Another week, another called-off game due to inclement weather, and another chance for the British-based media to talk about how crappy the Italian stadiums are as if it were a microcosm of the state of the sport in the country as a whole.  Not that they’re wrong about the stadiums.

Anyway, just when things are rolling along and we remain unbeaten despite having a game in hand, we will now have two in hand.  I haven’t looked at the entire fixture list, and as far as I know only Parma-Fiorentina have been called off.  I sincerely doubt we’ll remain in first after this weekend.

Alright, well in honor of the snow, I’ll leave you with…Snow.

Enough said.

It was a few months back and a lot has happened since then, so in case you forgot, here’s a short recap:

That was fun. I believe the best way the game was described was courtesy of Sky Italia, calling Juve “possessed.” I would love it if that kind of game happens again — especially since it’s in the Devil’s house.

TEAM NEWS: No huge surprises in who Conte has called up for the first leg. Pepe misses out because of his re-injured ankle and Meelosh is not included as speculation of a move to Russia continues to grow.

For Milan, it’s a little different. Allegri has called up only 19 players. He’s got a load of players missing out — Abbiati, Nesta, Pato, Muntari, Aquilani, and Nocerino. Toss in long-term absentees like Boatang, Gattuso, and Cassano, and the Milan squad is looking a tad bit thin. Too bad we don’t have a spare Amauri to give them. Wait, scratch that.

UPDATE: We have lineups!

Juventus XI: Storari; Caceres, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Giaccherini, Pirlo, Padoin, Estigarribia; Del Piero, Borriello

Juventus bench: Manninger, Lichtsteiner, Marrone, Marchisio, Elia, Quagliarella, Vucinic

Milan XI: Amelia; Bonera, Mexes, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Emanuelson, Van Bommel, Ambrosini; Seedorf; Ibrahimovic, El Shaarawy

Milan bench: Roma, Zambrotta, Mesbah, Cristante, Inzaghi, Robinho, Maxi Lopez

IN CONTE WE TRUST!

Anyway, even if the moves weren’t exactly what we had thought they would be or hoped for, they all made sense.  Depth was added, dead weight was lifted and, of course, we remain unbeaten.  The curious cases of Reto Ziegler and to varying other extents Milos Krasic and Eljero Elia prove that Conte will not have any player imposed on him which he doesn’t feel fits his system.  In fact, despite Tuesday’s game against Parma being snowed out, Conte is such a badass that he was able to keep us in first place (I know, everyone else has been making the exact same joke, but I don’t care).  To this I say onward, with trust in the Count.

The only man who can save the value of the US Dollar (Zafar - @bianconerifan).

Avanti.

Siena has not had a good run of things since promotion and poaching of their coach by us.  Their most recent win was a 1-0 victory in the Coppa against Chievo, as they remain just out of the relegation zone 19 points, 3 more than Lecce with a game in hand.  They travel to Turin to meet their old friend in his new home, with a rested squad.

Good news: It appears as if Vucinic is available, as well as any other players who may have been questionable with a knock, such as Lichtsteiner – who wasn’t actually reaching into his crotch against Udinese to warm up his hands after all.  Despite Conte’s complaints, a snowout against Parma was perhaps not the worst thing that could’ve happened.  Now the full squad is presumably available to try and keep the ball rolling and make it 4 wins in a row (counting the Coppa win against Roma).

He actually kicked her in the face when he was done tying her shoes, then threw the ball at her in disgust when he got called for the foul. True story.

Our old/new friend Martin Caceres is now available as his paperwork is finally through, as is NKOTB Simone Padoin.  My Dutch mancrush Elia has also been included with the squad, so he can watch the game from a close vantage point, maybe even on the bench this time!

Also, Siena has a midfielder named Gazzi.  It makes me laugh every time I think about that.  :)

Bad news: Well, Siena is rested too, as the snow messed up a lot of fixtures.  That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?

Also of note is that Milos Krasic has been left off of the squad.  Oh yea, and the Russian transfer window is open until February 24.  Not looking good, Meelosh.

My starting XI: (4-3-3) Gigi; Kelso, Giorgio, Dre, Marty; Principino, Bon Pirlo, King Arthur; Dutchie, Matri, Vooch.

Alright, I’m not really mental.  Caceres surely shouldn’t start just yet, especially ahead of Lichtsteiner.  But maybe poor Steve-o could use a break, and plus, I am really, really excited to see Martin back on the pitch.  I also know Elia isn’t going to play and frankly, I’m over it.  I just feel like I need to remain consistent to keep my street cred up.

Siena probable: (4-4-2) Pegolo; Vitiello, Rossettini, Contini, Del Grosso; Angelo, Vergassola, Gazzi (ha!), Brienza; Destro, Calaio.

A disp: Farelli, Pesoli, Terzi, Grossi, D’Agostino, Reginaldo, Gonzalez.

Remember when Gaetano D’Agostino was so sought after by us, but Udinese was playing hardball with us, pricing us out of the market?  Yea, that was crazy.  Thank God that transfer didn’t work out.  Oh wait, that pushed Secco to sign Felipe Melo to play out of position as a regista.  Nevermind.

Juventus probable:  Buffon; De Ceglie, Chiellini, Barzagli, Lichtsteiner; Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal; Vucinic, Matri, Pepe.

A disp.: Storari, Bonucci, Estigarribia, Giaccherini, Del Piero, Quagliarella.

Have at it, folks.

Oh, and one more thing.

We almost had him, so this picture counts as relevant.

LET’S GO GIANTS!!!

(Sorry, Danny)

• It was looking yesterday like Radja Nainggolan would not be arriving from Cagliari, at least not this winter.  I guess you could say it was a pipe dream all along.  Last week that Cagliari’s president Cellino stated that he had a moral agreement with Juventus for this summer.  Marotta, apparently wanted to try to push the issue early, but Cellino would not let him go without having a proper replacement.  Reports about Juventus signing Parolo to then ship him off to Cagliari in exchange for Radja should have probably sounded too good to be true, as complex multi-team deals may be the norm in the MLB, but not in calcio.  Shockingly, Marotta couldn’t close the deal (I’ve never seen that happen before).  Anyway, it’s still reported that Juventus have the option to buy in the summer.  We’ll see what happens or if by then they’ll move onto other objectives.  It wouldn’t be the worst thing if they did pick up that option — Nainggolan is a solid center midfielder with massive potential at age 23.
• Despite missing out on Nainggolan, Juventus have signed Simone Padoin from Atalanta.  Who?  Yup.  Padoin is a 25 27-year-old versatile left-sided player who can fill in on the wing, mezz’ala or even at fullback.  Perhaps Conte’s trend towards a 3-5-2 will continue, and he’ll be asked to provide depth at wingback.  Whatever the deal, he seems like too much of a different player than Nainggolan to be the makeup deal for missing out on him this winter.  Right?  Right?  (*update*) I get the solid addition, Conte knows him part, but for 5 mill. Euros?  Really?  Couldn’t that fee have been used to bring in Riccardo Montolivo early, instead of waiting for his contract to be up in June?  Or could this mean that another team (maybe Milan) already worked out a pre-contract with Monty for the summer?  Damn.
• Our old friend Vincenzo Iaquinta is on his way over to Cesena, making that three aging, want-away strikers off our books.  While this is a necessary move, unlike Amauri I wasn’t desperate for it to happen, and unlike Luca Toni, I have more fond memories of Vincenzone.  Nevertheless, some extra fat needed to be trimmed, and our collection of 2006 World Cup winners is down one more.  I wish you nothing but the best, Vincenzone.  A player like him can make the difference for a team like Cesena searching for salvation.  And, of course, the real winner in all of this?  Giorgio Chiellini’s nose.
• Speaking of 2006 World Cup winners, Fabio Grosso apparently refused moves to both Novara and Lecce because, you know, he’s so effing good, and in his prime, he’d hate to waste his best years at such a small club.  Amauri 2.0?  You betcha.  Now it’s being reported that the MLS could be in his future.  Whatever.  I have such great memories of Fabio from the 2006 World Cup, that it’s a mixed bag of emotions.  I just know that the team needs to continue to get smaller in order to achieve some needed roster flexibility by this summer.  One way or another Grosso will be gone as his unreasonably long contract will be up.
• Juventus is also looking set to add some solid youth to their ranks, as the old, dead-weight is slowly being lifted.  Nicola Leali has been hailed as the natural heir to Gigi Buffon for the Nazionale and could be for Juventus as well.  A transfer has been reported as probable all month long.  Meanwhile, super-agent of death, Mino Raiola (the Italo-Dutch Scott Boras) has arrived at the Ata Executive di Milano to wrap up the deal for Ouasim Bouy from Ajax.  The 18-year old Dutch-Moroccon playmaking center midfield is seen has having a very bright future, and is out of contract in June.  I don’t know too much about him, but I like everything I’ve read and, if he comes from the famous Ajax youth system, he’s probably pretty damn good.  Now he’s all ours to waste on the bench and/or buried in the primavera for the future!
• Finally, our good friend Milos Krasic could be on his way out the door.  He’s been left home for today’s match against Parma, despite not being injured, and having been on the bench on Saturday versus Udinese.  Reports are now naming Luciano Spalletti’s Zenit St. Petersburg as a possible destination.  If this is true, so long, Meelosh.  I really wish that it had ended differently but, as time went on, it seemed more and more that you were built for Gigi Delneri’s counter-attacking football rather than Antonio Conte’s possession-heavy, attacking, pressing style.  Obviously I prefer the latter style, so perhaps it’s simply time to move on.  Can we bring in Domenico Criscito to play wingback, with the trend towards a 3-5-2?  No, seriously, I’m asking if we can.  But that’s not going to happen either.  But I digress.  Best of luck, Meelosh.
• (*update*) Forgot to mention earlier, but Michele Pazienza is on his way to Udinese on loan for the end of the season.  Meanwhile, we’ve sold 21-year old attacker Ciro Immobile to Genoa for 6.7 mill Euros, before buying half his rights back for 3.3.  The net result is a co-ownership agreement for our promising young attacker, who has outgrown Serie B and Pescara, but wouldn’t find space to play at Juventus, and for a decent amount of cash.  (That’s right, Italians are all about efficiency and cutting out extra steps). 

Have at it, folks.

Meanwhile, it’s time for us at the Juventus Offside to bid farewell to our friend Luca Toni, who has is off to Riyadh Dubai somewhere (flip a coin) to join Al Nasr Football.  I was never the biggest fan of big Luca’s signing, because 2006 ended 5 years prior, and the bumbling, awkward gentle giant didn’t seem like the striker we long-craved; particularly after the injury of the far more mobile Fabio Quagliarella.  But, when it became clear that he arrived to replace Amauri on the bench, meh — I could live with it.  And of course, I loved the song, and will miss that the most.  I have not had the chance to play it all year, although big Luca was of course the first person to score at the new Juventus Stadium, albeit in a friendly and in typical poacher-Luca fashion.

So, for one last time, here it is…arrivederci Luca…numero uno!

Speaking of Amauri, what a week it’s been.  While some people are inexplicably excited about having them on their team, all I can say is, good riddance.  The match report from yesterday described him as a bit rusty.  I think that may just be him.  Have fun with him.

Is that Jesus on the hill in Rio? Nope, it's just Amauri. Who is even less mobile.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was one of the few good things to happen to Juventus in a 2009-10 campaign full of absolute suck. He was everything that Juventus hadn’t been that season. He filled a void at right back that our beloved Old Lady had been looking to fill in a post-Calciopoli world. And even though he was on loan, he showed plenty of talent and promise and played with a certain grinta that made it easy to become a fan of his.

But the realization was that when he went back to Barca after his season-long loan spell ended — and subsequently sold to Sevilla for a bag of balls and a candy bar — the prospects of the high-sock wearing Uruguayan coming back to Turin were not all that bright. It wasn’t because Beppe Marotta didn’t rate him, but due to the fact that Barcelona weren’t budging from the fixed price (€12 million) that was established in the original deal.

And when there were rumors of a potential return, it seemed like they might be too good to be true. We all know how the Italian press can be. They are the ultimate tease. Worse than anything there is. Damn rumor mongering fools they are.

Ah, I love being proven wrong.

That’s right. After weeks upon weeks of hearing about it in the Italian rags, the much-talked about return to Turin for Mr. Caceres is now official after Juve and Sevilla agreed to a initial loan for a fee of €1.5 million with an option to buy set at another €8 million.

Can this week get any better? Amauri is gone forever. Juventus are in the semifinals of the Coppa Italia with Milan as the opponent. Il Capitano scores his first goal in the brand new stadio. And now, Caceres to Juventus 2.0 becomes a reality and not just something all of us wished for.

It’s a fantastic move. Not only for the player himself — who has made his admiration for Juventus no secret in recent months — but for the club he is coming back to. He is exactly the kind of defender that you’d expect an Antonio Conte-led team to have. He is as versatile as it gets. Right back? Sure. Left back? Sure. Center back? You better believe it.

He gives Conte plenty of options. If the Mister wants to go to a three-man defense, he can do that now. If he wants to give Stephan Lichtsteiner a rest, he can go right ahead and do that, too. If he wants Martin to become the starting left back, there’s no reason think why he shouldn’t be able to succeed there.

Bentornato a casa, Martin!

Francesco, u mad bro?

Yes, I’m alive. There was plenty of screaming (thanks, Kyle Williams) at my television, but nobody — or remotes — was harmed after the 49ers lost to the Giants on Sunday. And surprisingly, John and I are still talking to one another. Quite a development after such a crap outcome.

One more thing:

OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: AMAURI HAS SIGNED WITH FIORENTINA. BYE BYE.

Back to the task at hand? Back to the task at hand.

Here we are. The quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia. Juventus vs. AS Roma.

Team News: No Marchisio and Pepe due to the injuries they picked up last weekend against Atalanta. (Also, nobody goes off the pitch on a stretcher like Simone does. Boss.) Vucinic and Elia also miss out because of their own respective injuries. No word yet in regards to if Eljero has posted another complaint on Twitter.

San Gigi is also not amongst the 20 players called up Antonio Conte, as the Mister has decided to give his No. 1 keeper a game off. Quite an easy decision to make when you have Marco Storari as your team’s backup.

LINEUPS!

Juventus: Storari; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Estigarribia, Marrone, Pirlo, Giaccherini; Del Piero, Borriello

Juventus bench: Manninger, De Ceglie, Vidal, Pazienza, Krasic, Quagliarella

Roma: Stekelenburg; Taddei, Kjaer, Heinze, Jose Angel; Simplicio, Gago, Pjanic; Lamela, Totti, Bojan

Roma bench: Lobont, Rosi, Juan, Viviani, Perrotta, Greco, Borini

By Dave Tjandra, long Juventus fan and writer at Signora1897.com. You will sure recognize him from our comment section here at Juve Offside as Dwicarta. Follow him on Twitter for a Homer avatar in a Juve jersey in your daily feed

As each day passes, these two names are constantly printed in the media. And as each day passes, it feels like it’s not BS. One of them is coming (for those who hasn’t known yet, as per lega regulation, each team in Serie A can only sign two non-EU players and one of our slots has been used for Vidal this summer). But which one is the first priority? Which one is the real thing and which one is the smoke and screen?

Let’s see. On the one hand, Beppe Marotta has the 25-years-old Colombian central midfielder, Fredy Guarin. Although he hasn’t featured regularly for Porto, the mezz’ala owned Gago and the rest of the Argentinian midfielders in the 2011 Copa America. He’s physically imposing and very good in transition from defense to attack (and vice-versa) with a good eye for passing and shooting.

On the other hand, he has Martin Caceres, the 24-years-old versatile Uruguayan who has played for us in the 2009/10 season on loan so he’s already familiar with Serie A. His play for Uruguay during the 2010 World Cup at LB was impressive and he’s the starting RB for Sevilla. Grinta? So far, he has lost a tooth during a game (and keep playing on for sometime!) and got a lacerated kidney from an opponent. I’d say the fan-favorite during his loan spell here is a Juve-kind of player. His joining us will relieve both fullback positions, not to mention his ability to play CB as well.

The Colombian is certainly the more talented player but is it that simple? Do we go for talent (Guarin)? Or need (Caceres)?

Most of the times, like in NBA, talent always prevails, providing he’s a good professional. But is it the case in football, especially in Serie A, where a teams is as strong as its weakest link? And more importantly, is it the case for us?

Now, let’s take a look at our current defense and central midfield:

DEFENSE
- Starting: Lichtsteiner-Barzagli-Chiellini-De Ceglie
- Backup: Motta-Bonucci-??-Grosso

Grosso will be gone by June and every Juventino would shudder with fear every time Motta set a foot on the grass. With Sorensen loaned out to Bologna, that leaves Lichtsteiner as the sole RB and De Ceglie as the only pure LB. Too thin. It’s so thin it makes Calista Flockhart look like Rosie O’Donnell.

If Caceres comes, the versatile defender will most probably start at LB and cover the 28-years-old Lichtsteiner at RB. And that will give us Bonucci and De Ceglie as the defensive backups. Pretty solid.

Having said that, Chiellini can play LB as well and if Caceres doesn’t join us, De Ceglie, who has shown a marked improvement in the last two games against Cagliari and Atalanta, will be the starting LB and Chiellini will back him up.

The most important issue for Marotta then he’ll have to find a reliable backup at RB to deputize Lichtsteiner.

Advantages if Caceres comes:
- Versatile: can cover RB, LB and CB
- Familiar with Serie A and will fit right in
- Unquestioned grinta
- Conte can play a wing back (or a three-CB) system with similar quality at both wings
- Can be our starting RB/LB for years to come

Concerns if Caceres comes:
- De Ceglie’s progress. If the Uruguayan comes, De Ceglie will be the 2nd or 3rd choice at LB and either way it will stunt his progress. It won’t take long for his agent to ask for a transfer to another club.
- Caceres is right-footed so it remains to be seen if he can cross from the left as well as he does from the right.
- Injury-prone? His time here was blighted with injuries but aside from his lacerated kidney caused by an opponent, he’s pretty much injury-free during his one and a half stay in Sevilla so it may just be a non-issue.

If Caceres doesn’t come, what must Marotta do?
- Get a reliable backup at RB
- Get a Bocchetti: If Chiellini is unavailable, there’s no backup at CB and LB

CENTRAL MIDFIELD
- Starting: Vidal-Pirlo-Marchisio
- Backup: Pazienza-Marrone-Gabriel

Our MVP is the unquestionable MVP so the question here is the substitutes. Pazienza is decent backup, in my opinion, but his lack of playing time has caused his agent to create waves during this winter mercato. Both Marrone and Gabriel are still young but if Pazienza stays, those two youngsters will be enough for the rest of the season. Furthermore, Conte can switch to a two-CM system to accommodate the lack of CMs when a starter or two are unavailable.

If Guarin comes, he’ll add depth to an already very good collection of central midfielders. If one of the MVP, especially Marchisio or Vidal, is having an off day, Guarin can come in and provide quality without the midfield losing a beat.

His arrival will definitely push Pazienza out of the door but won’t hinder Marrone and Gabriel as they are further down the pecking order.

Advantages if Guarin comes:
- Added depth and quality in CM. Will certainly be one of the best, if not the best collection of CMs in Serie A.
- The depth will be very useful during the anticipated participation in the Champions League next season.

Concerns if Guarin comes:
- Time of adaptability to Serie A. More likely than not, his impact will be felt next season at the soonest, after he already has half a season under his belt.
- In the 2010/11 season, he’s not a starter even after Raul Meireles left for Liverpool. He’s still made many subs appearances, though, and help Porto achieved an unbeaten season (27 wins, 3 draws, and no losses under Villas-Boas).
- Professionalism: unknown. If he has a good character, he has a chance to have a successful career in Serie A like his countryman Faustino Asprilla in the 1990s (with Parma, a household name at that time). If he doesn’t, he can be sent on loan to Turkey after only half a season.

If Guarin doesn’t come, what must Marotta do?
- Keep Pazienza, if he wants to stay. MVP + Pazienza should be enough this season.
- If Pazienza doesn’t want to stay, there area a wealth of midfielders/mezz’ala in Serie A who can help: Radja Nainggolan (Cagliari), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Valon Behrami (Fiorentina). Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart), who has played for Fiorentina, is not a bad option, either. Of course, each of those midfielders has their own quality, prices and advantages/disadvantages but they will help.

Looking at those points above, in my opinion Guarin is the more high risk and high return option. If the defense is injury-free and Guarin turns out to be a good professional, we’ll be set at midfield (Guarin, Marchisio, Vidal and Gabriel/Marrone) for a foreseeable future. If it doesn’t pay off, it’s €11 million down the drain.

Caceres, on the other hand, is the much less risk option with a considerable return (especially if we can get him at around €8 million). The versatile defender can cover all positions in defense and will instantly patch holes in it. Lichtsteiner-Chiellini-Caceres combination? Grinta and blood. He probably won’t be a world-class player but at only 24-years-old, he can be very good and will certainly be a valuable member of the team for a long time.

For me, this long-winded article comes down to him:

so it’s pretty clear where I stand. That and a 28-years-old Stephan Lichtsteiner runs from one penalty box to another for 90+ minutes week in and week out. But in the end of the day, whoever the team choose, I’ll welcome him and say, “Benvenuto alla Juve” and “In Conte I trust.”

Forza Juve!!