For 85 minutes our Bianconeri couldn’t find a way past the Siena defense, were out of ideas, and got little for the hard work they put in keeping possession and hustling on the pitch throughout the game. Juve did have a couple decent chances, namely Vidal’s shot, Matri’s header, as well as Lichsteiner’s flick, but none of them found the back of the net. We finally woke up a bit in the last few minutes, even had a claim for a penalty, but we didn’t really deserve a win and unfortunately we got what we deserved. Two more points dropped at home against a relegation candidate, which could’ve increased our gap over Milan in the standings and would’ve given us a bit more breathing room for the…(don’t go there Ivo, you say).

I know, I know. We are all petrified of even admitting to ourselves that we have a chance of fighting for the scudetto this year. I know I am. We’ve been burned too many times in the last 3 years. The reality is that 21 games into the season (some are at 22), we are still first, undefeated, have a game in hand on Milan, and have let in the least amount of goals by far (13 to Milan and Viola’s 19). Furthermore, we don’t have any serious injuries, just strengthened all areas of the field with a player (well, depends on what you think of Padoin and BorielLOL, but at least they are new and fighting for a sub-place), and are arguably not even maximizing our full talent yet (just ask Elia).

But seriously, it’s starting to look like a two-horse race. For ~60% of the season so far, it’s been a battle between Milan and us. And I see it staying that way until the end. Except Milan can win against the smaller teams, and Juventus can’t. On the other hand, Juve can grit out the big matches, while Milan rarely shows up and then slaps people in frustration (hah!).

For the neutral Serie A fan (or a fan of any team other than the top 4), Juve’s draw against Siena was great since it kept the race tight. Us Juventini already have that feeling like we’re gonna regret the shit out of these games at some point in the next few months. I really hope not.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6 – Wasn’t that busy throughout the game, after all, Juve did have 70% possession overall. He did scuffle a shot that he should’ve tamed, but Siena’s Gazzi couldn’t punish him for it.

Lichtsteiner: 7 – Pretty standard game from Lichsteiner. Did his defensive duties well, though I wish Pepe could’ve done better on his part up the field so Steiner wouldn’t have had to compensate for his role too. I do get frustrated with how much he complains about decisions and always looks incredulous. I think Serie A’s refs are too. He needs to start making more runs in the area without the ball; Pirlo almost found him on one again and he almost scored. Good game from the Swiss overall.

Barzagli: 7 – Speaking of standard, that’s probably Barzagli’s middle name. Another solid game from the in-form defenseman. I love how it doesn’t matter at all who he partners with in D, he still gives his share at a high rate each game.

Chiellini: 6.5 – Gave Chiellini a slightly lower grade than Barzagli because he still isn’t comfortable pushing the ball up a bit. We need that sometimes, especially in games we dominate. It puts an extra guy in the opposition’s half, and makes it tougher to defend if he can find a midfielder with a good pass to start an attack. Hope he gets better in that area. Defensively, rock solid as always.

De Ceglie: 7.5 – Honestly, my man of match. Paolino was on point throughout the whole game, especially offensively. He made runs, played intelligently (without leaving big gaps behind him), and aimed his crosses well. If Vucinic was up to his task on Sunday, the duo could’ve created even more problems down that left side. It was very refreshing to see some service from that flank. Hope De Ceglie keeps this up, it is obvious that Conte has no problems giving him that role against smaller teams.

Pirlo: 7 – Andrea actually saw a lot of time on the ball, a lot more than I expected him to get. He had some decent ideas, some that the likes of Vucinic, Matri, and Pepe recognized too late at times. We did rely on him to create some magic as we have in the past, and that is really the rest of the team’s fault.

Vidal: 6 – Not a bad game from King Arthur, but very often he got lost in the midfield shuffle. He needs to recognize when to make a run forward and pull defenders with him, and when to drop back and help take the ball out. Usually Marchisio does this for him, but it didn’t happen on Sunday and it exposed Vidal’s lack of smart involvement (that sounded like something I pulled out my ass, but it makes sense in my head. It really does.)

Marchisio: 6 – Was once again disappointed with Marchisio. He has now raised the bar for his performances so high that a quiet, average game makes him look like Pepe on a good day. And that’s baaaad. He’ll pick himself up tho. You know how I know? We have some derby matches coming up. He always performs in those.

Pepe: 5.5 -Some of you guys said it perfectly in the comment section during and after the game – Pepe is reverting to his usual, normal self who is underwhelming and undeserving an attacking winger role. I think he does great in situations where we play away against a tough opposition, so you can count on his defensive ability and hope luck brings him something useful up front. But against these minnows at home? We need a winger that will own that right flank and be a nightmare for defenses. Kinda glad he got injured and was subbed off (not that I wish him harm, just thought he shouldn’t have been playing). I would’ve put Elia on in his place and make him an inverted right winger, Robben style.

Matri: 6.5 – The January player of the month got off to a slow start (together with the team) and never really found his role in the game. He was smart to come deeper and play with his back to the goal a bit, since Marchisio and Vidal failed at providing through ball opportunities (or even short pass ones) for Pirlo and the full backs. Just when he looked like he got out of that slump, he had another very tame game. We’ll need more from him up front, or he’ll be ass-kissing the bench (literally, of course). Especially given Conte’s strange infatuation with BorielLOL.

Vucinic: 5.5 – C’mon, Mirko, we’re playing Siena at home and you’re waiting for the game to come to you? Attack that 10-man defense, shuffle a couple players, do a one two with Matri or De Ceglie…attack for christ sake! Don’t wait for stuff to happen for you, MAKE IT HAPPEN YOURSELF! He has the talent and technical prowess to outplay Siena defenders, but doesn’t even try. Infuriating.

Subs:

Giaccherini: 6 – Maybe he came on too early to provide a more energetic boost, but I though Giaccherini’s contribution wasn’t like what we’ve come to expect from the energetic little man. I don’t like when he starts games, and I don’t like when he comes on before the 55-minute mark. But it could just be me. He’s best suited to run headlessly at or around defenders for the last 30 minutes of the game when defenses get tired. Otherwise, he can be pretty predictable.

BorielLOL: 5.5 – I love that nickname for him btw. Who of you geniuses came up with it (or stole it from another blog)? It’s immaturely hilarious. As for Marco’s performance, I maintain he shouldn’t have come on at all. We needed some creativity up front, something different than what we were already doing (or not doing). Everyone and their mother agreed – Del Piero shoud’ve come on instead. But Conte made his decision, and in Conte we trust (right?). And Marco disappointed, as we all expected. To be fair, it’s pretty hard for a player like him to make an impact in 25 minutes against a well-organized side like Siena. If it happened, it would’ve been a tap-in or a header. He had a chance for a header but scuffed. Then he started falling down too easily and the ref was never gonna give him anything. I still don’t know why we got him, but am excited to be proven wrong by him. Or Conte.

Quagliarella: sv – If Marco had no real time or chance to make an impact, Quaglia had less. At least he was a more creative option up front. If Conte doesn’t like Elia, maybe he can start Quagliarella in Vucinic’s place next weekend and see how that would go?

Coach:

Conte: 6 – For a match against his former side, Conte really should’ve anticipated the parked bus. Also, he relied on Pirlo too heavily once again. Caceres, Padoin, and Boreillo are surely not solutions to our creativity problem. For how smart he’s proven to be so far, i have a feeling he is cooking up a solution for all this on the training grounds and is waiting to release the Kraken as soon as the snow melts in Europe. Let’s see how he handles the Milan coppa game.

Things I think I think:

#1: Caceres, Padoin, Boriello, and Del Piero will all start against Milan – most likely. I’d love to see Elia in Esti’s place as well, but so far that’s just wishful thinking. Either way, I am stoked about the Milan game. Senor Danny already has a preview ready for that cracking Champions League match, which will be live on the Juventus Offside shortly. Till then, just think of Del Piero’s goal against Roma and how something similar could happen tomorrow. Awwww yeahh.

We’ve officially entered the second half, ladies and gentleman.

“Winter Champions” has a nice ring to it, huh? Now we can all walk around with a little extra hop in our step with our ADP or Marchisio jerseys on. Ah, but you all know what will be better than winning the first half of the season, so I don’t have to remind you.

I’ll just be Mr. Cliché and look at things one game at a time.

Weren’t Juve just playing these dudes from Udine? Yeah, they were. Thanks to all the confusion that had to do with the Serie A strike, for the second time in five weeks, Juventus will be matched up against its bianconeri brethren. But now it’s in our house, the beautiful palace that should be rocking from opening whistle to hopefully the final one.

And as we sit just a few days away from February, each game gets even that much more important — especially against a team that is just a win on Saturday away from tying Juve on points.

Here’s to hoping this sporting event turns out a lot better than the one I sat and watched in my recliner six days ago. (You’re welcome, John.)

Le chiavi: Martin Caceres is signed, sealed, and delivered. Happy day, happy day!

Okay, I got that out of the way. Now back to Udinese.

Conte has switching around his formation in recent weeks. Will he go with a three-man defense like he did against Roma in the midweek Coppa match? Stay with four a the back? Most reports seem to think that Conte will indeed go with a 3-5-2. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. (Check out this quality piece from James Horncastle on the subject.) This may be the Mister’s biggest decision of them all. Seeing how well the three-man defense went against Roma, I wouldn’t be surprised if he went in that direction again against Udine.

Also of note is who Conte will go with up front. Does he stick with the slumping Alessandro Matri, or go with Marco Borriello? Quags or Il Capitano? Borriello had a very good showing against his former club, Roma, in the Coppa Italia match and could be handed his first Serie A start with Juve if Conte feels Matri isn’t the best option.

Speaking of guys who have scored a few goals in their career, keeping Antonio Di Natale in check is obviously one of the biggest keys to this game for Juventus. Toto himself has scored more goals (14) than the Juventus D has allowed (12) this season. Let’s hope that the defense can do the same kind of job they did on Di Natale last time these two teams played and that his form against Juve — only three goals in 12 games — stays the same.

Good news: No Juventus players are suspended for this one, while Marchisio and Pepe after picking up a knock against Atalanta. And we all know how Marchisio likes to score amazing goals against Udinese.

Udinese also have a trio of players — Mehdi Benatia, Kwadwo Asamoah, and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu — away at the African Cup of Nations, which makes Guidolin’s squad selection that much more limited.

Bad news: No Vucinic at Conte’s disposal. The knock to his knee he picked up against Atalanta last weekend is still bothering him, so he will be watching from the stands when his teammates take on Udinese.

My starting XI (3-5-2): San Gigi; Bon Bon, Dre, Giorgio of the Jungle; Mr. Swiss, King Arthur, John Bon Pirlo, Principino, Esti; Quags, Matri

Juve probable XI: I really have no idea. Will Conte go 3-5-2, 4-3-3 or 4-4-2?

Udinese probable XI: (3-5-1-1): Handanovic; Ferronetti, Danilo, Domizzi; Basta, Isla, Fernandes, Armero, Pasquale; Abdi; Di Natale

IN CONTE WE TRUST! AND WIN ONE ON BUFFON’S BIRTHDAY!

After much discussion about how this new Juventus will react in a traditionally shitty time of the year, our Bianconeri made sure no one got things right – we were neither utter shit nor a resemblence of Conte’s mighty warriors from the beginning of the season. Instead, we were lazy, rusty, uncreative…and victorious.

The game started off as a total deja vu. Anyone remember the first game after Christmas last season against Parma? A lethargic, uninspired Juve was thrashed by a sneaky Parma side while Quagliarella, our best forward at the time got badly injured. This time around, it was much the same for the first 20 minutes. Our Bianconeri played with no grinta, slacked off, and had a tough time creating chances. Then Quagliarella, who finally got a no-excuses starting spot up front, broke his cheekbone early on and had to be substituted. Things just weren’t looking up.

But if there is one game where Vucinic would be able to make a difference, it would be against bottom-placed Lecce. In the 27 minute, Mirko took a solid shot at goal from outside the box, keeper Benni Benassi blocked the shot and Matri smartly ran in and headed in the rebound. An all-important goal that would bring Juve 3 points in a match everyone will quickly forget. After all, we do have the thrilling Caglari coming to town next.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 7 – Gigi had a decent amount of work to do against Lecce. He blocked a couple shots that were certain goals, and was a perfect complement to Lecce’s inaccurate finishing. In many ways, he was one of the main reasons Juve held on to the lead. Btw, did you know he is now a PIMP in his off time?

Lichtsteiner: 6 – Steiner failed to get up front as often as we’re used to him by now, and that kinda disappointed me. Not sure if it was a tactical move by Conte to make sure there’s always someone fast to cover the South Americans in defense, since Bonucci and Chiellini were getting burned left and right for most of the game.

Barzagli: 7 – Can you name a more consistent defender in Italy right now? Heck, in Europe? I know we’re not playing top notch competition this year since we’re out of the CL, but Barzagli has found some fine form and been able to keep it. Before the season began I thought of him as a backup CB. Now I cannot imagine our defense without him.

Bonucci: 5 – If Barzagli had a quietly great game, Bonucci had a loudly crappy game. Not like against Napoli-bad, but he messed up pretty often. Late in tackles and just generally off. Shake it off Boner (John, was that your nickname for him? You silly goose.)

Chiellini: 6 – A decent defender makes mistakes. A good defender makes mistakes and adjusts to them. That’s exactly what Kaiser did against Lecce. Early on, Cuadrado made him his bitch and Chiellini kept finding himself chasing after Cuadrado from the wrong side. But then Giorgio realized he was playing the South American too close and gave him more space to do his dribbling before taking off on a run. This made Cuadrado less effective. Vucinic then got back more and helped out and together they shut down Lecce’s most creative player on the day. Shitty start for Chiellini, yes, but he got better throughout the game. For that I give him props. That said, there is still plenty of time to buy an actual left back, Conte. Just make sure his first name is Martin and his last name starts with Caceres!

Pirlo: 5 – Pretty horrid game from our main playmaker. What was up with all the high balls? It was like he had just learned the “Lob Through Ball” button on FIFA and just kept hoofing them over. Look for him to make the difference against Cagliari, a player like him will want some things from the Lecce game back.

Vidal: 7 – If Vucinic wasn’t such a “creative spark” for us in a time of need, I would’ve selected Vidal as Man of Match. Seriously. The guy was everywhere. He intercepted numerous balls in defense, and was always up front attacking. If Matri and Vucinic weren’t so selfish at times, he could’ve easily had 2 goals as he was in clear positions in the 16. Felt bad for him, really.

Marchisio: 5.5 – A shade of his normal self from the first half of the season, Claudio had a very forgetful performance. We may need his grinta and determination against the big teams, but it’s all the more necessary against smaller teams when others tend to relax a bit. If he’s gonna be the future captain, I’d expect that from him for sure.

Pepe: 6 – I have to admit, I kind of lost track of Pepe during the game. He started strong and was pretty dangerous towards Benassi’s goal, but then he either disappeared off the radar or my eyes were focused on the performances of other players. He obviously didn’t do anything memorable. So there.

Quagliarella: sv – I feel bad for Quags, but I’m happy it’s nothing serious. He had surgery on Monday and will be out 2-3 weeks. He is probably bummed that as soon as he got the starting spot over Matri he got injured. Now that Borriello is there too, the competition is getting tougher. I’m sure Quags loves another good challenge though!

Vucinic: 7 – It wasn’t hard to stand out from our Juve on Sunday, and Vucinic did it. He created the goal, had a couple good runs and opportunities, and was the most dangerous player on our team. Though if you dissect his performance, he really had an unremarkable game. But such was the competition.

Subs:

Matri: 6 – Yes, he scored the winning goal, but ever since he came on and missed that sitter in the first minute, I kept thinking damn Matri has lost it (for now). Am I just eating up the negative hype everyone is creating around him? I hope so. With Quagliarella out for 2-3 weeks, he’s sure to start the game against Cagliari. I hope he does. I am still vividly pissed at him for not completing that 1-2 with Vidal that would’ve given Vidal a 1-1 with the keeper after a beautiful move. Random, I know. But I’m pissed. Hope he gets a good goal against Cagliari to get his confidence back up.

Marrone: sv – I would love to see more of this kid. Apparently if Pizarro comes from Roma, Pazienza will be on his way out so that could leave a spot for Marrone to play more minutes as a defensive backup.

De Ceglie: sv – Came in to be the 5th man in the backline and help cover the left side. Not much to say here that hasn’t been said before

Coach:

Conte: 6 – Thank God he didn’t start January with a loss like most of his recent predecessors, but I’m sure we all expected more from Conte. Again, late to sub people off. Is that ever going to change or should we just add it under the “In Conte We Trust” clause and just roll with it?

Things I think I think:

#1: I’m excited about the start to the 2nd half of the season – Lecce away – done. Cagliari at home and then Atalanta away? Conte and his man should take care of that and bring in 6 points. Then we have Udinese at home which is a tricky game always, then Parma away. All in all, a pretty decent schedule for Juventus to start 2012 on the right foot. Right guyz? RIGHT?

#2: Have we taken a successful corner this season? – How frustrated do you get when you see Pirlo stand over the ball for a corner kick looking for a short pass or some sort of a unorthodox solution? Freakin take the corner! Cross the ball. No short balls or direct passes to someone outside the 16 have worked more than maybe once. None! Give Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli a chance to get a goal. Give Matri a chance to sneak one in! Anything, just stop passing it short and ruining the corner. Please!

#3: Rumors: Amauri to Genoa, Toni to Bologna – If only we can use an amnesty clause on Iaquinta too and we’ll be all cleaned up from the Secco shit years. That will leave ADP, Quags, Matri, and Borriello fighting for that one spot up front. Have at it boys!

#4: More Rumors: Sorensen to Bologna on a co-ownership – if we get Caceres, there is no reason for Sorenses to rot on the bench. Hope he gets a good experience wherever he goes for the rest of the season.

#5: I leave you off with Borriello’s press conference after signing the deal. Gotta love the first question

To be frank, there wasn’t all that much to recap about the Novara game. Except for maybe De Ceglie playing at left back (don’t even remember the last time I typed those words), De Ceglie crossing and lodging an assist (I’ve definitely never typed those words), Del Piero not being able to score open sitters (he looked way too human), and Quagliarella scoring his first goal in Serie A after 364 days (Quagliarella, ela, ela, ela, eh, eh, eh)!! And what a beauty it was! The guy had no running momentum, he just planted his feet and jumped as high as he could, all the while winning a tough header and brilliantly directing the ball to the bottom far corner…ahh, Quaglia is back!

Dagnabbit, maybe there was a bunch to recap about the Novara game. Whichever the case, in just a few hours Juventus will begin the last game of 2011 against a nasty, top 4 opponent and that’s pretty much all I can think about. Let’s dive right in.

Le chiavi – Our defense, converting our chances, Udinese’s counter attack, Toto Di Natale. Deny Toto space and close him down, and you’ve effectively reduced the chances of being scored on by a ton and a half. Also, the midfield. Since Guidolin usually plays with 3 defenders, Udinese always has an extra midfielder to crowd the middle, stretch the sides, or push up forward in (counter)attack.

Ever since Inler left, it seems as if Isla and Pinzi have been Udinese’s most creative players. They are both certainly players to whom Conte should pay special attention.

If you haven’t already heard, Udinese has not lost a point at home this season in Serie A. They have also only let in 2 goals during their home fixtures, which is wildly impressive.

Expect Udinese to play wide and move between the lines of our defense and midfield. Also, they do their trickiest work on the counter so it’ll be good for us to have some fresh faces back.

Speaking of fresh faces, King Arturo and Bonucci are coming back in the lineup which should be a good refreshment for the side. Conte will most likely use Chiellini as a left back/center back combo and have Estigarribia roam down the left side in place of the injured Vucinic. Lichsteiner will resume his role as a wing back as he lets Barzagli, Boner, and Chiello form their little makeshift threesome.

Up front, Quagliarela will be rewarded for his come-back goal with a nice, cold seat on the bench as Matri starts alongside Pepe and the Paraguayan. It will be interesting to see how Matri copes against the very technical side from Friuli. I personally can’t help but think that Quags or Del Piero are also necessary given Vucinic’s absence, but I can understand if Quagliarella is feeling a bit tired after his first Serie A start this season against Novara.

Just for a second, imagine that this is the first week of Serie A and this was our first fixture. Scary stuff, right? Gotta say though, I feel a lot more comfortable with this game now than in late August. Yes, our players are getting tired after a frantically-paced first half of the season. Yes, this game is a huge threat to our undefeated record. Yes, Udinese’s defence is the best in Serie A.

Yet I feel a sense of confidence. I think Udinese is the side that is scared of their opponent here, not the other way around. And we’re coming for them.

My starting XI: (4-3-3) Gigi; Forrest, Gli, Kaiser, Pepinho; King Arturo, Malkovich, Overrated; BaloElia, Ma-ta-tri, Umbrella.

Probable: (4-3-3) Buffon, Lichsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Pepe, Matri, Estigarribia

My prediction: Udinese 1-2 Juventus

Juve was certainly in complete control of the match, but things weren’t exactly going their way. Does that makes sense? I hope it does. Juventus attempted 29 shots against Cesena. TWENTY-NINE. They had 74 percent of the possession. And this was without Andrea Pirlo and his glorious hair on the field. But only eight of those were on goal. Not exactly a kind of ratio we were all hoping for.

But like we’ve seen in the previous couple of seasons, it was a match that Juve might have dropped points in. Be it a fluke equalizer late by (insert low-table team here) or continuous chances being blown, the past few editions of our beloved Bianconeri had found a way to come away with one or no points rather than three in the kinds of games against teams they should beat.

Yes, it should’ve been put away much earlier, but they got the job done. Three more points and back on top of the table. Business has been taken care of.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6 – Only had to make one save, and that wasn’t even difficult. Probably could have sat on a Chaise lounge chair with Alena and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. It was nice of the guys to pass it back to Gigi every now and then to make sure he was still awake.

Lichtsteiner: 6.5 – Back to normal for the Swiss right back. He did his usual running, got involved in the offense frequently. With Cesena sitting back and defending the whole time, Licht was able to push up as much as he wanted to. Getting Forrest Gump back to normal was definitely a good sight considering how much he struggled — especially defensively — against Napoli.

Barzagli: 6.5 – If I were to tell you that he’s the only guy to play in every single minute, what would you say? Crazy, isn’t it? Didn’t have to do much with Cesena sitting back trying to weather the Juve storm in front of their goal, but he didn’t have any major screw ups either. Sound performance.

Bonucci: 6.5 – The only blemish for Leo was his screw up in the match’s opening moments. Other than that, things were solid. There was no Napoli hangover. Obviously we’ll see in the coming matches against more attack-minded teams (Hi, Udinese) whether that is still the case.

Chiellini: 6.5 – Like his teammate on the other flank, was really able to push up the field with Cesena doing nothing on offense. Had a part in a lot of the attacks, be it crosses or going more centrally toward the middle of the pitch.

Marchisio: 7 – On a night where goals were extremely hard to come by for the Juve offense, leave it to Il Principino to get the game-winner. An extremely well taken effort, both with his first touch and then the finish with his left foot, for his sixth (!!) goal of the campaign. I love this man.

Vidal: 7.5 – He was an absolute warrior in the midfield; Vidal was all over the place against Cesena — breaking up a potential attack, contributing to his own team’s attack. The stats back it up: 91 percent pass accuracy, 10 tackles. Had the assist on Marchisio’s opener and then got a goal of his own with the late penalty. Man of the Match.

Pazienza: 6.5 – He’s certainly not Pirlo out there, but it was a smart match from Pazienza. Did his work, put in a good shift. A solid performance by the former Napoli man making his first start of the season. Now back to your role of being the official victory sub, Michele.

Pepe: 6 – Oh, Simone. Where were your finishing boots from the previous three games? Pepe had three incredible chances in the 2nd half to put his name on the score sheet for a 4th consecutive game. He didn’t finish any of them, blasting one right at Antonioli, one over the bar, and heading one just wide.

Matri: 5.5 – A frustrating night for Matri, without a doubt. Had chances but never really got into the flow of things in front of the goal. Was definitely a battle for him against Cesena. First time in a long time he had been substituted for that early in the second half.

Vucinic: 5.5 – He definitely had a better first half than he did against Napoli, but it just seems like there’s something missing with Mirko. He was involved in setting up some scoring opportunities, had a few scoring chances of his own, but he’s still struggling with that final step involved in scoring a goal. Was correctly yanked by Conte early in the second half.

Subs:

Quagliarella: 5.5 – Wait, Quags is allowed to play before 80 minutes is off the clock? Huh, who knew? He struggled to make a huge impact on the match. Understandable seeing how little he’s played this season.

Del Piero: sv – Finally got a chance to get a good chunk of playing time. But within eight minutes, he was being carried off the field after being kicked in the head. What about that backheel when he was in, though? Sexy.

Giaccherini: 6 – He came on after Del Piero had to be taken off. Got involved right off the bat and subsequently crashed into Antonioli for the resulting penalty.

Coach:

Conte: 7 – He’s now in charge of the only team in Europe to not lose a game this season. It’s incredible how well this squad is doing under Conte. He went back to the usual 4-3-3 setup and it looked much, much better. Obviously playing against a team that was just sitting back and defending the whole time helped, but there wasn’t any kind of tactical madness and chaos like there was against Napoli. Extra kudos for his celebration after Marchisio’s goal. He’s such a Juventino.

Things I think I think

#1: Only Il Capitano posts a picture of himself in an ambulance on Facebook to let everybody know he’s okay.

#2: That wasn’t a red card on Antonioli. That wasn’t even a penalty. And you might be saying right now “WAY TO STICK UP FOR THE KEEPER, YOU BIASED PUNK.” Yeah, well, the ref got both of the calls wrong.

Now I will patiently wait for everybody to disagree with me.

#3: So if that’s a red card in the ref’s mind, how is Rossi booting ADP in the face not a card? I don’t get it. Rossi was already on a yellow, give him another and he’s done … OH NOEZ! Incidental or not, that kind of challenge has to warrant something, right? I mean, Del Piero’s head needed eight stitches, so he obviously got a pretty good knock.

#4: Finish 2011 on a high note. Four more matches — three Serie A, one Coppa (this Thursday) — before the Christmas/New Years break. A struggling Roma side is next, then Novara, and finally Udinese. Those are all winnable matches, with the match at Udine being the toughest. Get nine out of nine points and things will be looking awfully nice going into a few weeks of vacation. Make it happen, boys.

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST:

- Krasic: Another game on the bench for poor Meelosh.

- Zebina: (lifetime award)

- Amauri: (lifetime award) #IBlameAmauri

That match was complete crap after 45 minutes. Juve were playing like crap. The formation Antonio Conte rolled out there — something like a 3-5-2 or 4-1-4-1 depending on who you ask —to begin things was crap as he looked to fill the void left by Claudio Marchisio’s suspension. The ref was crap. You name it and it was probably crap.

But whatever it was — chair throwing in the locker room, screaming like a complete mad man, etc. — that Conte did at the break, it worked. Juventus came out a totally different team in the second half. They came back from two-goal deficits not once, but twice. Conte never let his men give up and they responded perfectly, getting a much-deserved draw at the San Paolo.

This is the perfect example of the new Juventus, Conte’s Juventus. If this were a season or two ago, it would have been a 3-1 kind of loss without a doubt. But not Conte’s Juve. This team had its starters on the field for the first 85 minutes of the match. Conte, for as much as it frustrated us at times, didn’t make any changes. He stuck with the same 11 and it worked. Hell, the boys would be returning to Torino with three points instead of just one if one of those numerous chances were converted.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6 – Not going to fault him for any of the goals. If I did, I’d probably have my goalkeeping card revoked within a second. Sure, it’ll say that he allowed three goals, but when you look at how the defense was playing at times, you could understand why. He did well when he was called upon. Another sign his getting back to being his normal self.

Lichtsteiner: 5.5 – His first sub-par game in a Juve shirt. Zuniga’s pace definitely gave him trouble down the flank. To see Stephan gasping for air in the middle of the second half was surprising considering how he seems to be able to run for days.

Barzagli: 6 – Not his best game, but not his worst either. Looked to be the one guy in the back that wasn’t completely rattled by the atmosphere at the San Paolo. Put in a good shift for the most part and tried his best to pick up the slack with his partner in center defense have a complete clunker.

Bonucci: 4.5 – Oof. Where to begin. Leo struggled with the pace of Napoli’s attack all night. He never looked confident out there at all. Played a part in all of Napoli’s goals. Just a game to forget for a guy who had been playing well since Conte put him in the starting lineup.

Chiellini: 5.5 – Giorgio definitely wasn’t his usual beastly self. He wasn’t as poor as Bonucci, but he wasn’t all that impressive. Did a terrible job of preventing the cross on Napoli’s third goal. Had a glorious chance to score a potential game-winner late in the second half but couldn’t finish it.

Pirlo: 5.5 – Definitely a tale of two halves for Andrea. The first was highlighted by giving away a penalty — which was the right call — when he tackled Lavezzi just inside of the box. He improved in the second half, but didn’t completely get back to the kind of game we’ve seen from him just about every time out since his move from Milan.

Vidal: 6.5 – A typical Arturo Vidal kind of game. He had an impact on the offensive end with a great assist on Matri’s goal and did his usual dirty work on the defensive end. He definitely had to shoulder the load in the center of the park with Marchisio being suspended and Pirlo having an off night.

Estigarribia: 6.5 – The more I see him play, the more I like him. He was involved in the attack and did a quality job getting back in defense and supporting Chiellini. Showing signs that he deserves to be in the lineup a lot more often.

Pepe 7 – Pepe never really got into the match like he has been in the past couple of weeks. Conte playing him in more of a central role in the first half didn’t help at all. That being said, he didn’t do a whole hell of a lot in the second half before he scored the equalizer. His game-tying goal — aided by a lucky bounce — was one hell of a run and why he gets such a high rating. He’s now scored in three consecutive games, something none of us probably thought we’d see.

Matri: 7 – We talk about how well Marchisio is playing right now, but Matri’s performances have been right up there. His team-leading sixth goal of the season was wonderfully taken, slotting it past an on-rushing De Sanctis just after halftime. He’s the best Italian prima punta the country has at the moment (sorry, Pazzo) and only seems like he’s getting better.

Vucinic: 6.5 – How the hell did that Mirko show up after the one we saw in the first half? It was like night and day. I was incredibly surprised that he went from that absent to that involved in the second half. He was vital in Juve’s comeback and almost had a goal himself, forcing a quality save out of De Sanctis. Hopefully he can bring that kind of effort to the party more often than not going forward.

Coach:

Conte: 6.5 – Got it wrong in the first half, got it right in the second half (as I’ll get to below). The thing that impressed me most is how the squad responded immediately after the break. The first half was utter crap and they completely turned it around in the second 45 minutes. If Conte screamed until his face turned blue in the locker room, good for him. The team needed a kick in the backside and they definitely played like the Mister wanted them to afterwards. But hey, still unbeaten and now two points up. Can’t complain about that.

Subs:

Quagliarella: sv

Del Piero: sv – 700th appearance for Il Capitano lasts all of about three minutes.

Pazienza: sv

Things I think I think

#1: Conte totally got the tactics wrong in the first half — Going into the San Paolo with a totally new formation? Yeah, try again, Antonio. Whether it was playing centrally or not just doing a straight swap of Pazienza for Marchisio, Conte’s choice of formation was the wrong one to go with. Pepe drifting into the middle was a complete head scratcher.

#2: Conte got things right after halftime — A completely different team. My god, to go from dreadful to awesome was incredible to watch from Juventus, and obviously Conte had a huge amount to do with it. The man continues to show the signs of a great manager. In Conte We Trust.

#3: MOAR QUAGS — I hate to sound like a broken record, but can we get Fabio more than five or so minutes of playing time, please?

#4: The refereeing made no sense…at all — It’s easy to play armchair ref. Anybody can do it. With that being said, how craptastic was that display from Tagliavento and Co.? The penalty call was right, but it was just downhill from there.

#5: It’ll be nice to have Claudio back this weekend. That is all.

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST:

- Krasic: The only thing we saw Meelosh doing against Napoli was running on the sidelines. Oh well. I’ve always been a fan and I really do hope Conte gives him a chance, but how much longer will be okay with sitting on the bench?
- Zebina: (lifetime award)
- Amauri: (almost lifetime award status) #IBlameAmauri

Well NO MORE Rosaneri, NO EFFING MORE!

Here’s a familiar sentence – Juventus showed up motivated, ready to play, pressed hard all game, created a decent amount of chances, and ended up with a hard-fought, well-deserved victory.

We are getting used to this now, aren’t we? Hey, I’m not complaining.

“Playing in a stadium like this gives you extra adrenaline and pure passion, both for the players and me. The stadium reflects the English style and I expect the same step up in quality from the fans. I hope it becomes our fortress.” – Antonio Conte, September 8, 2011

A fortress it is, Mister Conte. In 4 home games this season, Juve has disposed of such teams as Milan and Palermo, all the while scoring 14 goals and conceding 5. Furthermore, the atmosphere at this place gets better with each goal scored. Can you imagine the respect our home advantage will demand of opposing teams in the second half of the year if we keep this up? Mamma mia.

As for the game itself, Conte’s men came out of the gates ready and prepared for the team they were playing. It was instantly noticeable that Juve knew what they were doing, and knew where there would be space to exploit in attack. We really could’ve won it all in the first half. After the excellent cross by Chiellini for Pepe’s opening goal, Pirlo had a chance to put the game away but he couldn’t break the duck and only hit the post. Vucinic also had a one on one with Palermo’s keeper but he muffled the control of the ball before he even put up a shot.

In the second half, our Old Lady came out ready to fight for a second goal instead of park the bus and defend the lead. Lichtsteiner, who was brilliant all game long, found Matri with a beautiful through ball and let Ma-ta-ta-tri do the rest. Palermo tried pushing more as they now had all to play for but Juve pegged on the counter once more. Pirlo to Vucinic, Mirko with a nice low pass across the 16 to Matri, Matri hops it over and Marchisio is left with the finishing touch. Splendid 60 minutes by Juventus to put the game away for good.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 7.5 – Gigi is back! After a few games where he’s had little to nothing to do, Palermo was his first true test of the season. And boy did he pass with exemplary marks! Buffon was solid throughout the game, keeping his defence in order and blocking/saving shots when Palermo surged forward. A very reassuring performance by the Juve legend, will surely give our whole defense a huge boost.

Lichtsteiner: 7.5 – Steiner did everything on Sunday. Played right back, was always in front of Balzaretti, and defended the right flank well. Then, he was also our best winger, slaloming through defenders, sending quality crosses in, and widening the field and the Palermo set up with it. Great, great game by the Swiss. Matri’s assist was the cherry on top.

Barzagli: 6.5 – Apart from a couple minor blunders, Barzagli continued his fine form this season. Initially expected to miss the game through injury, Andrea slotted in his spot on D in the last minute and was his usual self of the year.

Bonucci: 6 – Both him and Barzagli had a similar game at a glance, though Bonucci was responsible for many more mistakes than his partner. Made quite a few errant passes straight to an opposing player that put our defense at risk. Should really know better and play his passes simple. Let Pirlo attempt the crazy ones.

Chiellini: 7 – Giorgio put in a surprisingly calm performance at LB. Early on, he did splendidly to help Vucinic up top and overlapped with him quite well. This lead to his great cross to Pepe for the opening goal. In the back he was very aggressive but very rarely fouled. Can he make this performance a norm at LB? Remains to be seen.

Pirlo: 7 – Until the second goal at the beginning of the second 45 minutes, Ilicic did a decent job marking Pirlo in the middle of the park. The one big chance Pirlo had came when he pushed up a bit more, causing Ilicic to give up on his tracking and leave Pirlo by his lonesome self. Too bad our John Malkovich coulnd’t convert. Otherwise, Pirlo had a solid game and played through both flanks in attack well.

Vidal: 6.5 – Was a bit more quiet on Sunday despite all the effort he put in defensively. I keep waiting on something spectacular from Vidal as we all feel like he could pull something awesome off, he just doesn’t.

Marchisio: 7.5 – My man of the match. He was everywhere, tackling, covering, pressing, passing, spreading play, leading counter attacks, scoring goals. Already a silent leader on the pitch. Happy he got his 5th goal, here’s to hoping he breaks double digits by the end of the season. By the looks of the first 10 games, easy peasy.

Pepe: 6.5 – Took his goal very well. Other than that, he was a bit more absent than in other games. Still worked hard though. Slowly but surely becoming our first choice right winger. His relationship with Conte may prevent him from looking at Krasic or a possible right winger in the winter. Le sigh.

Matri: 7 – Was a bit frustrated in the first half as he was never in the right place at the right time. All that changed in the second half with his excellent finish for his goal and the lovely dummy to set up Marchisio. For a lone striker, he needs to be a bit more patient up front. I know he wants to score goals, but he needs to put his head down and work for the team first. He is doing more and more of that which is definitely encouraging.

Vucinic: 7 – He is finally settling into the left side of Conte’s 4-3-3 and was unlucky not to score. Better yet? He is finally throwing his bit in on defense as well. No coach can force him to do that – it will all come down to how connected he is with the rest of our squad. Right now, it looks as if he has a great relationship with Matri, and he is certainly appreciative of all the work Marchisio and Vidal do behind him. If this continues, he will help the lads out too. Fine by me.

Subs:

Quagliarella: 6 – It was so good to see Quaglia back on the pitch. It is still the beginning of the season, and the euphoria is strong with all of the players. But once the legs get more tired, the games more tedious, and motivation a bit lower, it will be important to have players that will be hungry to step on the pitch and impress. Quaglia can be just that. I hope he stays in January.

Del Piero: sv

Pazienza: sv

Coach:

Conte: 7.5 – 10 games in, no defeat in sight. Prepared for the game very well and demanded a lot of his players, as always. At the end of the day, he’ll have to earn his bread against the smaller sides. Let’s see how well he can prepare and motivate our bianconeri for that. Even more important is the game against Lazio on Saturday. If successful, it will make the trip to Napoli a lot easier to deal with, win or lose at San Paolo.

Things I think I think:

#1: Crosses in abundance – I sure wasn’t the only one sitting there on Sunday thinking “Damn, we are putting crosses in like crazy!” Now, think back of the days with Ranieri and Ferrara and the like when we had strikers who all they could do is head the ball in but received half a cross on average a game. Am I saying Amauri would be scoring a goal every other game with the service provided against Palermo? No, though given my Amauri-affinities I could surely make the case (and don’t call me Shirley). But damn am I glad that we no longer have players like Molinaro to depend on for quality crosses. Give me Lichtsteiner every day of the week, puhlease!

#2: Rotation time – We seem to be getting a bit spoiled with playing 90 minutes each week. No wonder we can sustain the tempo and pace that we have right now for most of the games. Starting with Saturday though, we have 3 games in 8 days. Conte will definitely need to prepare for them accordingly. I am curious and excited to see what he comes up with. Is Del Piero going to get more minutes against Lazio? Is Quagliarela? Is Pazienza (oh gawd no)?

#3: #freeElia – The last 25 minutes against Palermo were PERFECT for Elia to get his first run out. We were up super comfortably, Palermo were already starting to dress down for the showers, and Elia had been warming up since August 30. Y U NO PLAY ELIA MISTER?

#4: Aaaah, vacanza – Man, being on vacation is sweet! For those of you who didn’t hear, I am on a 2 week vacay at home after not taking any breaks for a year. Plus, I’m back in Europe too. You have no idea how weird it is to not have to wake up early specifically for a Juve game. Even crazier, I can watch Champions League while NOT AT WORK now. It’s the simple things in life, really.

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST:

- Krasic: Joksimovic (his agent) is now tearing up the media about how Krasic is gonna leave. Surely, this is only done to put pressure on Juve to play him more. Hope to see him against Lazio/Napoli.
- Zebina: (lifetime award)
- Amauri: (almost lifetime award status) #IBlameAmauri

Unfortunately, the Napoli game won’t be taking place today. The official reason given was that the recent heavy rain and floods across Italy have made the city of Naples dangerous for 60,000 fans to go across to get to the San Paolo stadium.

Gotta say, that makes a lot of sense to me. Especially since yesterday it was reported that 6 people had died from the flooding in Genova. Can you imagine walking/swimming to the stadium in a post-tsunami like river of trash and mice? Ugh.

The pitch at the San Paolo is reportedly fine and most likely capable of enduring 90 minutes of a grueling battle between the bianconeri and partenopei, but we won’t be seeing that until later this year.

There is also rumor (haven’t found reliable written source) that Andrea Agnelli called the FIGC to protest the decision to postpone the match. He apparently asked for the game to be played tomorrow (which makes sense to me actually), but I am guessing he probably made the call as more of an obligation rather than an act that would’ve amounted to something.

I am not one for conspiracy theories (yeah right), so I don’t think that this decision was made only to favor Napoli. Don’t get me wrong – Napoli is certainly the happier of the two teams right now. They just came off a tough week in which they played Bayern on Wednesday and are surely in a much worse spot than Juventus at the moment, both physically and mentally. But I don’t believe that De Laurentiis set this whole thing up in a shady room somewhere in Naples. I just don’t. Could just be me.

Either way, the match is most likely going to be played out on December 14. If that is the case, I’ll be pretty pissed off. We play Roma on December 12, how the hell can we play at San Paolo 2 days later?

Here’s Juventus’ schedule for December if the game really is postponed for the 14:

Dec 4 – Juventus v Cesena
Dec 12 – AS Roma v Juventus
Dec 14 – Napoli v Juventus
Dec 18 – Juventus v Novara
Dec 21 – Udinese v Juventus

F7U12 FIGC!!!!! This is some bullshit. 4 Games in 9 days, two of which are against Roma and Udinese? Screw that.

To really kill you off, let me remind you that the next Juventus game is on November 20 against Palermo in Torino. That is 14 days of no Juve games. Watch out for John and I compensating with silly but heartfelt posts in the meantime here on the Juventus Offside.

I’m off to finish off my ruined Sunday with a hike and a 6-pack. If you still feel like watching some Juventus football despite the Napoli game postponement, you can always just re-watch the Inter game. Muahahahaha.

As John laid it out nicely in the game preview, Juventus came into this game having earned 4 points from the last 2 games occupying the top of the table without a defeat. Inter, on the other hand, was lurking around the relegation zone and were also facing a long injury list. They did have the advantage of the home court, however, which the fans used as both a motivating weapon for our players (with the cheating and Sereie B banner) and a disgraceful display of unsportmanship (with the Heysel tragedy-mocking banner). We were lucky to get Buffon back right before the game and were at full strength bar Giaccherini.

Conte decided to stick with the 4-3-3 that worked well against Fiorentina and put out the almost exact lineup from midweek (Buffon came in for Storari). Zeru tituli Ranieri came out with a 4-3-1-2 with Zanetti, Cambia, and Obi in the middle behind Sneijder as the trequartista and Pazzini and Zarate up top.

Inter was the better of the two teams in the early stages of the game. As Juventus was getting their feet wet and trying to get a feel for the pitch and the tempo of the game, i Nerazuri wasted no time getting the ball wide and forward. After Cambiasso volleyed a shot from close range wide of the post, the first shot on Buffon’s goal came courtesy of a Zarate backheel from a cross by Zanetti who strode down Juventus’ left side going past Vucinic, Marchisio, and Chiellini in style.

As Inter pushed forward, they were able to draw several corners from the Juve defense as our players couldn’t quite get a hold of the game in the first 10 minutes. Defensively, it was a very interesting dynamic displayed by the Nerazuri, who were seemingly in transition trying to learn Ranieri’s ways of defending. After an attack when Juventus had the ball deep in our half, Inter pushed up high, pressed high, and closed down high. When successful, this made it difficult for Pirlo and our full backs to find space and start off the attack.

Inter players pushing up high and quickly closing down any creative movement

When unsuccessful and Juventus were able to get the ball out to Inter’s half, Ranieri’s men resorted to a deeper, more compact set up somewhat reminiscent of his defensive style from his Juve years. Unfortunately for him, Inter’s players didn’t seem to be used to this transition at all and often left acres of space for our midfielders or wingers/fullbacks. One such instance in the 12th minute left Lichtsteiner wide open on the right, and after his cross and tap in by Matri were blocked by Castelazzi, Vucinic pounced on the rebound to make it 1-0 against the run of play.

Inter's defense tyring to stay compact in turn left Steiner with acres of space

Immediately after the goal, Matri was set up perfectly by Vucinic for a clean shot on goal but his big chance to put Juve up 2-0 ended just wide of the post.

Inter soon responded and after keeping possession and trying to attack, Maicon got somewhat lucky when his shot was deflected into the corner of Buffon’s net. The Brazilian right back roamed with ease down the flank for the majority of the first half as our midfielders failed to pick him up wide enough while Chiellini was busy keeping tabs with Zanetti.

Pazzini then had a great chance to put Inter up 2-1 but his header rattled Buffon’s crossbar. As the tempo settled a bit, Juve hit Inter again with a wonderful play this time through the wide-open middle. Marchisio played a sweet one-two with Matri and finished beautifully, sending the fans and players at the stadium into a frenzy like no other. Juventus seemed to finally be taking their chances after games of rued chances, and I truly believed we’ll score a third and finally put a game away early.

But it was not to be.

In the second half, Inter tried to tie the game up but Juventus came out the blocks a bit smarter and a bit more organized. Tactically, Conte made a couple key changes. First, Vucinic and Pepe swapped sides which allowed Pepe to track back more and help close down Maicon. Chiellini also started sliding more towards the centre of defense where he feels more natural (as seen in the screenshot below). Then, Vucinic and Matri played a bit deeper and helped out the 3 midfielders keep a solid line in before our defense which limited Inter’s effectiveness through the middle.

Also worth noting was Alessandro Del Piero’s contribution. Coming on late in the second half, he was expectedly successful in holding the ball and helping Juve keep possession. He even had a marvelous one on one chance to put the game away, but he didn’t connect on his shot as he wanted and the shot went wide.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6.5 – Decent game from Gigi after what seemed like a rushed return. Not much he could’ve done on the goal.

Lichtsteiner: 7.5 – A very, very strong performance from Lichsteiner, both defensively and offensively. Pretty much set up the first goal, saved a couple potential Inter goals with timely blocks, and pushed forward whenever he saw a bit of space open. He is becoming invaluable on both sides of the field. Loving it.

Barzagli: 7 – Barzagli moved excellently today. Much was asked of him I think, as Lichtsteiner was pushing up and Chiellini was narrowing in setting up a 3-man defense more often than not. Marked well and closed down fairly quick.

Bonucci: 7.5 – A man-of-match-like performance by Bonucci, who blocked 3 very dangerous shots on goal and was always quick to clear any confusion in our defense. A very non-nonsense performance from our young defender who is really coming into his own with Barzagli by his side.

Chiellini: 6.5 – Most everything has been said about Chiellini in the terzino position – he is not suited for the role and can be quite awkward both on offense and defense there. Plus, Pepe wasn’t there to help him in the first half which is something he was surely getting used to. Cannot wait till we get a solid left back and create a selection headache for the 2 starting centre back spots.

Pirlo: 6 – If this was the NBA, Pirlo would’ve been absolutely torched by the media for the amount of turnovers in the game. He seemed very lax and made some very uncanny passes (backheel, couple turnovers in our own 16, etc). Feels very weird giving Pirlo a 6, but he deserved it. Look for him to bounce back against Napoli.

Vidal: 6.5 – Arturo had a good game on Saturday and as always, worked his butt off. I still think his decisions are rash and his passing is too eager at times. He also needs to start blasting more from long range since we all know he can do it. An indispensable piece of the 3-midfield puzzle, but he has plenty to improve on.

Marchisio: 7.5 – What a true Bianconero heart this kid has. Scoring his 4th goal of the season (as much as he had all last year) after a wonderful run and one-two with Matri. His finish was superb. He has now put away both Inter and Milan this year and is in great, great form. I really hope he doesn’t get injured as this is surely his breakout year. Right on time too as it’s ADP’s last season. Yes Gigi and Chiellini will still be around, but Claudio can be our real leader in the years to come. And who better to help steer him along the way than Conte?

Pepe: 6.5 – After he set his own bar a bit high in the last couple games, Pepe was bound to come down to reality against Inter. That is not to say he didn’t have a good game. Especially in the second half when playing in that quasi-left back role, Pepe did very well defensively.

Matri: 7.5 – Haters gonna hate, but Matri was my man of match in this derby. He initiated the action that led to the first goal, set up the second, and kept giving the Inter defenders trouble throughout the whole 70 minutes he was on. One thing I didn’t like was his bitching when getting subbed off, though you can certainly understand the emotion after trying to score for more than an hour.

Vucinic: 7 – Finally Mirko scores a goal! Hope this opens the floodgates for the rest of the season. Somewhat silenced his critics that he doesn’t show up in big games. I think he worked particularly hard for being Mirko Vucinic, and was extremely humble in his post-game interview.

Subs:

Estigarribia: 6.5 – Conte clearly sees him as another workhorse on the pitch and starts to really count on him to keep pressure on players when coming on. He had a couple good runs and plays in the limited time he was given. Let this kid grow and he can become a very useful player for the club. Plus, his passion is already there.

Del Piero: sv

Pazienza: sv

Coach:

Conte: 7.5 – Still living the fairytale start without a defeat, one has to give Conte credit for how flexible he has made our team in a short amount of time. Everyone is willing to die on the field already and for the first time in a while our players play prepared and focused. I don’t think I will ever get sick of how he celebrates these victories like he’s one of the players.

Things I think I think:

#1: Hold those derby horses – Both the Milan and Inter derbies we’ve played so far have not been a true representation of the quality of our opponents. Inter may be right above the relegation zone, but they will be back towards the top half of the table by the end of the year. They will also probably have a stronger squad when we play them in the Spring. Milan are also showing signs that they are indeed the champions and intend on keeping that status this year as well. I know these results are great right now, but the way to a top 3 finish is still long and hard. That said, can’t wait for the Napoli game. We have the momentum and legs to at least outwork them. Couple that with a Matri goal or two and we should be looking solid.

#2: Related reading/viewing:

• The Guardian on Juve
• A beautiful column on Juve’s post-match celebrations (in Italian) and translated by Marco in English
• Zonal Marking’s review of the game

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST:

- Krasic: Hopefully all this rest is serving him well and letting him re-focus. Can’t wait to see how he responds when he’s back in the side.
- Zebina: (lifetime award)
- Amauri: (almost lifetime award status) #IBlameAmauri

For the first time in a few weeks though, Juventus played a game very well worth remembering against Fiorentina. Did you see that first half defense? Seriously, that was Juventus? JESUS CHRIST! That was the most impressive half pressing-wise we have played since I can remember (which is actually not that long).

With both teams starting with 4-3-3 formations, the game broke off at a good pace with Juventus once again coming out the gates pushing and pressing for an early goal. None of us could’ve predicted, however, that that goal will come from a set piece, let alone a corner. Lack of scoring from corners has been a recurring team in the Juve Offside comment threads ever since the start of the season. It was nice to finally see one be used productively.

From the corner, Pirlo put in a low pass to Vidal who was coming in from outside the area for a shot, and when Boruc deflected that shot right in front of his own goal, Bonucci pounced on the rebound and opened the scoring. Maybe a goalkeeper’s mistake, but I think that shot was a tough one to react to as it was close to the keeper. Either way, Juve Fiorentina, 1:0.

The rest of that half was, as they say, history. Juventus enjoyed utter domination in every aspect, attacking patiently but powerfully, and winning any lost ball right away in crazy fast fashion. Remember Barcelona’s 6 second rule? Yeah, Conte’s man took that to the next level and made it a 2 second rule. Fiorentina could not get a breather, let alone string a few passes together. I must admit it was a big surprise to see the first half unravel like that, and I felt extremely proud to be a Juventino.

Unfortunately, if there was one thing we lacked in that first half, it was scoring a second goal. We had the possession, momentum, domination, and chances. For what seemed like the umpteenth time this season, we could not close out the game when we had a chance.

At the beginning of the second half, Sinisha Mihaljovic introduced Gilardino to the game which gave Fiorentina a bit more firepower up front. More importantly, Gilardino’s role as the main striker allowed Jovetic to roam more freely and cause a bit more trouble for our team. While it was obvious that Juventus wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the pressing tempo of the first half, I was a bit disappointed with how poorly we started the second 45 minutes. Or was it just Fiorentina finally playing football?

In any case, the second half was a thrilling one. Jovetic scored a beautiful goal to bring the Viola back in the game at the beginning of the second half. Storari had no chance of saving the shot, and the young Montenegrin continued his scoring form of late.

Juventus were not to be denied victory though. Our best striker for the past 12 months, Alessandro Matri, took a lovely pass by Pepe midway through the second half to put Juve up 2:1 for good.

LE PAGELLE:

Storari: 6.5 – Coming in for the injured Buffon, Storari is a keeper you can still very much count on. Despite conceding a goal, his performance was quite encouraging. He made a terrific save early in the second half and kept his composure when having to clear some tricky backpasses. With the latest news saying he will be our starting keeper against Inter, I have full faith in Marco to help us on to victory.

Lichtsteiner: 7 – Steiner may have had a couple quiet games against Chievo and Catania, but he stepped up big time against Fiorentina. His good old self on defense, he was actually more impressive on offense with his crosses and constant pushing up to make up for the lack of a true right winger.

Barzagli: 7 – Anyone else notice how Barzagli was putting pressure on the attacker in front of him 9/10 times a ball came in to a Viola player? Absolute tremendous tenacity from the defender that I vow to not let go unrecognized.

Bonucci: 7.5 – Did the same amount of work as Barzagli AND scored our first goal. He was also wide open for a tap in in the first half when Vucinic opted to shoot wide instead of pass to the middle.

Chiellini: 6.5 – We have nothing, absolutely nothing to directly blame Chiellini for. That by itself means a huge improvement from the last few games.

Pirlo: 6.5 – Took more of a backseat today, and to everyone’s surprise we still got the victory. Not that he is not a pleasure to watch, time and again. Having Vidal and Marchisio on the pitch really helps Pirlo settle down more. Take note Mister!

Marchisio: 6.5 – Another silent but pesty performance by Marchisio. I really hope Conte brings back the interchangeable attacking midfield duo of Vidal+Marchisio for the Inter match the same way he did for the Milan match. The poor Inter defense won’t know what hit em!

Vidal 7 – PIT. BULL. TERRIER! This guy just goes all out. I love it. His tackles are very good, and he covered space beautifully, especially in the first half. Offensively, he will struggle a bit to get his groove going given all the defensive duties Conte assigns, but that was to be expected.

Pepe: 7.5 – Speaking of going all out, Pepe put in a pretty impressive performance Tuesday until he got injured/tired late in the second half. He did great to set up Matri for the second goal, which by itself warrants a high grade. Bravo Pepinho, keep it up!

Vucinic: 6 -Yes, he was largely wasteful. Yes, he has been like that in every game he’s played this year. Yes, he sometimes gets lazy. All that said, I thought people were a bit harsh on Vucinic for his performance against Fiorentina. The man was motivated, determined, hungry. What adjective of those three do you not want for a Montenegrin? I wish he was a bit less selfish on a couple occasions, but you can’t blame the guy for really trying to score. In pure FM talk, he was simply snatching at his chances. Though he’s working really hard on improving that aspect of the game.

Matri: 7.5 – Man of match! Such a beautiful player, both physically and on the pitch. He’s been our saviour up top since last winter, and barring any injuries, I don’t see him stopping anytime soon. Bring on MERDA!

Subs:

De Ceglie: sv
Pazienza: sv
Estigaribbia: sv

Coach:

Conte: 7 – He definitely decided to mix things up a bit on Tuesday. A natural 4-3-3 formation with Vucinic on the left for the first time this season (from the start) actually seemed to work really well. But that wasn’t what impressed me. The 5-4-1 at the end was. De Ceglie on the left, Steiner on the right, and Chiellini-Barzagli-Bonucci in the middle. If we ever need to park the bus for the last 5-10 minutes and protect our lead, I would definitely go with this tactic. That is, until our boys learn how to put a game away offensively. Where are ADP and Quagliarella when you need them?!

Things I think I think:

#1: Three words – BRING ON MERDA!!!!

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST:

- Krasic: Was left out completely from the squad against Fiorentina, though personal problems are now an issue as well after his tragic family loss. Hope to see you back on the pitch soon Милош, this shitlist would love to get rid of you!
- Zebina: (lifetime award)
- Amauri: (nearing lifetime award status) #IBlameAmauri