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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.

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“If Blanc wanted to show faith in Ferrara, he didn’t use the right words,” Moggi writes in the Libero newspaper. “That sentence ‘there are no more bonuses’ meant exactly the opposite.”

“He vented his disappointment at the weakest target: the coach. That’s a familiar method for those who don’t know anything about football. If Juve have showed problems against Napoli, it is down to a transfer campaign that was much celebrated but not at all pondered.”

“[Marco] Marchionni and [Cristiano] Zanetti have reinforced Fiorentina in exchange for bread crumbs. And Felipe Melo arrived from Florence for €25 million, but he does not have a curriculum to play for a team that must win in Italy and abroad, especially when you already have [Christian] Poulsen and [Mohamed] Sissoko,” said Moggi.

“And don’t get me started on Tiago…”

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Playmaker Sebastian Giovinco is confident Juventus have put a difficult month behind them after his stirring display helped the Bianconeri overcome a hard-working Maccabi Haifa FC 1-0 in their third UEFA Champions League Group A match on Wednesday.

Hitting back

The 22-year-old was thrown in by Ciro Ferrara after spending the best part of the Bianconeri’s winless month on the sidelines as the Juve coach changed tactics for the crucial match. Forwards Vincenzo Iaquinta and Amauri were dropped and David Trezeguet brought in, with Giovinco and Diego included together for the first time this season to supply and excite.

Yellow daze

A precocious talent who has been compared to Roberto Baggio, Juve have high hopes for Giovinco and, in the first half in particular, he showed why. Dribbling with abandon, his quick feet, body speed and low centre of gravity had Maccabi defenders mesmerised. Unable to stop him within the rules, three were booked for last-ditch tackles early on. “It doesn’t matter if you play with one, two or three fantasistas,” he added. “If you go into the match trying to win, that’s how the game should be played.”

Fantasy pair

Demonstrating their ability to play together, Diego and Giovinco combined to win the free-kick that led to Chiellini’s headed 47th-minute winner, Juve’s first victory in Group A and in all competitions for a month. “We are hoping to continue winning as we have done this evening,” Giovinco continued. “All that is on our minds now is Sunday [at AC Siena]. We’ll think about the next Champions League match three days before it takes place.”

‘Come good’

Giovinco also took the opportunity to vent his frustration after criticism of his early season performances. “You say finally a good performance, that I’ve come good and played a decent match but my own perspective is very different,” argued the midfielder. “I’ve made contributions in important games previously this season. Diego and I have done our bit but because the strikers don’t score you think we’re playing badly. That’s not on. But you’re right, tonight was a good game.”

Looking ahead

With five points from three matches – two fewer than FC Girondins de Bordeaux and one more of FC Bayern München – another win in Israel in the return against Maccabi on 3 November will go a long way to securing Juve’s qualification to the knockout rounds and answering La Vecchia Signora’s demanding critics.

uefa.com

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We’re unbeaten at home in this competition since 2004, and they’ve never won in any of their previous four Champions League games away from home.  If history can teach us anything, I would have stayed awake during it’s class.  I’m not taking anything for granted tonight.

“We worked on something different but I want to wait and see until tomorrow. Choices are made according to the particular moment of the team and something according to the opponent we will be playing against. I want to keep everyone in suspense, ready, careful, concentrated and mean”.

“I saw them [Maccabi Haifa F.C.] play and I think they are a very organized team, very linear and well placed on the field. Certain elements are high in quality. They lost the first match at home but they played well in the first half. Against Bordeaux they lost in the dying minutes after having created a number of opportunities. It is a team that should be respected with very young fullbacks, some of which were born in 1991″. Ciro Ferrara

juventus.com

The suspense is killing me Ciro. 4-3-1-2 or the 4-2-3-1? Just tell me you’re employing strippers in our line up for their prepubescent fullbacks.  I knew having Legrottaglie on the team would come in handy.  But seriously, put Giovinco on the pitch you fucker. No Diego, No Giovinco, No party.

Maccabi Haifa

Eyal Meshumar and John Culma returned from injury at the weekend and are available for selection. Eyal Golasa is out with a hip complaint. Biram Kayal is suspended for two games. Captain Yaniv Katan is out of contention after having complained of a bout of flu against Hapoel Beer-Sheva. Amir Edri is still out, Tsepo Masilela and Shlomi Arbeitman are doubtful.

Vladimir Dvalishvili will be the dangerman. The highly-rated Georgian hitman scored twice on Saturday against Hapoel Beer-Sheva and he will be eager to do the damage against the Old Lady. Probable Starting XI: Davidovitch, Masilela, Keinan, Meshumar, Teixeira, Boccoli, Culma, Dutra, Arbeitman, Dvalishvili, Ghadir.

goal.com

Bottom line, we need the three points here and I couldn’t care less how we go about it. Tonight we dine on humus and lightly toasted pitas, mmmmmmm. For links, so far there’s only this from myp2p.eu.

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Nedved wanted to be there to help encourage his former team-mates ahead of the Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich, which takes place in Germany on Wednesday.

‘Furia Ceca’ wasn’t in Turin just for some back slapping, though.

According to Tuttosport, he was there to rub shoulders with the club’s directors, whose offer of a coaching role is still open. The report suggests Nedved considered the proposal while on holiday during the summer, though there is no comment as to what his thinking is.

goal.com

 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.

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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!!

Pagelle: (ratings)

Buffon- 7: No miracle saves required like against Bulgaria and Georgia, but he had to be attentive and was fairly busy today.

Caceres- 6.5: His defense was not that impressive, he was megged on more than one occasion and struggled to defend his flank. The Barcelona-loanee improved in the 2nd half and scored a good goal, a goal neither of our strikers seemed to be able to pound in. A dream debut for the fullback, to say the least.
Legrottaglie- 6.5: Cruz gave him a handful and like much of the team, he had difficulties in the first half. Aside from that he looked pretty assured in the back, notably an important block in the penalty box from a low cross with Cruz lurking.
Chiellini- 7.0: A very solid showing, Foggia was lively but Chiellini contained his danger well. Tried to run through Lazio players once or twice, which was a mistake.
Grosso- 6.0: His defending was mediocre, and his offense more so. Molinaro syndrome seemed to spread to him, as he only put one good cross in the whole game, most of them were just blocked by his defender. When crossing, taking a free kick, or a corner, you have got to get it over at least the first guy. I’d rather he sky them alla Oddo than just keep blasting them into the other player. It’s his first game in bianconero and I’m sure he’ll grow into it.

Camoranesi- 5.5: Perhaps he’s still struggling to adapt to his new role, he was pretty absent most of today. He played pretty well for the Azzurri the last two games, and maybe he was tired, but aside from a few good dribbles and one good effort on goal, Camo was “the invisible man.”
Marchisio- 6.5: You could tell that he tired in the 2nd half, but he battled hard and well, recovering several balls in midfield and passing the ball well. A good performance, given the circumstances.
Felipe Melo- 7: Another excellent performance shielding the defense, with a few decent forward runs and passes.

Diego- 5.5: Lazio had him locked up well, and maybe it was fortunate his substitution was forced. Didn’t seem to be fully fit from the start.

Amauri- 6.5: Powerful up front, he continues to be unfairly penalized by the referee for using his strength. Some good forward headers, he knocked down the ball for Caceres goal and had the effort saved by Muslera that led to the 2nd goal. Nearly scored with a diving header, he hasn’t opened his scoring account this season but he’s worked hard and played determined. Several times he was running back to help out on defense.
Trezeguet- 6: He’s not back, yet. His first start for Juventus in ages, he still looked rusty, although when I saw him go in with a sliding challenge, I knew he was determined. A good volley in the first half, but his first touch and reluctance to shoot were very un-Trezeguet-like. Maybe this goal will help his confidence and bring back Trezegol. It was a delight to see his smile and the way the team was so happy for him when he scored.

Substitutes:
Giovinco- 6.5: He doesn’t have the physical fortitude that Camoranesi, Melo, and Diego have to hold off challenges, and I wonder about his future as a trequartista, maybe he would do better up front. That said, he played well today, but I noticed his best plays were usually when he was out wide. Put in some decent balls to the forwards who were largely service-starved for much of the game.
Tiago- 6.5: Another solid but unspectacular showing. I was a bit surprised Camoranesi started over him given Camo’s fitness and the fact he played for Italy just 3 days ago. Tiago improved the midfield when he came on.
Molinaro- s.v.: He’s definitely been the biggest loser of Ferrara’s arrival, maybe this sub was to make him feel valued by Ferrara. Will he be content to be a reserve after starting the last two seasons?

Random thoughts:
Lazio- Ballardini has this team in a good mentality and good physical shape, despite a piecework mercato. Their midfield and defense were full of relative no-namers, but they battled well against our team. If they can keep this up, they will challenge for Europa League qualification.
Ferrara- 5 wins in 5 games for his Serie A career thus far. His substitutions were smart and while the team suffered, it’s natural to do so in different games. 5 goals scored and 1 conceded in 2 tricky away games in Rome is a good result.
Julio Cruz- Ha.
I am awesome- I got the prediction right this week, and last week I was 2 minutes from being right. I chalk it all down to luck.
Lazio’s disallowed goal- It seemed like a foul from Cruz, but the ref blew the whistle before Mauri shot, so I think it’s a non-issue.

Post-match comments:

Ciro Ferrara- “First, we dedicate this win to Mike Bongiorno. Winning Rome is not easy, but we’ve managed to do it twice this season. We knew that there would be problems and that despite the injuries Lazio would make it difficult for us with a very hard work-rate. Admittedly we struggled in the first half in midfield and couldn’t keep the ball. [About Diego] “We have to wait for tomorrow’s results, but if Diego asked to come off then I think he must have something fairly serious, as he usually wants to stay on at all costs. He felt this twinge when he changed pace and it was limiting him.

[About Rotation] For me everyone in the squad is important. I have a large selection of great professionals and I know not all of them will have played the same over the season, but they will all contribute. I was impressed by Giovinco, [David] Trezeguet who hadn’t played yet and Tiago when he came off the bench. We reacted well to that first half. I particularly want to single out [Martin] Caceres, who was effectively making his debut and we thank him for scoring a great goal to give us the lead.

[About Trezeguet] “The goal was very important for him and also the fact he played for 90 minutes with a good level of fitness, being able to come back and help his teammates. Obviously a goal is everything for a striker’s confidence and he worked so hard that he deserved this chance. Trezeguet’s goal bodes well also for his serenity: it was right to let him play today.” [About Marchisio] He is becoming a great player. He works for 90 minutes with both quality and quantity. I hope he continues!”

“Clearly there is a lot of responsibility and I was worried that we weren’t the usual Juventus tonight, but I relaxed in the second half when I saw that we managed to win back the ball more often and were more reactive.”

David Trezeguet- «I have not yet reached a definite decision whether to leave Juventus at the end of the season. I must still speak to my family. Even tonight I realized how much everybody loves me and how happy they were with my goal. The goal scored tonight has a great taste. Today for me is a return to great levels. After the injury I worked hard and suffered in order to return and my team mates really helped me a lot. I am drawing close to Sivori? For me it is an honour seeing that Omar was one of my idols.

For now, however, I am interested in re-finding my best condition and continuing to be useful to this team. On Tuesday the Champions League takes off. We showed we are there in the championship and now it is the turn of others to show they are. We are hopeful for this season. The club really did a great deal to make this team more competitive. It is now up to us players to do our part».

Martin Caceres- I dedicate my goal to all the Juventus fans and to my agent Daniel Fonseca, who tomorrow is his birthday. I am extremely happy for this goal, but even more for the victory of our team. At the beginning I was very excited, and a bit nervous, but I managed to overcome it.”

“Juve have plenty of tireless midfielders. Aggressive players who have stamina and can fight for the ball,” said Sacchi. “However, they are lacking when it comes to building up the game. Their [Juventus] ball possession has always been a weak point because there isn’t much harmony in their tempo. D’Agostino would have provided them with that. Melo is a better overall player but he seems like a stronger copy of some of their current midfielders.” C4

Personally, I think Felipe’s €25 million price tag is about €5-7 million too high. Now some of us could sit here and argue that, however the fact remains, Melo joins a long list of combative midfielders who are just slightly better than Arrigo described. While it would have been nice to sign D’Agostino for a little more “harmony in our tempo”, and truth be told he was considered ahead of the Brazilian midfielder, nonetheless Udinese wanted simply too much for their breakout 30 year old regista.

The Brazilian was presented officially during a press conference today, Wednesday 22nd July, at the Juventus Media Center in Vinovo. The conference was transmitted live on the Juventus Channel and here are some excerpts from the newest Bianconero:

“I am not scared of Inter. It is a big club but so is Juve and if we all work together I am sure we can reach great goals”. He defines his move to Juventus as a leap in quality: “I think the fact that the club did a rather big financial effort to sign me, this makes me feel good. I am happy to have reached this level and now I will work hard to win the championship and the Champions League.”

“I think it is more important to win rather then to be specatacular. I played in great teams which were spectacular but did not win anything and in others were we weren’t specatcular but we won because we were united. We must be united like a family and work as a team so as to obtain our objectives.”

“The Brazilian national team? I am now at Juventus. I will work hard for Juventus because this club must always be at the top. I will work hard and then if I do well the Brazilian national team call-up will come as it has in the past but I am a Juve player and I will work hard to be worthy.”

“We must all work hard. With or without Diego or Melo, Juve are strong and so we must work hard and be united to be as strong as possible. I can’t wait to be in the dressing rooms, speak with the other players and get to know them. I once played against Sissoko in Spain and now I am really curious to speak to him and play by his side.”

“Last year I was shown quite a few cards. It was my first year in Italy and this could have been the reason since in 4 years in Spain I only got shown one red card. Now I know the methods of the referees here in Italy and even though as a midfielder I am bound to be shown cards I will definitely be more careful and shown less cards.”

“I came here because Juventus is a club that can win anything. All we have to do is work hard. If we work hard and do so well the scudetto will be a bit closer.”

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!