A little bit background info – What the fuck happened?

On Tuesday, October 18, Juventus’ “savior” president Andrea Agnelli, son of the legendary Juve president Umberto Agnelli, decided that a shareholders meeting was the ideal time to announce that Alessandro Del Piero – arguably the most legendary player to ever wear a Juventus jersey – was playing his last season as a Bianconero. This puzzling and seemingly distasteful move by Agnelli was taken in shock, disgust, and despair by Juventus fans and football lovers across the world. No official word has been given from Juventus or Del Piero since the announcement, while the issue has been constantly talked about by the media, fans, online forum boards, social media sites (Del Piero was trending on Twitter all day Tuesday), etc.

Why the outrage?

Sheesh, were do I start.

First and foremost, this announcement was not Agnelli’s to make. Alessandro Del Piero has been synonymous with Juventus most of his career/most our lifetime. He is the biggest status symbol the club has, the captain that has led us through green pastures and dark, Mordor-like quests. For me, he IS Juventus and has been ever since I started watching the Old Lady in the early nineties. His entire career impacted every day of my life since I can remember. If there was one decency this man deserved, it was to call his own shot on how and when he wants to end his Juventus fairytale. That is the least Agnelli could do. A measly shareholders meeting is the last place to announce something big like this.

Second, the timing is terrible. It’s the middle of October and we are only 6 games into the season. 6 GAMES! Why announce something like this now? The team is just starting to learn Conte’s ways, the Scudetto talk is cooled of and everyone is getting their heads straight mentally, and bam you hit players with something like this. It feels off, like it was not planned well at all, or like it was planned too well and used for some sort of a political agenda. Such a shame. In my opinion, there were 3 ways this could’ve been handled.

1. Make the announcement before the season starts – This is probably the riskiest one, but by doing so, you make this one hell of a special season. New stadium, new coach, a few promising new signings, and a season when every Juventus fan will have his eyes glued to the TV for every match to watch Del Piero play. Plus, you’re setting expectations. Every player goes into the season with an extra edge, an additional motivation – to give Del Piero the send off he deserves. You automatically ensure that every single game is sold out in the first season of the new stadium. Would it have added more pressure on everyone? Probably, but it wasn’t like the pressure wasn’t big to begin with. We all know what the weight of the shirt is and any player wearing that jersey does too. I would’ve hated the “Juve must win Scudetto in ADP’s honor” media bullshit, but that would’ve been something most realistic fans would’ve seen through. Plus, all of us distant diehard fans would’ve had more time to plan our pilgrimage to Torino to watch Del Piero play live.
2. Make the announcement after Christmas – This approach would’ve probably been my move. Give this new team half a season to gel and get a feel for each other and the coach, then send them home for Natale and family time, and when they’re back in training for the second half of the season and feeling good, activate the Nitro – Del Piero is playing his last 6 months. Mamma mia, can you imagine the feeling, especially if we are at a half-decent spot on the table like we have been the previous two years? It would have possibly single-handedly erased the fear of Juve collapsing in an embarrassing fashion for those last 6 months. Everyone would be focused and motivated to finish this one off for our capitano. Grande.
3. Make the announcement at the end of the season – I call this the Michael Jordan ‘93 move. The season is over, you can leave on a high ground if it was a Scudetto-wining season, or look back at it positively since it’s the last one either way. Everyone would be shocked, yes, remember how it was when Nedved retired? Still, the farewell match would have been EPIC! Not that it won’t be either way, but I’m just sayin’. The worst part is that the fans would’ve loved to know in advance and plan to see Alex play live, but oh well.

So why the hell did this happen?

There are a couple of theories out there (or in my contrived mind). The most obvious one is that Del Piero isn’t getting any younger or fitter anytime soon, and Agnelli simply made a mistake announcing his departure too early. Let’s be frank – Del Piero is already having a tough time finding minutes this season. Many of us should have (and some of you probably did) see Del Piero’s relationship with Juventus ending at the end of this year, especially after taking a paycut and signing a one year contract over the summer. However, it was easy to avoid thinking about it. The excitement around this new season was immense, we all started convincing ourselves that Juve will qualify for the Champions League and he will stay one more year to play in the CL in our new stadium, etc. As for Agnelli, the safe approach is to just say he made a terrible mistake, he is probably home hiding in the corner crying in embarassment, and he will do his utmost to make it up to the club, the fans, and most importantly, to Pinturicchio.

A more dramatic theory is the “Agnelli vs. Moggi era” conspiracy. Some people are speculating that Agnelli is trying to push Del Piero off the squad finally, like he did with Nedved and to a lesser extent with Camoranesi and Trezeguet. If you’ve been following Andrea’s behavior since coming on as a president, this one can be pretty easy to deduce. He was never a fan or a supporter of the triade that ruled before him, and he has really tried to distance himself away from most things from the Moggi era. Hell, he didn’t even invite Moggi & Giraudo to the stadium opening ceremony! Yes, he is a public supporter of the 29 Scudetti quest, but in all honesty that one is more of a club & fan issue than a Moggi issue. Plus it can be seen as him trying to strike a balance so he doesn’t seem overly judgmental of the legendary management before him.

Lastly, one can even argue that Agnelli is jealous of the power and aura around Alessandro Del Piero. By letting him go at the end of the season, Agnelli’s is getting ready to take uninterrupted ownership of the club without worrying about upsetting the ever-so-respected captain. It would be certainly interesting to see how proponents of this theory respond if Agnelli offers Del Piero a management role. I don’t think Agnelli will ever be fully in control as long as Del Piero is around in one way or another. Is Agnelli’s ego really that big? Is he that ballsy to put himself before the team and before the team’s icon?

Truth be told, no one really knows for sure what the motive is. There have sure been plenty of negative reactions to the announcement in the meantime:

• Moggi’s disappointment
• Tacchinardi’s emotional response
• Boniek’s “tad bit too realistic” opinon

Personally, this hasn’t really hit me yet. It will be a while before it sinks in. I am sure this is the case with many of you. Honestly, I cannot even imagine seeing a Juventus match without seeing Alessandro Del Piero in black and white. I don’t think I’ve ever had that experience. I know I don’t want to. As I said on Twitter, I don’t see myself wearing another Juve jersey with the number 10 ever again. It feel so pointless. No one will ever be able to live up to it.

Realistically, the conclusion to the Del Piero & Juve love affair was going to happen some day, and I guess we know now when that day is. But the way Andrea Agnelli is approaching this is pissing me off to no end. Totally disrespectful, with a cold, business-like tone reading a pre-written statement like he can’t think of words for himself. Does one think of anything else other than superlatives upon hearing Alessandro Del Piero’s name?

This cannot be the way it all ends for my idol. It cannot be how he is treated. A class act his whole life, he deserves so much more than this. As someone put it so simply, this Juventus doesn’t deserve Del Piero.

It is undoubtedly time for some serious damage control. If Agnelli lets this get out of hand, he will regret it very soon. If this new Juve project of his is going to succeed, he needs continuous support from fans and former players and coaches related to the club. The last thing he wants is to make us pick between himself and Del Piero.

One thing everyone needs to remember is that this whole thing is not about Agnelli, Juventus, or us the fans – it is about Alessandro Del Piero. He deserves more than we can possibly give him during this last season of his and his farewell. Let’s at least give it our best shot.

A couple months back when the memories from the recently-completed season were still (unfortunately) fresh in our minds, the boys from “It Ain’t Over…” (who have since been renamed the JuventiKnows crew) invited John, Ivo and myself — before the latter two signed up to write on here — onto the podcast to talk about all things Juventus. Due to incredibly high security around the recordings, this thing took forever to produce and subsequently release to the general public.

Well, it’s time to celebrate like Del Piero after a game-winner because the podcast has finally (!!) hit the internet and is available for your listening pleasure. We discussed the season that was and the one that is in front of us. We hand out the world-famous Juve Offside/JuventiKnows awards that you all know and love, debate whether the 2010-11 season was a year of transition or another one wasted down the drain, try to figure out who was to blame for things happening the way they did, and try to solve the mystery that is Jorge Martinez.

While it’s certainly not as timely as it once was, it’s still well worth the listen. We all, without a doubt, enjoyed recording it. Beware, though. It’s nearly two hours long. So make sure you have a bit of time on your hands — and maybe a snack or two — before you sit down and tune in.

From all of us, enjoy the show and thank you for listening.

Carrying Amauri out on a stretcher might be one of the few options we have left...

There are things in life that just make you want to throw stuff at the wall. Heck, even throw yourself at the wall. You name it and it probably involves a wall and some kind of destruction.

Amauri turning down every single possible move away from Juventus is what puts one of those things to happen in motion — quickly.

We thought he was gone for good when Big Daddy Beppe was able to ship him off to Parma — salary included! — during the winter transfer window. He proved what we all knew about him — he’s the big fish in a small pond, nothing more than that — and did enough of it to basically say “Hey, mid-table teams in Italy. I’m not washed up like you all thought I was!”

However, once Juve’s preseason training opened, there was Amauri. Such a happy fellow.

The rumors flew of where he’d be off to. Back to Parma? Back to Palermo? Maybe one of the 10,000 Serie A players Leonardo was bringing with him to PSG? Maybe to help Cannavaro tutor the kids in Dubai? What about carrying Grosso’s bag of goodies whenever he went to the tanning booth? It seems like they were all thrown out there at some point.

But nothing happened. The transfer deadline came and went and Amauri is still under Juve’s control, set to steal paycheck after paycheck because he has nothing better to do. He’s thrown away the chance to return to Palermo. He’s turned down a chance to go play for Trabzonspor (say that name three times fast) in Turkey. He isn’t going France. Thanks for trying your best, Didier, but this is a creature of its own free will.

It’s hard to say what the hell is going through his head these days and why exactly he has declined all of these moves because, well, we have no idea. He’s clearly not wanted at Juventus anymore yet, according to his agent, he wants to stay and prove his worth with the team. (brb, slapping my knee because that’s hilarious.) If that means disgracing our beloved Pavel’s No. 11 shirt by bitching at refs and being completely worthless on the field, then he’s already done more than enough of that. No need for another display.

Sigh.

So here we are, with a new stadium about to open up its lovely doors to the public within a matter of days and one of the worst buys in the club’s history (yo, thanks again for that, Alessio) is still haunting us. I don’t care if he’s not training with the team right now, he’s still here, still getting his checks signed by Juventus. We’re still talking about him in the present tense. I want to talk about him like he’s a thing of the past and in the past tense, dammit.

One good thing in all of this: He won’t be scoring the game-winner for Parma on Sunday at the new stadio.

Meh, whatever. I’ve put off bashing my head against the wall to write this post. Let me get back to that…

And yes, I will blame Amauri for of all this. It’s only natural to do such a thing.

The first thing I’d ask you to read is an article on Antonio Conte that I wrote nearly two years ago, when Claudio Ranieri was heading for the exit door. It’s extremely telling, and perhaps encouraging for Juventini. There’s no doubt there are major positives to Antonio Conte beyond just a proud past at Juve- he has achieved very consistent results with “decent” teams, aided in the development of young players, and instilled a winning mentality in a team known for mid-table finishes.

What has Antonio been up to since then? After a short tenure at a doomed Atalanta side, he returned to Serie B with Siena, hired by the same DS who hired him at Bari, Giorgio Perinetti. Given the ambitious mandate from Siena President Mezzaroma to immediately climb back into Serie A, the duo constructed an ambitious squad and has already conquered promotion.

(Great comment on YouTube: “Watch this video and ask yourself why Juve was a great team with a winning mentality.”

There’s definitely some interesting characteristics about his Serie B campaign with Siena. First, he is using his preferred attacking 4-4-2 formation, which means Krasic would not be offed alla Diego should Antonio return to Juve, who knows, he could maybe even get something out of Martinez. Like at Bari, Conte has done a great job of creating a winning mentality at Siena who was relatively depressed having been relegated, there’s no doubt his attitude is the type we need at Juventus.

Another interesting note is that he’s brought a few of his ex-players along with him and Perinetti, such as Francesco Caputo, who scored 10 goals at age 21 for Conte’s promoted Bari side. Caputo hasn’t played much, but that’s largely due to the good form of Calaio and Serie B veteran Mastronunzio. It’s possible that Davide Lanzafame, the umpteenth-youth-product-called-home-who-never-got-a-chance could return to Juve under Conte. It was Antonio who launched him initially at Bari, playing him in 55/56 games over a year and a half period at Bari. He certainly suits into Conte’s 4-2-4 attacking system.

You’ll note in my earlier post about Conte, I said that he’s a great coach, but it might be too soon for him to return to Juve, saying “He has done well with Arezzo and Bari, Serie B is much different from leading your team against a team like ManYoo in the knockout stages.” He’s put another solid Serie B season under his belt, and while that doesn’t guarantee a good performance at Juve, the experience combined with Juve’s changing environment swings in his favor. When I wrote this, we had finished 2nd place and were heading into another year of the Champion’s League, ending up in a group with Bordeaux and Bayern Munich. Certainly it’s a different game we’re looking at with Juventus likely out of all European competitions. I think that would help- it’d allow him and the squad to focus on Serie A, and Antonio could gain vital experience at the head of a big club before entering the European fray.

I’m still not totally sold on Conte to Juventus, though he has the mentality, the spirit, and the tactical know-how to guide this team. Like Nedved, it’s in Conte’s destiny to return to Juve as a coach, if you picked any player from the Lippi eras who would be a successful coach, we all knew it’d be Antonio. I personally would still prefer another Juventus legend like Deschamps, who has competed at a much higher level as a coach, though for me, Conte is preferable to Spalletti, Mancini, or Mazzarri.

Like Hoffenheim with Andreas Beck, Siena have asked Conte to inform them of his decision as soon as possible, Perinetti and Mezzaroma have both given him the freedom to leave Siena if he wishes, but understandably want to know his plan soon so they can plan for their upcoming Serie A campaign. With Marotta declaring that Agnelli and him have “clear ideas” on their future plans, Conte may already be Juve’s next coach, I do believe that they’ve already made their decision for next year. Should Conte come to Juve, we welcome him with open arms. If not, I hope Antonio builds on his budding coaching career and makes an intelligent decision to grow it. Forza Antonio!

A simple glimpse at Juventus’s formation at the start of the 2010/2011 season would give you the impression that this team is capable of achieving Champions League football, and quite possibly competing for the Scudetto.

Some of our transfers have been well received

After all, it seemed the club wanted to fill all the holes in the team as a start, with goalkeeper Marco Storari brought in, to substitute for Buffon who was then injured, after a series of very impressive displays with Sampdoria. The defensive line has been bolstered with the promising pair of Marco Motta and Leonardo Bonucci, while the midfield was given the most attention with the arrivals of the elegant Alberto Aquilani, the resilient Simone Pepe, the continuously impressing Jorge Martinez, and the swift Milos Krasic. The front-line required necessary pace and speed, and since President Andrea Agnelli’s then dream Eden Dzeko seemed impossible, Fabio Quagliarella was brought in to add a second dimension to the attack. Along with strengthening the first team, the bench received its fair share of attention as well, with Leandro Rinaudo and Armand Traore being brought in as substitutes to the defensive line should anything happen.

The first signing, however, made by General Director Giuseppe Marotta was Coach Luigi Delneri, who managed to achieve a remarkable feat by getting Champions League football with Sampdoria. An experienced coach in Serie A, better known for his stubbornness to the 4-4-2 formation, be it fixed or fluid. Delneri also happened to be one of the most tactically intelligent coaches in Serie A, which is something Juventus desperately needed after a disastrous 2009/2010 season which mostly fell down to injuries and tactically inept coaches.
Come January, many things have changed, primarily with injury situations and players failing to live up to their potential, striker Alessandro Matri was loaned from Cagliari, experienced forward Luca Toni was brought in from Genoa, and defender Andrea Barzagli was bought from VfL Wolfsburg.

As we near the end of the season, with Juventus sitting at 7th place in what seems to be another disastrous season for one of Europe’s top clubs. Some question the choices Marotta has made, while some question some of Delneri’s choices in the starting formation, or some of his odd substitutions. While the decline from “Scudetto Challengers” to “out of Europe” can be due to many various reasons, judging the performances of Marotta and Delneri have been the highlight of them, and it warrants a better look into the minds and decisions of the former Sampdoria duo.

Lets kick things off with the man responsible for putting everything together, Giuseppe Marotta. Marotta didn’t have big shoes to fill, after all his predecessor was Alessio Secco, however he had a lot of work to do, as his predecessor was Alessio Secco. His first priority, understandably, would be to build an all-round stable team by filling in the gaps left by below average players. As well as reducing wages and the overall age of the team, and letting go of players that are past their prime. In short, building for the future.

A lot has been said about those who were sold or let go, and those who were bought or loaned. There is no point in trying to understand why Diego was sold to Wolfsburg, why Trezeguet was let go and why Caceres was returned to Barcelona. Some, like Trezeguet and Camoranesi, deserved a better farewell for staying with Juventus despite the drop to Serie B, while others like Diego and Caceres left question marks that are still unanswered.

However, with a full season under their belt in the Black and White shirt, it’s time to further understand and assess some of Marotta’s signings over the Summer and Winter transfer windows of the 2010 / 2011 Season.
It’s worth noting, that in the Worries and Potential sections, the players will be looked at prior to the season start. Sort of a “What Marotta saw in them” section to further understand why they arrived in the first place.

Name: Alberto Aquilani
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Liverpool
Loan: No cost, the club only pays the players wages
Price: €16,000,000 right to buy over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Extremely Happy
Worries: Just returned from an awful spell at Liverpool and has a bad history of being plagued with injuries.
Potential: Immense. Aquilani had already established himself, when fit, as one of the best midfielders in Italy, known for his precise passing and thunderous shots. An understandable signing by Marotta, the midfield needed someone of his caliber.
Assessment: To say Aquilani returned with a bang would be an understatement. He showed the entire world what he is capable of, and eventually cracked his way back into the Nazionale. Played a major role in the first part of the season, dictating play and starting counter-attacks, all while learning how to defend. The biggest concern would be his dip in form, as he went from being heavily influential to influential as the season comes to an end. However, that can be due to the entire team collapsing since the beginning of 2011.
Final Thoughts: Aquilani should be purchased, no doubt. The entire team is putting on sub-par performances at the moment, and Aquilani is the type of player that thrives on his teammates. If what Marotta said was true, and Juventus are indeed going to buy 2 or 3 quality, game changing players, then right now, we haven’t seen Alberto Aquilani in full motion yet.

Name: Alessandro Matri
Transfer: Half a season long loan with right to buy from Cagliari
Loan: €2,500,000
Price: €15,500,000 right to buy over a period of three years “Rumoured to be a forced option, which means Juventus are forced to buy him”
Fans Reaction: Happy
Worries: Hasn’t played for a big club or in European competitions. Buyout price, compared to Pazzini, seemed high.
Potential: Very high. Never had the opportunity to play with a big club (his 2 minor appearances for Milan don’t count) and spent most of his professional career in Cagliari. Known as a modern clinical striker, and bought due to Quagliarella’s and Toni’s injuries. Giampaolo Pazzini was always the primary target, as both Marotta and Delneri are familiar with him. However, Garrone wanted €15,000,000 paid directly, something the club couldn’t do. Enter Alessandro Matri.
Assessment: Surpassed all expectations. Scoring 8 goals in 14 games in all competitions. Got his first call-up to the Nazionale, and scored on his first appearance as well. There are no realistic downsides to his transfer as he has been only playing for two months. Can’t be blamed for some of the performances he has put in as the midfield seems to be starving him of the ball lately.
Final Thoughts: Matri, just like Aquilani, should be purchased without a doubt. In a day and age where decent strikers cost €25,000,000 and higher, a 26 year old striker familiar with Serie A for €18,000,000 seems more than just a fair price. His imminent future partnership with Quagliarella could be the lethal duo Juventus have been searching for all along.

Name: Armand Traore
Transfer: Season long loan from Arsenal
Loan: €500,000
Price: No buyout clause
Fans Reaction: Indifferent
Worries: A 21 year old Left back at Arsenal who hasn’t had much play time, a club known for giving youth a fair shot.
Potential: Low. Virtually unknown to Juventus fans. Was brought in as a substitute for Paolo De Ceglie.
Assessment: Traore hasn’t put in the best of performances, at best he was an average player. Didn’t have much playing time and spent a lot of the time being injured. His crosses and passes left a lot to be desired and unfortunately he isn’t worthy of the number 17 or the black and white colors.
Final Thoughts: With no buyout clause, Traore will return to Arsenal when the season ends, Hopefully not making a return any time soon.

Name: Andrea Barzagli
Transfer: Purchased from VfL Wolfsburg
Loan: No loan price, direct purchase
Price: €300,000, with a maximum of €600,000 based on performances
Fans Reaction: Confounded
Worries: Generally no worries, as he was one of the best choices as a 3rd defender.
Potential: None, his chances of being a starter are slim and he is at his prime. However he would make a great 3rd defender, and Barzagli understands that.
Assessment: Barzagli’s transfer took everyone by surprise. During a period where the club was severely lacking in the attack department, Marotta opted to sign a defender. With Legrottaglie heading to Milan that made sense, and that sense was overshadowed by the fact that the club needed a striker, desperately. However, Barzagli did more than redeem himself. He has put in some impressive displays, a prime example would be the game he played VS Inter, and has already proven to be a bargain for his price. His experience is something that is fairly obvious to see as some of his interceptions and tackles just scream class. At 29 years of age, he still has a good 3 to 4 years left in him.
Final Thoughts: An absolute steal. Along with Chiellini and Bonucci the central defense should be in safe hands for years to come. That’s without mentioning Frederik Sorensen.

Name: Fabio Quagliarella
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Napoli
Loan: €4,500,000
Price: €10,500,000 right to buy over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Shocked
Worries: Was never a prolific striker, inconsistent.
Potential: Unknown. At 28 years, he is at his prime, however he was always known for scoring some of the most beautiful goals, but never as a prolific striker. The fact that he was inconsistent was a major concern, which made his potential unpredictable. A chance that Marotta took.
Assessment: Without a shadow of doubt, the best signing Juventus has made this season. One, that is sorely missed as well. It is no coincidence that once Fabio got injured on that fateful day, that Juventus have been in decline. Came as a replacement for Diego, and one that has not been received well by the fans. His pace and his unpredictability tortured defences as well as giving the midfield a whole other dimension of attacking choices. Scoring 9 goals as a secondary striker, all while lacking the option of a proper clinical striker up front. His telepathic partnership with Krasic was something of beauty. Currently sitting as the top Juventus scorer this season, and he hasn’t played since January. This just shows how much the team misses his presence. With Matri’s arrival, Fabio should get the support required in the front line, all while supporting and getting support from the midfield as well, this might just be the start for him.
Final Thoughts: Despite the injury he received, which will very well have a major effect on his pace, there is no doubt that Fabio should be bought. A lot will be questioning whether he will have the same effect he had this season, and in all honesty it is unknown at this point. However his play-style and his unpredictability suite the formation and the play-style of this Juventus perfectly.

Name: Jorge Martinez
Transfer: Purchased from Catania
Loan: No loan price, direct purchase
Price: €12,000,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Questioning
Worries: Never played for a big club. Was never a difference maker. Price was too high and the purchase was made almost too quickly.
Potential: High. While never being a game changer, he has been putting impressive displays for Catania in recent years, and at 27 years of age he was in his prime.
Assessment: One of the worst signings of the year. Apart from the Milan game, spent most of the season injured or benched. When given the shot to prove himself, he was less than a shadow of the Martinez of Catania, putting in horrible performances one after the other. With 12 appearances to his name, and only one decent performance, this has been one year to forget for the Uruguayan winger / attacking midfielder.
Final Thoughts: Juventus are stuck with him for the next 4 years, unless the club decide to sell him for a massive loss. Could be given a second chance to redeem himself next season. However, trading him + cash for another, higher quality player seems a much better option that would benefit both sides.

Name: Leandro Rinaudo
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Napoli
Loan: €600,000
Price: €5,000,000
Final Thoughts: Cutting to the chase, with 1 below average performance to his name and spending almost the entire season injured. Everyone can safely assume he is returning to Napoli and not coming back to Juventus, ever.

Name: Leonardo Bonucci
Transfer: Purchased from Bari
Loan: No loan price, direct purchase
Price: €15,500,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Pleased
Worries: Spent one season only in Serie A. No experience with a big club.
Potential: Very high. Considered one of the best young defenders in Italy, and has built himself quite a reputation partnering with fellow Bari player Andrea Ranocchia. Touted as part of the next-generation of Italian defenders to guard the back-line of the Nazionale.
Assessment: Considering this is his second season in Serie A, absolutely fantastic. Leonardo has not only grown as a player ever since he transferred from Bari, but is slowly building a great relationship with Georgio Chiellini. The defender cannot be blamed for some of the defensive errors that have happened during the season, as most of the blame would fall on the Fullbacks, since the central defenders need to cover for them as well. However, he has not yet fully developed to be the central defender that would be attentive and focused for an entire match, also struggles with fast and tricky players, but then again, he has just turned 24. Georgio Chiellini is known as the Juventus rock, however with Bonucci and Barzagli Juventus now have a mountain.
Final Thoughts: A wonderful breath of fresh air to finally see a young defender in the Juventus back-line that has what it takes. His understanding with Chiellini can only get better from here. A spot on purchase from Marotta, even though having two defenders will the same characteristics can cause some issues, however it should not be of major concern.

Name: Luca Toni
Transfer: Purchase from Genoa
Loan: No loan price, free transfer
Price: Free
Fans Reaction: Confused
Worries: Old. Washed up. Slow. Way past his prime.
Potential: None. Luca Toni is slowly nearing the end of his career, the only real potential Juventus fans see, is the possibility of him being a reason for Amauri to be sold.
Assessment: Initially, Luca Toni was thought to be the replacement for Fabio Quagliarella, despite Marotta insisting that he wasn’t. It could be the fact that both Amauri and Iaquinta were injured, and we only had Alex to depend on that prompted his purchase. Despite all that, Luca Toni has actually done well with the club. Mostly given a secondary striker role in which he holds the ball for as long as possible to allow the team a momentary break to catch their breath. However, he has been negatively affecting Matri when both are on the pitch. Despite that Toni understands that he is no longer first choice, and he is fine with it. Over all decent performances and one magnificent header.
Final Thoughts: It’s a bit tough to judge this one, on one hand Toni has done more than Iaquinta and Amauri have done for the club this year, on the other his wages are quite high for a player of his age, sitting at €2,000,000. This could have been a good opportunity to get an experienced striker, which could help out the two useless ones in the squad, or a panic buy. In any case, Luca Toni’s arrival was quite an odd and unexpected one. However I would say just for the sole purpose of him being a free transfer, it might not have been such a bad idea. The fact that he took a 50% to join Juventus, certainly helps his case as well.

Name: Marco Motta
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Udinese
Loan: €1,250,000
Price: €3,750,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Approving
Worries: Didn’t have much play time in Roma. Has a few issues with consistency. Hasn’t really played continuous matches to be properly assessed.
Potential: Very high. Previous captain of the Italian U-21 National team and had everyone else backing him to be the next great Italian Right Back. Showed a decent level of skill and play for a player of his age, in the brief chances given to him, during his time in Udinese and Roma.
Assessment: To say Motta was a flop is an understatement. Motta is easily solely responsible for costing Juventus many points, and not only that. Horrible in every possible way, bad positioning, horrible interceptions and uncalled for yellow and red cards are just the beginning. His crosses are completely inaccurate and worthless, his passing is predictable and easily intercepted while his surges to the front often end up with the opposing team getting the ball and counter-attacking. If that wasn’t bad enough, Motta has a habit of just randomly kicking the ball when he is close to the defence, despite him having enough room and time to pass it to a fellow player. Every possible hope any Juventus fan had for Motta to be a decent right back has been put to rest. To make matters even worse, his horrendous performances have been negatively affecting Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli as well. With their constant presence required to watch over an area they shouldn’t have to worry about, the central defence struggles and the imbalance causes openings for opposing teams to take advantage of. Undoubtedly the worst performer for Juventus this season, and some may argue that he could be better utilized as a winger, but to that you just have to look at his passing and crossing to judge.
Final Thoughts: One can see the potential Marotta saw in him; but after a season of getting many chances over and over again, Motta is a disaster and should be shipped back to Udinese. However, some argue that due to his incredibly low price, he should be purchased and either kept as a 3rd right back or traded for another player. It’s hard to see that happening, considering how his approval is required if he were to transfer to another club, and Juventus don’t want to risk having another stubborn player who refuses transfers, receives his wages and does absolutely nothing to benefit the club. If indeed that was the cast, at 26 years old, sitting on a purchase agreement that sees him tied to the club for 4 years, it just seems a waste to spend €5,000,000 on him.

Name: Marco Storari
Transfer: Purchase from Milan
Loan: No loan, direct purchase
Price: €4,500,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Satisfied
Worries: None, his performances with Sampdoria cemented his reputation as a solid, classy goalkeeper.
Potential: None, at 31 years of age, Storari is at the peak of his career, can be a super-sub goalkeeper for Buffon for years to come.
Assessment: Absolutely fantastic. Commanding the back-line and making saves that would make even Buffon jealous. Put to the test several times and has always come out on top. There is not much more to be said about him, Storari has been the best goalkeeper for Juventus this year, edging out Buffon himself. The fact that he communicates with the defence and commands his area so well is something that cannot be taken for granted. He cannot be blamed for any of the goals on him, as it was mostly defensive errors. His highlight has to be during the Inter game, in which him and Bonucci bumped heads, then raised his thumb at the players and cracked open a smile. Confidence galore.
Final Thoughts: No-brainer by Marotta. With his master class performances with Sampdoria, and the relationship they already had between both of them and Delneri, he was the perfect choice to be the deputy for Buffon.

Name: Milos Krasic
Transfer: Purchase from CSKA Moscow
Loan: No loan, direct purchase
Price: €15,000,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Overjoyed
Worries: No rest due to the Russian League being played during summer. Not familiar with Serie A.
Potential: Massive. Krasic was known to be an extremely quick winger with a precise strong shot. Known also for his many screamers during his spell at CSKA Moscow and the Serbian National team. Was the star signing of the summer.
Assessment: It’s always hard to judge someone’s first year in Serie A. However, he has been proven decisive in many situations. The comparisons with Nedved are only physical unfortunately, as he still lacks that untiring fighting spirit that Nedved had. However, in his own way Krasic has been hugely beneficial to the team, scoring and assisting left and right in 2010. His form, since the beginning of 2011, has taken a massive dip unfortunately. This can be attributed to exhaustion as he hasn’t had much rest since joining Juventus, and it can also be due to the teams dip in form. Despite that, Krasic is an absolute star, if he can maintain consistency throughout an entire season then he could possibly be a major game-changer. The only issue seems to be that his attacks are very one dimensional, which can be attributed to the fact that he is more accustomed to being just an attacking winger, instead of an attacking and defending one. He usually receives the ball, sprints through the defence in an attempt to bypass defenders and eventually cross or pass the ball into the box. A lot of the defenders have learned all his tricks and have successfully contained Krasic, which can be a major concern for the next season. In his defence, however, the absolutely horrible defensive displays from Motta require him to fall back and assist in defending, something which he is clearly not familiar with. As Delneri mentioned early on in the season, Krasic is a great player, but needs to learn how to defend. Even when Sorensen is playing as right back, his lack of offensive abilities hinder Krasic as well. In the early parts of the season, he built an almost-telepathic relationship with Fabio Quagliarella, something which has greatly effected his form, as the lack of a quick attacker to move with him can cause issues in counter-attacks. It’s very hard to assess someone who is unfamiliar with the language and the league, all while suffering the incompetency of Marco Motta. As a first season in Serie A, he has been one of the most influential players in the team.
Final Thoughts: It was either Krasic or Dzeko, and Dzeko was Agnelli’s dream. Thankfully, we got the former, and the fact that he waited for Juventus made it all the more special. He came for a decent price, and despite his dip in form, he has been a great asset to the club, and one that could be devastating next year. His on-field relationship with Fabio Quagliarella was mesmerizing, and with his imminent return and Matri’s arrival, Juventus fans might truly see a different version of an unleashed Krasic next season.

Name: Simone Pepe
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Udinese
Loan: €2,500,000
Price: €7,500,000 over a period of three years
Fans Reaction: Understanding
Worries: Was always a jack of all trades, but a master of none. Never really spent time playing for a major club. Hitting his peak while barely achieving anything.
Potential: Realistically, none. Pepe was at the peak of his career and known to be average in everything he does. Known for his always giving it his all, constantly.
Assessment: Pepe has not really been a star performer, but he hasn’t been bad either. Known for his workman like spirit, he played every game with heart, whether he had a good or bad one. Constantly running up and down the flank, untiringly, and at least giving the defenders a thing or two to think about, but Pepe’s major effect has not been on the field, but more out of it. Known for being a clown, he has lifted spirits when down in the club, be it by making jokes during training or pulling pranks, like prank calling Aquilani while he was on live television. Every club needs someone to lift people when they are down, whether small or big, and fortunately Pepe has been there to help lift the mood a little when people were down. On-field, it’s worth noting that his performances were above average, mostly used as a sub for either Marchisio or Krasic, he always gave it his all. That being said, his all is usually found lacking, but then again by that point most people should have realized that Pepe was more of a joker in the midfield rather than a game changer. To his credit, Pepe has taken every role Delneri has thrown at him without complaining, from playing as a winger, to a second striker, to a left-back. His undying spirit has also occasionally paid off, such as a beautiful late-game equalize against Fiorentina and a late winner against Lazio.
Final Thoughts: Originally, Juventus fans had doubts to why Pepe was brought in considering the amount of midfielders at the club. However, his versatility proved to be quite useful as he was utilized at every possible way. It’s worth noting that Pepe might have been originally brought as a substitute, as every major club needs to have a strong bench. This was not a risk Marotta took, in fact, everyone knew well enough that Pepe was at best above average, but his untiring runs and his spirit are two things that have been lacking lately. The fact that he is versatile in the midfield, can play as a left back, is a hard worker, lifts the spirits of those around him and never complains about being on the bench should be more than enough reason for Marotta to fully purchase him from Udinese, and that he should.

That pretty much covers all the major transfers that have happened in Juventus during the 2010/2011 season, however there is one particular transfer that hasn’t grabbed headlines. Someone who up until October 2010, was virtually unknown to most people.

Name: Frederik Sorensen
Transfer: Season long loan with right to buy from Lyngby
Loan: €30,000
Price: €120,000
Fans Reaction: Went Unnoticed
Worries: None
Potential: None. Realistically everyone knew he was for the Primavera team and didn’t pay much attention to his transfer, not much was expected of him as he was too young and virtually unknown at that point.
Assessment: This is as good as it gets. A 19 year old central defender, from a second division club at a fairly average league, comes for a trial season at one of Europe’s biggest clubs. His transfer barely gets any recognition from the press, and no reaction from the fans. Injury plagues the team, and Sorensen is called to fill a role he isn’t familiar with, right back, in the first team. To say he has impressed is truly an understatement, as he has been nothing less than exceptional. He has been one of the most solid defenders of the season, and the statement that truly makes you realize how special he is, is the fact that he has been the best right back for Juventus in the 2010/2011 season. Obviously, being young and a natural central defender, he is very limited in attack, however that should not be a concern since it’s rather doubtful that he will be a permanent right back. His highlight has to be the Inter game, playing a crucial role in defence, silencing Samuel Eto’o and assisting Matri for the winning header. Juventus fans today, may be witnessing history in the making.
Final Thoughts: €120,000 for one the most promising central defenders in Europe, and one who has impressed Calcio fans with his natural defensive talent and positioning. At 19 years of age, Sorensen is definitely a safe pick for the future, and has over 10 years to give to the club, and at €120,000 that is daylight robbery. Sorensen can be considered as an official Juventus player as there is no doubt Marotta will be buying his rights from Lyngby. If he doesn’t, some serious questions will be raised.

With that done, it seems the only think to left to judge in regards to the transfer window is the man responsible for those players, Giuseppe Marotta.

Marotta has done an impressive job, and no blame can be placed on him for signing players that once had great potential, and eventually failed to live up to it. Considering the right-back was occupied by Grygera, the midfield was a complete mess which also included Poulsen and the disastrous pairing of Melo and Sissoko. Chiellini’s central defence partner was Fabio Cannavaro, and the attack included Amauri who at that time went a year without scoring in Serie A and the injury-prone Vincenzo Iaquinta.

The squad desperately needed to change, and most importantly, needed to be younger. While some might argue that a few “champions” or “stars” could have made the difference this year for Juventus, the prime answer to that would be Jorge Martinez. While he is no star, however his injuries and delayed returns made his presence this year in the team pretty much worthless. Now picture if Marotta had splurged on one of those “champions” or “stars”, there wouldn’t be an adequate replacement for them in the team if they got injured in a similar way as Martinez did, as all funds would be spent buy those players. Marotta has in one season, created the base for a future team, with adequate subs and starters to help Juventus be what it was before.
Alessio Tacchinardi said in a recent interview that Juventus had a few stars and the team was built around them. The current team is being built with that model in mind, everything is in place, the only missing key components are the 3-4 “game changing champions / stars” that Marotta has promised to purchase for the 2011/2012 season. This was originally a 2 to 3 year project, so patience is required, and it has to be mentioned that at the same time as improving the first team squad, young players for the Primavera and the future of Juventus are being purchased as well.

As far as transfers go this season, Marotta has done an exceptional job, and earned himself more time to see his project through. From transfers to the man responsible for making everything click on the field, Luigi Delneri. While Delneri is not a big name in the coaching world, he is well respected in Serie A. Tactically superior to most of the Serie A coaches right now, if not all.

Delneri managed to form a team that, prior to Quagliarella’s injury, was competing for the Scudetto. His great work with improving Krasic and Aquilani’s defensively has not gone unnoticed, however his greatest work this year has to be Felipe Melo.

Melo was, to say the least, one of the worst deals for Juventus in the 2009/2010 season. With a little bit of faith from Delneri, Melo has transformed into a beast in the midfield. The most consistent player for Juventus, excluding “that” Parma game, and by far the best player this year.

Despite his great work with players, some of his choices have to be questioned. For example, playing for a draw against Fiorentina and Lazio, when the team could desperately use the points, or some of his substitutions. Granted, some of his odd substitutions have paid off, like subbing on Luca Toni in the Genoa game, however a lot of that can be attributed to luck as well.

His lack of “going all in” is also a major concern, as perfectly demonstrated by no other than Jose Mourinho, when his team is falling behind, he throws all his cards in. Delneri has yet to throw in 3 attackers and 2 offensive midfielders in hopes of equalizing or possibly winning the game, something which can be attributed to his lack of a winning mentality. Furthermore, Delneri plays an overly defensive game, absorbing pressure from teams and playing on counter-attacks, something that will definitely be exploited if the team gets to the Champions League and plays a big team. Something that also causes a major concern against teams with a better and faster offensive force, playing under the same strategy.

There is also the concern that the team can only play well against a big team, defeating Inter but losing to Bologna, Bari and Lecce certainly don’t help his case, although truth be told, a lot of the blame falls on the backs of the players themselves for under performing.

Delneri has taken a lot of the blame for this season, and he rightfully deserves some of it. Some still wonder why Motta is even considered as a starter with Sorensen available. However, Juventus have lacked continuity in recent years, and it would do them good to keep the ex-Sampdoria coach another year, and provide him with better quality in hopes of achieving better results.

Although the dream coach for the club would be Didier Deschamps for most Juventus fans, his arrival seems difficult without Champions League football. While Andres Villas Boas has truly demonstrated he has the winning mentality required, he has pledged his allegiance to Porto for the next year to try to win the Champions League with them.

For the time being, it’s a safer, better bet to give Delneri another chance at Juventus, all while providing him with the star quality the team so clearly lacks, in hopes for a better result next year. Though perhaps after the Chievo game, Delneri’s time in Juve should be reconsidered. However, only when an adequate coach has been found…

Written by Tariq Falaknaz- Follow him on Twitter

You can read my review of the Catania game, and it rings exactly true. We meet a crappy squad at the Stadio Olimpico, one that has little left to play for. We dominate the first half, score two goals. One goal conceded- and we fly into a mad panic, showing no tactical shape or defending capability whatsoever. And sure enough, we take a sucker punch. Thank God that Uribe sucks and Marchisio was as always, in the right place at the right time, otherwise I’d be even more bitter than I am.

There is something seriously wrong with this team, and I blame most of it on Delneri. As a coach, he has miserably failed to make the Stadio Olimpico a home fortress. We are by far worse at home than on our travels, unable to keep a clean sheet or maintain a goddamn lead. We might talk about our garbage fullbacks, and that is a valid concern, but for God’s sakes, Ranieri managed to grind out games with Molinaro and Grygera on the flanks.

That’s what is greatly disappointing to me about Delneri. When I wrote about Gigi Delneri’s prototype “plan” for Juve you’ll note I spoke about his defense, particularly the ability to hold out leads. His teams are usually stingy. They grind out wins, much in the way Claudio Ranieri did, and while I expected more drawing than normal like we did with dear Claudio, not in the way we have been. Today’s game might have been endlessly entertaining to a neutral, but there is no doubt I’d take a boring 0-0 Ranieri draw over a Delneri draw. At least when Ranieri is up, he finishes out the game, and moreso, when he makes a defensive sub even at 0-0….it stays that way. Delneri makes defensive subs against Catania and we concede 2 more. We may play with grit on occasion, but we lack the steel reserve that the old Juve had.

Speaking of comparisons between Delneri and Ranieri, what the hell was with substitutions today? He made one, and while it worked out alright, I didn’t agree with putting on a slow attacker when the game is blazing end-to-end stuff. Ranieri made late subs if he made them at all, and Delneri took a page from his book today. When your team is suffering badly out there, one of the easiest ways to turn things around is to jive things up with a few substitutions, it shows you’re unsatisfied with the way things are going, and can lead to a tactical shift. It is incredibly clear that this Juventus cannot hold a lead. Chievo was absolutely assaulting our goal, the team was in complete disarray, no one was performing on a tactical or individual level, it was chaos. That is the time you need to throw on two players, if only to pause the game and scream at the players to mentally press reset and get back into position. Instead, we just watched Chievo score two.

Another strange similarity between Ranieri and Delneri’s sides at Juventus is the complete failure to achieve a difficult objective. We can get fired up for the big teams, sure, but we can’t beat the little sides, and whenever we come close to reaching “the dream” be it the Scudetto under Ranieri, or the CL under Delneri, we fail, miserably. The squad deserves some tongue-lashing for this, but ultimately it may speak to the limitations of these two managers- they cannot inspire a team to break through that final barrier to achieve a tremendous objective with a great team. It’s probably why neither will ever win a league title.

Disappointed Gigi is disappointed

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6- Didn’t have much to do, but could have been sent off again with a reckless exit against Pelissier.

Motta: 5.5- An okay display from Motta, at least he got one side of the pitch right today. Nearly permanently missing from his defensive duties, but helped out a lot up top and a key reason why Milos looked good today. Still- this was an improvement for Motta, still not good enough by any means.
Barzagli: 6.5- Andrea has been surprisingly consistent ever since arriving in January, and as I’ve said a few times, I think he makes a better pairing with Giorgio or Bonucci because he’s more like Legrottaglie- the two are rather similar and it can work, but not as naturally. Not responsible for the team entirely giving up any defensive performance.
Chiellini: 5- Alright, so he nearly scored a goal, but Keyser Giorgio was otherwise terrible today. Bad clearances, bad touches, bad giveaways, poor manmarking, it was a real disappointing performance. He was all over the place, and not in a good way.
Grosso: 5.5- Did okay. Grosso has actually been somewhat reliable in the last few months, but at his age and salary, he’s not the way forward. I’m still all for selling him this summer if we can get Ziegler in.

Krasic: 6- A much improved display from the last few months, particularly with his decision making. Previously Milos would sprint up the wing and deliver a terrible ball or worse, just simply lose it, but he delivered some decent ones today. Rightfully booked for diving- his reputation precedes him, but it’s probably just because he never rolls around agony. Look- everytime he dives, he just kind of looks around. You’ve gotta act better if you’re going to convince the ref.
Marchisio: 6- I thought he was better than a lot of sites are giving him- he didn’t see too much of the ball, but a few of his through passes opened up Chievo, and he was battling hard defensively. Still doesn’t look totally comfortable switching back to central mid after over a year pushed out of position, but you can’t knock his tactical intelligence.
Aquilani: 6.5- Really should have scored in the first half, when an excellent cross ball to Milos was headed down to Motta. A few misplaced passes aside, Alberto did well to spread play. Unfortunately, as a team, we surrendered the midfield around the 60th minute.
Pepe: 6- A hardworking, efficient performance. Glad to see some natural width on the left.

Del Piero: 7- Another excellent performance from Il Capitano, a perfect penalty, a lovely assist, and a few good plays here and there to open up the game. Came close on a set piece. Great individual performance to celebrate his contract renewal.
Matri: 6.5- Worked real hard up top and was largely starved of service during the first half, but turned on his Trezeguet mode to finish past Sorrentino beautifully for Juve’s 2nd. Drifted out wide as the game progressed, which hurt the team’s attack.

Delneri: 4- What can I say more? Poor subs, and he does not have this team drilled on set pieces or defending. The team was without any kind of tactical identity for about 15 minutes, and he did nothing other than throw Toni on.
Toni: 6.5- Thought he did real well with the brief time he saw. Hit the post with a header, knocked down several balls to teammates, and generally made a nuisance of himself up top.

Things I Think I Think:

#1- I hate Pelissier. I hate Sardo. I hate Chievo: Before the match, I was chatting with Papai about Pelissier, and I mentioned that he’s the #1 player I would like to buy for the explicit reason of never having to face him. Julio Cruz used to be “that guy” but has since completely disappeared. I think I said the same thing back in November when he scored the last equalizer against us. I hate that sonofabitch. I dislike Sardo too, who marked his 2nd goal against Juventus, the culmination of one of the most average careers in the league. And I hate Chievo- nevermind their affiliation with Inter, they are a godawful team, one content to play 10 men behind the ball for an entire season to stay in Serie A. They aren’t the real team from Verona.

#2- Delneri could choose his words better: Before the match, he said he’d give himself 100% chance of being on Juve’s bench next season. After the match, he merely said “the club will decide.” Also, worst reaction ever to the match. He was arguing with the referee Gervasoni as the game ended, for what, I have no idea. Then he follows that up with the stupidest comment during the post-match interview he could have possibly said. For a man who’s had doubts all season about whether he is merely a good “provincial” coach, he suggested maybe Juve weren’t that big of a club. The fans are scared we’re turning into that, with the powers that be currently residing in Milan and Rome. Don’t confirm it. Also- if we are a “small” side, shouldn’t you be doing well?

#3- Beppe Marotta had some interesting words: “The statistics are clear, we’re ubneaten in 8 matches, but with 4 draws, 3 of which we let a 2-0 lead slip to a lower table team, this shows a lack of personality and balance in the team, we need to work on goals conceded- unfortunately we were unable to in this year, but now we will do it. [Fuck you, Motta. Does this mean we get real fullbacks?] We have very clear ideas, soon we will have a general meeting to discuss the situation for the good of Juve, there are two games and we will take a final decision after Parma. [Before Napoli?? Strange] Delneri has a two year contract and has the necessary basics to be our coach next year, but we need to evaluate everything, and it’s not right to say yet what we will decide. This week the CdA will meet, and there is determination from John Elkann and Andrea Agnelli to support Juve, but it’s wrong now to name figures, since we’re a publicly traded company. The team and everything will be evaluated, Juve at 1-0 should manage far better, in the case you’re ahead, you cannot let the other team back in like a team with such an inferior character. We will find players who do not succumb to this, so it does not occur again.”

#4- Like I said v Catania, I don’t like the hybrid 4-4-2/4-3-3: I think we play immensely better when we have two natural wingers, and I don’t buy the idea that Marchisio needs to play there to accomodate Aquilani and/or Grosso/DeCeglie. Grosso is doing “alright” back there, and Aquilani has improved his defensive game. Where does that leave space for Marchisio, I don’t know, but playing him at left-mid (or any CM for that matter) just bogs us down immensely. Maybe play it against big teams, big away matches, whatever, but when we’re playing a “small” team at home, we need to unlock them. Our width caused Chievo a lot of trouble today.
#5- Pazza Juve- How Juve became Inter and Vice Versa: I wrote this over a year ago. Is it just me, or is it eerily accurate?
#6- The coaching situation: I’m very disappointed with Delneri, but I said this a few weeks ago after Catania and I still stand by it. Where the hell do we go from here? I strongly believe the coaching continuity is an underrated part of a club’s success, and we have not had it since Calciopoli. I remember being one of the few who thought sacking Ranieri with 2 days to go (the first Juve coach to be sacked mid-season in 30 years or so) was absolutely ludicrous. Then we sacked Ferrara mid-season, of course I think we all know now that sacking Delneri with 4 games to go is pointless. He can do a better job next season with an improved team, but can he make 3rd? Sadly, that’s our aim, and I’m not so sure. It depends on who’d replace him. Mancini, Spalletti, Gasperini, Mazzarri I don’t think any of them can do much better, and so it’d be pointless to can him to go for another year of “this coach needs time to mould us.” There’s one man that we need to give an iron-clad 4 year contact- Andrea Agnelli and Beppe Marotta need to fly to Marseille and beg Didier to come to us. He just won his 3rd piece of silverware in his 2nd year at Marseille, and possibly could hit a domestic double two years running.

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST
- Andrea Agnelli: (2 weeks) Two words, Andrea. SILENZIO STAMPA.
- Mauro Bergonzi: (Lifetime Award)
- Gigi Delneri: (3 Weeks) A shambolic game v Catania followed up by a disgusting display v Lazio followed with a shambolic display against Chievo. Great.
- Catania: (Seasonal)
- Vincenzo Iaquinta: (Seasonal)
- Milos Krasic: Looked good today, particularly the final balls.
- Marco Motta: Good enough improvement.
- Jonathan Zebina: (Lifetime Award) The new Roby Baggio finishes his Brescia career on the bench?

“Alla Juventus vincere non è importante, è la sola cosa che conta”

[On continuity] “Juventus is on course for a change that needs time, to have a younger and more competitive squad. I have a lot of faith in Juventus, but the fans need to be close and support the team. This season’s performance is tied to so many changes. When a team is still young, like Juventus, it’s hard to be compact as a team at times. I think that continuity is crucial, and we’ll see the results in the next few years. As for Delneri? I have nothing to say. What counts more is that there is stability, and unfortunately, to discuss all this every year makes it that more difficult to build and plan for the future.”

[On club objectives and finances] “The next board meeting will see what we expect, and what we’ll see of the next few championships. I expected a different type of season, and hoped for one, but it’s gone as it has. They will decide the objectives, and if there is need for support, Exor will give it. [Referring to the hypothesized capital infusion) At the moment, we cannot yet quantify the eventual increase. From the club, we haven't received a request. Last year we made many big changes, investing in many new players. We will focus on fewer this summer, and the mercato will be done then, not now. The club did a lot of work with Andrea to start a new cycle."

[On the role of the fans] “We’re working towards a greater involvement with our fans, who need to believe in how the club is being run. At the beginning of the next season, we’re opening the new stadium and Juve’s management is already working on a new plan until 2014. For example, fans will have their own spot in the stadium, like with a museum or various entertainment locations. [Casino+Strip club per favore] If we look at the models of success in Europe, like Barcelona or Bayern, it’s clear that they are marked as clubs where the fans have a particularly active role.”

I don’t honestly understand all the hate for John Elkann, the Calciopoli debacle aside. (which I believe was due to naivety and a snake whispering in his ear) EXOR has provided plenty of funds since our return to Serie A, only Alessio Secco squandered all of them with only Felipe Melo to show for it. If there’s an issue, it’s that he doesn’t know calcio. And that’s okay for an owner in my opinion, as long as he knows it, and is smart enough to hire men who do. Andrea Agnelli fits the bill. Is John the most passionate fan of Juventus? Probably not, although I think contrary to public opinion, he does view it as “more than an asset.” I’d take his “businessmanlike” approach over whatever in God’s name Lapo would do, anyways.

Above, John ticks all the boxes for me. Infusion of capital? Trying to include the fans? The need for continuity? All good in my books. Whether he’s actually going to do all of these is another question, but John doesn’t seem to have any need to pay lip service or deceive the fans. The real question for me is if he’s competent enough to do all of these, or at least competent enough to hire the right man for the job. For example- John might not be a good Wikipedia writer, but he sure as hell hired the right guy to edit his page for him.

Really, John? The description? Your Wikipedia photo? Have at it, Juve Offside.

I don’t even know where to start with this ridiculous match. It should have been put away far before Bergonzi handed Catania a point on a silver platter, so as much as he’s a colossal asshole who should be banned from refereeing for life (you should remember him) it’s not even his fault. It’s the entire team, that went up 2-0 and mentally shut off as we’ve seen countless times. It’s Krasic, for failing to bury the goddamn ball in the net and for giving up the ball so easily that led to the “first-FK-given-after-stoppage-time-was-over.” It’s Grosso and Marchisio, who failed to mark Gomez lurking at the far post on the simplest of counter attacks. It’s Delneri for watching his team contently sit back and failing to do anything about. It’s all of them. The rest of the post can be summed up as this:

TL,DR; An angry amateur blogger named Aaron has harsh words for just about everyone

It infuriates me, because the entire team showed no real urgency about killing off the game when it was 2-0. No one player was at fault, and that makes it worse. If it was one player who screwed up the game, bench him, or loan him out to Atletico Madrid. The entire second half, for whatever reason, Catania gave up and we could have scored 5, until one of them looked at their watch and said “Hey, we have 15 minutes left! 0 points isn’t good for avoiding Serie B, let’s do something!” I don’t buy the excuse of 2-0 is a secure scoreline. It is for a great team that can grind out wins, fuck, it’s a good enough scoreline for Ranieri who drew far too many games, but at least was able to defensively organize his team to avoid conceding late goals.

Sure enough- Catania pulled one back, and suddenly we looked nervous as shit. Catania took the initiative, and while our players individually held up well enough to prevent any clear opportunities, it was a one way assault on goal. Some might say “if Lodi missed the FK, we’d be praising the team for grinding one out.” Absolutely false. If he missed it, I’d still be ranting about letting the opponent back into a game when they have no business to do so, albeit probably with less profanity. It’s unacceptable to let a shit team creep back into contention at your home. We’re talking about a terrible team here, one we beat 3-1 in Sicily, and one that conceded 4 to Lazio at home last week. Their defense was just as shambolic, but we didn’t capitalize, assuming 2-0 was good enough. All they needed was that 1 goal, and we panicked. Was anyone surprised? No.

LE PAGELLE:

Buffon: 6- Had very little to do, as the defense for the most part did stellar. Commanded his area well enough, there was a nervy moment or two, but nothing he could do on the two goals. When I saw Buffon angrily walk off the field, I was somewhat pleased. He was furious, and rightfully so. THAT’S THE TYPE OF ATTITUDE I WANT TO SEE WHEN YOU LOSE THE GAME FOR US AGAINST MILAN, AT HOME. Not smiling and joking with the player who scored on you, however good a friend he may be, it can wait.

Motta: 6- I’ll give the kid some credit. Stupid yellow card aside, he did well today, defensively he held his own, and certainly helped out Krasic more than Sorensen did. Certainly had to come off at half-time as I trust Motta on a yellow less than Bergonzi at the San Paolo, but a good display. I still don’t want him wearing Bianconero next year, unless it’s back at Udinese.
Bonucci: 6- A positive display for Leo, who has been improving after a dip in form. Understanding is getting better with Barzagli.
Barzagli: 6.5- I’ll be honest, I was very hesitant about the ex-Palermo man coming in January, at Palermo he was poor and too inconsistent, prone to some real shockers. I think by-in-large, he’s been better than Bonucci since his arrival, and looks like a solid 3rd-choice CB for the next few years.
Grosso: 6.5- Did a fairly good job keeping Gomez quiet and never hesitated to move up the flanks, with some real positive offensive forays. Catania’s 1st goal is partially his fault, as he left Gomez to Marchisio (seemingly not telling him) to cover…absolutely no one. But keep tanning, Fabio. It’s done such a wonderful job hiding Berlusconi’s age, maybe that’s the ticket for you too.

Kissing 2 points goodbye?

Krasic: 5- If I had to pick one person as my goat-of-the-match, it’d be Milos. A few good plays here and there, one that led to a counter-attack and an assist for Del Piero’s second goal, but otherwise was poor. Had a few golden chances to put the match away in the 2nd half, and didn’t do it. 3v1, and he puts in a terribly heavy ball to Pepe. Worst of all, an extremely casual turnover in the 94th minute forced Felipe Melo to foul Gomez, and that led to Catania’s equalizer.
Aquilani: 6- As Catania started to turn on the heat in the end, it required Alberto to do be fast, and defensive, two aspects of his game that are not exactly his strong point. In the first half though, a few bad passes aside, Alberto was solid. We need to sign him this summer.
Felipe Melo: 6.5- Another good game from our resident man-child, who broke up attacks and did well anchoring the midfield. I had a brief discussion with Gabriele Marcotti on Twitter about Felipe in the last few minutes. You all know that I am not exactly the first member of Felipe’s fan club, but blaming him for tonight is a knee-jerk reaction unfounded in fact, and trust me, I’d love to slag him off for this one. That late in the game, fouling Gomez that far from the goal is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, especially when one of your teammates just casually handed him the ball. It’s far enough from the goal that it should be no problem, and Gomez was a tricky sonofabitch. And blaming him for the “handball” that led to the 2nd free kick is ridiculous, that should never have been called by Bergonzi. Felipe’s arm was pinned to his chest, it wasn’t held out, it wasn’t deliberate, it was impossible to avoid it anymore. As Delneri said, “What is Felipe supposed to do, take his arm off?”
Marchisio: 5.5- An okay performance. He failed to track Gomez for Catania’s first goal, although he was a bit left in the lurch by Grosso’s decision to pull centrally. Otherwise, I’ve said time and time again, I don’t like Marchisio being played in the mezz’ala role as it is forcing a square peg in a round hole, all for the sake of “playing it safe.” Marchisio deserves better. Juventus deserves better.

Matri: 5.5- Drifted out wide, supplied crosses, but didn’t attack the net enough. Had a good opportunity here and there, but wasn’t playing as a prima punta as he should. Maybe he was confused going from a 4-4-2 with him wide (February with Toni) to a 4-5-1 as the sole prima punta, to a traditional 2-man partnership up top.
Del Piero: 7.5- A magical performance from the captain, the two goals being his personal “lowlights” of the match. People who didn’t watch the game might see his penalty and chested-goal-he-knew-nothing-about, but Ale was inspirational tonight. Constantly dribbling through Catania defenders, setting up beautiful chances (his backheel to Matri was genius) it was clear the Etnei defense couldn’t handle him, so they resorted to fouling him from behind in the 2nd half.

Delneri: 4.5- Quite disappointed with his management of the 2nd half. The subs were ones meant to preserve a 2-0 win, as Sorensen, Pepe, and Toni are like-for-like defensive replacements for Motta, Del Piero, and Matri. But as I said against Lech Poznan 6 months ago, it’s far more than defensive subs, it’s that there was a clear mentality of “okay, 2-0 is a good score, let’s finish out that way.” I said above that makes sense if your team can close out the match like that, Delneri should know after 10 months at Juventus that we are not psychologically at that level.
Sorensen: 4.5- Came on and made Motta look calm and competent. Enough said.
Toni: 5- Didn’t really manage to do anything in his time on the pitch, one decent header aside. Didn’t hold up the ball at all.
Pepe: 5- His non-goal aside, I cannot remember anything about Pepe in this match. I don’t even have a clue where he was playing, was he supposedly a seconda punta? Anonymous.

Things I Think I Think:

#1- I owe my roommate a new plate and glass: Sorry man.

#2- Mauro Bergonzi, You Are a Worthless: First the Napoli debacle, then he harshly sends off Manuel Giandonato against Chievo, he’s had a bad record against us, not to mention the Melo non-handball. While his record is definitely more negative than anything for Juve, there’s ample evidence he’s just a terrible referee in general. Against Cesena, he should have sent Buffon off. How do you not send him off, but you do Giandonato? Buffon had no one behind him, Giandonato had maybe two or three that could have covered. Today was further proof- the handball at the end was a non-call, and the penalty probably too. At first I thought it was for a push on Melo, was confused, saw the Catania players remonstrating and Bergonzi explaining it was a handball. I reviewed it several times. It does appear Capuano touches it with his hand, but I have watched it 2-3 and don’t understand why you would call that a penalty- maybe by the book, but harsh as hell. At first, Juventus players had no idea why it was called, either.

#3- What was Catania’s deal? Seriously. This is a team battling relegation, and after two rather fortunate goals for Juve, they just kind of gave up and their awful defense let our awful offense have all the awful attempts on goal we wanted. And then suddenly, they realized, “hey, we might be in Serie B soon” and snapped into motion. What the hell? Did Simeone tell them “hey preserve your energy for the last 15 minutes?” I don’t think so, and I’m totally confused. I was also rather entertained by their celebration of the win draw that gives them 1 point. I guess you need to celebrate everything at that level, but seriously, you guys just got 1 point from 0. That doesn’t help enormously, it’s not like you won the Coppa Italia or something.

#4- Catania Classy in “Victory”: All of the comments coming from the Catania players and coach were rather surprising in how they paid tribute to Del Piero. Gomez said “Certainly the match changed with Del Piero’s exit, he is one of the best in the world and to not have to play against him is an advantage.” Coach Simeone agreed, “Along with Baggio and Totti, he marks an epic era of Italian football, to play against him is an honor and he makes you realize that more than some others.” The other goal scorer Francesco Lodi one-upped both of them, saying “I’m sorry for Juve, but this was an important point for us. Del Piero is a great man in all aspects, he scored two goals today, but even them aside, being on the pitch you see how great and humble he is at the same time. To score a free kick in Del Piero’s stadium is truly something exceptional.”

#5- I officially don’t like the hybrid 4-3-3/4-4-2: Shifting Marchisio to the LM was originally something we did against Inter to counter Maicon’s threat against the inexperienced Paolo De Ceglie. It worked well, but partially I’m sure because Maicon is garbage this year. Since then Marchisio has been deployed there as well ostensibly to help out Aquilani, who is too “defensively weak.” Nonsense. Alberto’s positioning and defensive ability has massively improved since coming in August, and no longer needs to be babied in a 2-man midfield. It makes our left flank a non-factor, assuming Fabio hasn’t hit the tanning machines, and thrusts responsibility on Krasic. No more playing the safe angle, if we’re playing a “4-4-2″, it’s time to do it with genuine wingers.

Angry Gigi is angry

#6- At least we’re not “pleased” with this point: As you can see in the “highlights” Buffon was furious as he stomped off the pitch, repeatedly shaking his head. Marchisio destroyed one of the advertising boards that they bring out for post-game interviews as he marched off to the locker room, and Felipe Melo hounded Bergonzi, shouting “You always do these things against Juventus, ONLY against us!” After the match Andrea Agnelli had a “face-to-face” meeting with the players for nearly 40 minutes in the locker room before they were let go. This does make me say something about Felipe Melo- I don’t like him, though that doesn’t get in the way of stating he has been superb this season, and it seems like he feels like a real integral part of Juventus. One thing pissing me off- WHY HAVE WE NOT CALLED A SILENZIO STAMPA YET? I am sick of hearing everyone saying “Sorry about the result, we’ll try better.” Enough platitudes.

#7- Where the hell do we go from here? I strongly believe the coaching continuity is an underrated part of a club’s success, and we have not had it since Calciopoli. I remember being one of the few who thought sacking Ranieri with 2 days to go (the first Juve coach to be sacked mid-season in 30 years or so) was absolutely ludicrous. Then we sacked Ferrara mid-season, of course I think we all know now that sacking Delneri with 4 games to go is pointless. He can do a better job next season with an improved team, but can he make 3rd? Sadly, that’s our aim, and I’m not so sure. It depends on who’d replace him. Mancini, Spalletti, Gasperini, Mazzarri I don’t think any of them can do much better, and so it’d be pointless to can him to go for another year of “this coach needs time to mould us.” There’s one man that we need to give an iron-clad 4 year contact- Andrea Agnelli and Beppe Marotta need to fly to Marseille and beg Didier to come to us. He just won his 3rd piece of silverware in his 2nd year at Marseille, and possibly could hit a domestic double two years running.

#8- As if selling us Jorge Martinez wasn’t bad enough: The player that Catania replaced him with? Gomez. Yes, the tricky short little player who scored against us, the one who never stopped running and was constantly causing us problems. Where was Jorge Martinez? Injured. And Lo Monaco? Lighting fine Cuban cigars with €100 notes, by my count he has 120,000 left to burn. This isn’t the first time we’ve signed a player, and their replacement at the club does better than them. Mauricio Isla is playing pretty damn good as a winger for Udinese.

This Week in Cassani Watch:
Negatives: Mattia caused a stupid penalty in the 2nd minute.
Positives: Mattia caused a stupid penalty in the 2nd minute. Driving down your market price? I approve.

THE JUVENTUS OFFSIDE SHITLIST
- Andrea Agnelli: Two words, Andrea. SILENZIO STAMPA.
- Mauro Bergonzi: There was a reason you were sent to Serie B for two years- you’re a godawful referee.
- Catania: (2 weeks) Not happy with you at all, Catania. You may end up on the list for the rest of the season.
- Vincenzo Iaquinta: (Seasonal)
- Milos Krasic: (2 weeks) A key reason we didn’t win today.
- Marco Motta: (4 weeks) On-off, on-off. At least it’s better than earlier this season when his form was off-off-off-off-off
- Jonathan Zebina: (Lifetime Award) Z3BINA handed Milan the Scudetto by shitting the bed on a simple offside trap. Alternatively, he denied Inter another Scudetto. Take it for what you’d like.

“Alla Juventus vincere non è importante, è la sola cosa che conta”

A nice man, but not exactly part of “la Juve antipatica”

Alessio, it’s a great pleasure to have you on our show. We’ll always remember you with great affection because there was never a game where you you held back. You’re a symbol of the disliked Juve, the one that gave everything to win with our shirt.
- “Good evening and thank you. A disliked Juve doesn’t exist anymore…”

From our fan club on Facebook, many of our listeners have written to us. There are also many who became a Juventino for you, above all women… [d'oh]
- “Thank you very much to all. Hello to all the Juve fans, I carry them with me in my heart, always.”

Let’s talk about today’s Juventus. How can they return great?
- “Juve needs to return to being the real Juve as soon as possible, because it’s been too many years that we’ve suffered in seeing a team in these conditions. Now they need to open the wallet and take 3 or 4 top players. Currently the squad does not have players who make the difference, to return to the top, you need important players.”

And to think at this time we had Tacchinardi under contract still…

But in the last few years, unlike the Triade’s term, they’ve invested a lot of money in the mercato. Is this proof of the incompetence of the managers after Calciopoli? In Moggi’s time Juve usually autofinanced their deals, and bought smart. This Juve on the other hand spends, and does it poorly.
- “It’s true, in these last few years they have truly spent poorly. I had still had a contract in 2007, but they sent me away to get Almiron and Tiago, spending a lot of money in the process. Instead, they’ve spent high figures to take many players but of low quality, they should have bought two or three champions per year. We seem like we’re the Inter of pre-Calciopoli that bought so many average players every year, and never won anything. During the charity derby match a few weeks ago, where there was us old stars, I saw the old true spirit of Juve. There were 3-4 strong players and the rest built around them. Real champions who make the difference need to be in every squad, the current Juventus has many decent players, but nothing more.”

With all the loan signings last season, Juve risks another revolution next summer, because not everyone will be signed. And among the many names that are being associated with Juve for next year, there’s no champion.
- “And so, last summer Juve’s project could have been implemented well, at least as a criteria, having taken a manager like Marotta, but the signings haven’t proved it right. It’s enough to see what happened with Martinez, a player who we spent so much on. Too much.”

Also Pepe, who many consider to be the new Di Livio, has a redemption price higher than his real value.
- “Di Livio was 5 times better than Pepe. He played 70 games a year, at 200km/h, he didn’t have great quality but Pepe doesn’t have anything else. Angelo also was a leader, a player who gave his soul for the whole game and during the whole year. Pepe has little consistency, he has flashes of good play. Di Livio was signed for cheap from Serie B, but in his years demonstrated to be a fundamental player who played everywhere, attack and defense, a tremendous player.”

Juve had a lot of good players, but they also had great champions who helped out the work of the “soldiers.” Now, instead…
- “In this team there are no leaders. When things went bad in my time, there were players who made themselves heard in the locker room. Vialli, for example, at the smallest error would make a big fuss about it, like Zidane, Montero, Davids, and many others. Now there isn’t this type of leader, there’s not one with personality. Some speak of Felipe Melo, but for years he’s played good games, and then vanishes.”

This Juve is too psychologically fragile. When they concede a goal, or a man is sent off, the team falls apart, they don’t withstand the tension.
- “I remember, for example, Di Vaio, who was a great player when he was at Juve, told me that he felt the pressure even when training. If you’re strong, you’ll leave great, if you can’t do it, you’ll come out because they’ll eat you after two draws. You’re not allowed to mess up, these younger players haven’t understood what Juventus is, what kind of history it has. There are a few in the Old Guard that can transmit this. Now there’s only Del Piero, because I see Gianluigi Buffon playing with a lot less enthusiasm. These younger players need to know at Juve, winning is the only thing that counts.”

Is Andrea Agnelli the right person to bring Juve back to victory, or only his cousin’s manager or of EXOR’s stake in general?”
- “When I spoke to him 10 days ago, he seemed like the only positive person of the new management. He loves this shirt very much. He wants to return quickly to the highest levels, but everyone in this club is convinced that this team without injuries, suspensions, or other problems, could compete for the Scudetto, but I absolutely do not agree. This Juve only a “discrete” team, without important players. Andrea Agnelli is a good man, I hope that Elkann gives him the money he needs. I spoke with Andrea and he wants the best for Juve, he doesn’t want to give up. He wants important players….”

For you, what did EXOR and the Elkanns do in 2006 to save Juve’s dignity during Calciopoli?
- “Little. I think they could have found a loophool, like what happened to the others, maybe a 20 point penalty, but they’d stay in Serie A with strong players. Instead, we were the only ones to end in Serie B, we paid, and we’re still suffering the consequences, but they could have done more. Cobolli Gigli in an interview a week ago spoke of the risk that UEFA wouldn’t allowed Juve to play in the European cups, but I’d have fought anyways. It’s been 5 years and we haven’t won anything.”

After what’s come out in the Napoli trial, thanks to Luciano Moggi’s defense, how do you explain that Juventus did nothing to reopen the sporting justice process?
- “I know Andrea is fighting, but my feeling, aside from the issue that many players are now refusing Juventus, we lost our political weight with the press. We are no longer unpleasant, we used to give them a lot of trouble. There’s been a clear shift since Calcipoli, Juve is no longer feared.”

What do you do these days, Alessio?
- “I’m one of the coaches at [Serie C2] Pergocrema, and maybe in 4-5 years I can be ready to coach a professional team. I’m trying to use all my experience, and maybe sooner or later I’ll find myself at Juve again.”

Recently on our show, Michele Padovano told us that for Juve to return great, they need to bring the old winning penalty back, those who have lived it.
- “I’ve always said that Juve is made of Juventini. Who has written the club’s history needs to return to Torino: Juve needs to be a unique team that carried their tradition forwards. The mentality is extremely important.”

Deschamp’s departure is perhaps the biggest regret of the last few years. He left saying “now they will sign players who are contented to be at Juve” like what happened and continues to happen. If they’d listened to his advice, with his winning mentality, could they have already opened a new winning cycle?
“As a coach, I don’t know Didier, but on the pitch he was one of the greatest leaders, next to him I grew a lot. He left because surely he understood that they weren’t going to bring the team up to a high level, but they should have kept him on the bench.”

In the future, could you see yourself as Conte’s vice-coach on Juve’s bench [Juvegasm], like many press groups have written?
- “I’ve heard from a journalist friend that it’s almost done for Conte to go to Juve, although it seems strange to me. I think Juve wants Spalletti or maybe an important coach. If they don’t get Spalletti, they’ll go for Conte or Gasperini. But Conte is a guarantee, he knows the environment very well. However, I don’t want to be a vice-coach, I’d like to be the first team coach instead.”

Alessio joking with his good buddy Alessandro

Two thoughts before leaving us- your greatest regret, and your greatest joy in Bianconero.
- “My greatest regret, which still hasn’t left my head, is the Champion’s League final we lost against Milan. Other losses were heavy, but that one shocked me, I suffered a lot. I have a lot of beautiful memories…the first Scudetto and the Coppa Italia in my first year, then the Champions, then the Intercontinental cup, we really won it all. Also on the evening of the charity match, I spoke a lot with Lippi, in 10 years, we won everything. In Europe, we always were in the semifinals or final, winning Scudetti in repetition, an unrepeatable cycle. At the beginning of every season, it was almost assured we’d end at the top, but you have to realize it’s because there were people who never gave up, from the first ritiro to the end of the season.”

Even then, they were trying to put a dark mark on Juve’s name with the doping accusations.
- “That was ridiculous, they tried to tarnish our name. However, Juve needs to return to being disliked- when I see my ex fellow players and managers, I tell them “you were obnoxious, unpleasant, and disliked.” Now it’s not like that anymore.”

Like Buffon, who after a loss caused by his error, was laughing with Gattuso at the end of the match.
- “Yes, but also Chiellini, who before Juve-Milan told Allegri “may you win” laughing. Before games, I had blood in my eyes, and when I played against the Rossoneri above all, I didn’t speak with anyone, not even with Ancelotti who I had a special relationship with. At most I spoke to him after the game to say hello, when it was all finished. Now the players at Juve act differently.”

Thank you Alessio, we appreciated you on the pitch and you’re pleasure off it as well. Anyone who says things as they are, without hiding the truth or being unoriginal is always one of us.
- “Thank you, ragazzi! It annoys me when I read people giving sweetened nonsense to the fans, they need to take the proper responsibility. Juve has proven to have a poor championship this year. I hope Juve wins everything, but to get into the Champion’s League will be difficult. When I hear discussions about the Europa League, I feel like crying, the Bianconeri need to return to the top!

[From the Gazzetta dello Sport-] We’re here with Marco Storari, perhaps the best #12 in the world. One who doesn’t speak out because Gigi Buffon is in front of him, but rather one who considers himself always a starter. The positive results of this attitude resulted in Roma-Juventus, a performance of a madman, with world class saves. “And to think I only knew I’d play two hours before the match!”

After the match, perhaps you let out some too strong words. Is Delneri really blind?”

- (Grins) “I want to quickly clear this up. With the mister, I explained myself immediately after I returned into the locker room. My good faith shouldn’t be put into discussion. I spoke after the final whistle, I was euphoric both for my personal performance, but also for the victory, an important, a critical one for the team. Certainly, I said things that could lend themselves to worse interpretations, but truly, I never wanted to offend anyone.”

Buffon himself was involved in your statement. Have you spoken about it with him?
- “No, I haven’t spoken with him yet.”

Some interpreted it as some lingering anger for your treatment following Gigi’s recovery.
- “I thought I did well in the first half of the season, and I surely would have caused some controversy if it was anyone but Buffon to pull me from my position. The terms with the club have always been very clear, my role was to minimize how much the club missed Gigi until his return. I knew that I would probably finish on the bench.”

What kind of relationship is there between you and Buffon?
- “Mutual respect.”

Are you ready to spend another year with him?
- “We’re only thinking about trying to finish this season well, then we’ll see what happens. I always consider myself a starter. I train as if I was going to play every Sunday. That’s how I climbed the positions at Milan, and only training this way, do you not mess up the few opportunities that you get. At 34 years old, I still have plenty desire to play, but Juve is Juve, regardless of anything. When you arrive at the top, you need to think things over well before taking drastic decisions.”

If Marotta proposed a contract extension to 2014?
- “I’d sign immediately!”

So you are ready to stay, even if Buffon does?
- “The truth is I feel rather tied to this club, to this project. I was one of the first signings, I arrived here because of those planning this project. In a certain sense, Agnelli and Marotta also risked with me, and now I like the idea of repaying their faith in me. I really like the idea of being here when Juve returns to winning, and that will happen soon. Those who think that this project is a very long term one is wrong, next year we will be among those that count. The base is solid, now we need an injection of experience to this group, people who will make our quality rise, to that of a winning mentality.”

How’s your relationship with the fans?
- “Very beautiful. I can truly tell you that the most beautiful moment I’ve ever experienced on the bench was here, against Bari, the day Buffon returned as starter. The whole stadio was swept with songs of love and applause for me. Those are the type of things that stay with you, that tie you stronger to an environment.”

Pazzini to Inter, Cassano to Milan, and you to Juve: All of Samp has emigrated to the “paradise of calcio”, what does that make you think?
- “That evidently Marotta and his team understand a lot about calcio. Another guarantee for Juve.”

Meanwhile, the Champion’s League is again with your reach.
- “No declarations, in the past, that only ended badly. We’ll live by the matchday, sweat blood in every match, and later count the balance. This should be our objective. From here, I want to see seven Juve’s like that in Rome, a compact and concentrated team. One that follows Delneri’s instructions, a coach who is very important still to us in the locker room, who knew how to transmit us serenity even in the most difficult moments. [Rumors unconfirmed that after the Parma shelacking, Delneri walked into the locker room and screamed SERENITY NOW!!] AT Juve no one has ever raised their voice, we’ve never been vulgar to one another, and a big part of that merit surely goes to the coach.”

Speaking about Roma, who don’t want to see you again. You, a Roman and a Romanista.
- “What should I have done? Not make saves to give Roma a favor? Last year there was controversy between Totti and I because I saved everything; they were playing for the Scudetto and were angry, but my Samp was still chasing a historic Champion’s League qualification. It’s crazy, these things only happen in Italy. Like Rossi of Bari, who had some problems at Parma…” [referring to the fact that Italian teams often expect those with no objectives to roll over for them. Of course, Samp did have an objective still]

The jeers from the Olimpico?
- “They only encouraged me.”

Are you disappointed by Totti, who insulted you even more in the first leg of this championship last fall?
- “To be disappointed by someone, you have to have had respect for them in the first place…”
[OH SNAP]

What do you say about the Nazionale?
- “It’s a finished dream.”

Regrets?
- “Maybe I deserved to go to the World Cup in South Africa. Now it’s harder to get into the team, Prandelli has opened a new cycle, even if according to me, though starting from a young group, you don’t need to exclude “the old men.” The qualification games are played now- why refuse those who are playing well now, even if they are a bit long in the years?”