just a few weeks ago. We started the season with a fairly drab 1-0 loss to Bari, and then the floodgates opened on both ends. We all wondered whether the scoring or conceding would dry up first, and Delneri’s hard work drilling tactics into the squad seem to be paying off.

This isn’t to say we’re out of the woods, not by a long shot. There’s much work to do, but I can say as I said this summer, this team can qualify for the Champion’s League. It may not be a Scudetto-winning team, but that’s not our aim right now. We wanted a younger, hungrier, aggressive team with a fine tactician, and that’s what we have. Regarding the Scudetto, it is a dream. I do not want the team to focus on it, I like the way we are flying under the radar right now. If we come to late March, and are still in contention, that is when we talk about it. But it is too soon, there is much work to be done. (It reminds me of the NFL Baltimore Ravens in 2000. Their coach banned them from talking about the playoffs, and the team subsequently referred to it as “Festivus.” They ended up winning the Super Bowl, or “Festivus Maximus.”)

So no more talk of the Scudetto. It remains a pipe dream, as far as I’m concerned, but we can see that this team is certainly a contender for automatic qualification to the Champion’s League.

LE PAGELLE:

Storari: 7- The sign of a great keeper is not necessarily if he can make a string of super-saves, but if he can be decisive when it’s most important. Storari made a brilliant save at 1-0, preventing Lecce from getting into the game. While I think we would have won even if they scored, Storari came up big in the one real chance they had.

Grygera: 6- With Krasic ahead of him, it removes a lot of offensive responsibility from Grygera, and it allows him to play simple, to play defense. It’s no coincidence that Krasic’s emergence has come at the same time as Grygera’s started putting in solid shifts at fullback.
Chiellini: 6.5- Keyser Giorgio gave no quarter to any of Lecce’s strikers.
Bonucci: 6- Looked a little too casual at moments, but another clean sheet and another good relationship-building performance with Chiellini. Looks like they are improving day-by-day.
De Ceglie: 6- Like Grygera, De Ceglie wasn’t too troubled as Lecce didn’t really attack down the wings. Got forward, had a few good crosses in the 1st half, but otherwise a pretty quiet game.

Anyone with photoshop skills, please take the above picture and make it into this with “Welcome to Torino”

Krasic: 8- Blimey, this guy is sensational, and he’s only 25 years old. Looking more and more like the goddamn buy of the summer, whether Serie A or all of Europe. I thought Krasic would be a great signing, but he’s looking beyond great. What is that, 2-3 assists yesterday?
Aquilani: 7- Stepped in and displayed all his quality, very much displaying the player he was at Roma. Technical quality, simple and difficult passing with ease, and a lovely long-range effort to open the scoring.
Felipe Melo: 7- Freed from any kind of playmaking responsibility, Melo is able to do what he does best. Win back the ball, and pass it to someone else. I’ve mentioned several times that Felipe also has an eye for an occasional great pass, and he shows that too. Maybe when he’s not pressured to be a playmaker is when he can actually be one.
Marchisio: 7- Played again as a central-midfielder-slash-winger, in which he occasionally advanced down the wing, other times drifted centrally to help Aquilani and Melo. Excellent performance, and on the wing he’s allowed to display a few tricks here and there. I still don’t like him outside, though.

Quagliarella: 6- Drifts out wide and deep, given a lot of tactical license. His cross, albeit not a particularly good one, led to Aquilani’s opening goal, and then with a diving header, scored Juve’s 3rd in the 1st half to kill the game. Why did he score it with a diving header when a simple tap-in could have sufficed? Because he’s Quags, damnit. If he makes it harder, it becomes easier.
Amauri: 5.5- Good build-up play, but again doesn’t seem to have the ruthless streak to score freely. With Dzeko’s shadow looming, he needs to get into form or his position as “foreign bomber who (supposedly) scores lots of goals with some skill involved” will be replaced. Fouled a lot, and caught offside in a relatively mediocre performance.

Delneri: 7.5- Everything worked well, the defense, the midfield, the offense. Cannot complain about how the coach had the team organized.
Del Piero: 10- Grazie per tutti i gol, Alex.

Things I Think I Think:
#1- Foreshadowing: Roberto titled his preview “All About The Quality.” Lecce didn’t have any.

#2- Tactics, tactics, tactics: In theory, Delneri played a 4-4-2 and will always play a 4-4-2, but for large portions of the match this was simply not the case. In reality, between Krasic shifting flanks and attacking the middle, it could easily be interpreted as a 4-3-1-2, with Marchisio drifting central and Krasic as the trequartista. Hard to argue it didn’t work.

#3- Delneri this summer: “Del Piero is the charismatic captain of Juventus but for the future I’m thinking of Marchisio. Marchiso’s an important element, a central midfielder, not a wide man. He’s young, he has the right temperament, I like him.” Gah. Where did that go to?

Aquilani is not impressed with Melo’s dancing

#4- Melo’s cucchaio: He bet his father he’d do it. Aquilani teased him he wouldn’t be able to. A cucchaio shows incredible confidence, perhaps bordering on cockiness or hubris, but it shows Melo is full of it at the moment. In so many ways.

#5- Perfect way to leave the international break: I was a bit worried that some of our positive momentum going into the international break might be robbed, but we were raring to go from minute one. We didn’t look rusty at all, looked tactically

#6- Another clean sheet: Forget the 4-0 drubbings, every clean sheet we get is going to boost the confidence of players like Grygera, De Ceglie, and Bonucci, all who need it. That’s two in a row, Red Bull Salzburg are a poor team and we should really aim for another clean sheet there, regardless of how many goals might come.

#7- Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday: Lecce are a team “without quality.” So are Red Bull Salzburg, who have lost 2-0 to Lech Poznan (at home) and 2-0 to Manchester City. We have Bologna coming up this weekend, so Delneri should use this time to experiment. Maybe using Pepe as a fullback, ahem ahem?

#8- Missed the game? Watch it on YouTube, narrated by Claudio Zuliani.

#9- Beyond the Pitch, the best damn podcast out there managed to snag an interview with Diego. He says some very kind words about Juventus, and also drops a big hint about Dzeko. (Those “Juventus fans hounding us about how much they liked you” that Anthony mentions could have been me. I may have sent them a lot of messages about it.) Absolutely worth a listen, it’s about 10 minutes or so, go czech it out. (Grygera/Nedved groan)

C’E UNA STELLA IN CIELO CHE INDICA IL CAMMINO, FORZA JUVE VINCERE E IL TUO DESTINO!

“The squad is large and I can be assured of whoever goes on to the field. We will be playing against Lecce who in the last two matches drew against Palermo and beat Catania and therefore it will be tough, but if the mentality is the same as that seen in the last two matches we can achieve good results. Every match is decisive. The match against Lecce will be so and then the one against Salzburg and after that the one against Bologna. Every time we must show we deserve the name of Juventus. We must not face a series of matches but one match at a time.” -Delneri

Certainly not many would disagree with Delneri on the fact that if we come out with the same mentality we showed in our last two matches, we have a very good chance of beating Lecce. According to footballitaliano.co.uk, the visitors have almost an entirely new defensive line-up and they lack a secure and reliable goalkeeper. Thus, they might have a very hard time with our attack that’s tied for first in Serie A with twelve goals. Meanwhile, Lecce and Juventus are tied for sixth place overall with eight points in six games.

Now in the press-conference ahead of this one, Delneri told us that Aquilani will be starting; an admission that really didn’t surprise many due to Alberto’s good form and his inability to play in Thursday’s Europa League match against Salzburg being cup-tied. Add Fabio Quagliarella to that list, and you have reason to believe the forward might start as well. However it has become very difficult to predict Delneri’s formations as of late, but although it’s frustrating for us fans, thankfully it’s equally as frustrating for our opponents. So, here are the call-ups.

The other thing Delneri spoke of at the press-conference was his focus on defeating Lecce with a more technical and less physical Juventus. That said, we’ll see if Del Piero gets the nod over the probably healthy Amauri in attack. In midfield, Delneri could do something that resembled the line-up against Inter with Marchisio starting wide left. However, Pepe could just as easily fill that role since he could provide more than enough cover for the young De Ceglie to roam forward seeing as there’s no Maicon to worry about.

Lecce’s coach, Luigi De Canio, might field a 4-3-3 formation with Tore Reginussen, Javier Chevanton, and Alberto Giuliatto ruled out. In midfield we should expect to see the ex-Juventino Ruben Olivera who signed a three year contract with Lecce on July 1st 2010, after having played the previous season in his native Uruguay with Club Atletico Penarol. He appeared in thirty-nine games for Juventus and scored four goals. Hopefully he won’t have the game of his life against his former club, a la Almiron. Check the comments below for any last minute updates, and live streams.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!