Tiago has fired a parting shot at Juventus following his move back to Atletico Madrid on loan. The Portugal international seemed to revel in the idea that Juventus couldn’t sell him outright. Tiago has made no secret of his annoyance at the way Juventus have treated him in recent years. Speaking at his second official unveiling as an Atletico player, Tiago said: “Atletico and I are happy, but in the end Juve will be a little less so. I am very happy. It was very difficult for me, but in the end I got what I wanted. I believe that we are much stronger than last year.

The Juventus Offside exclusive on how the prior incident went on.

For someone who has NO personality on the pitch, he has a large amount of it off the pitch. You all may remember when he LOCKED our club President in the bathroom for trying to make him sign with another club. I didn’t understand why he did it the, and I don’t understand why he’s being such a bitch about things now. Tiago has nothing to complain about at Juventus. At one point under Ranieri AND Ferrara, he got his time to prove himself, and failed to do so. He was never verbally assaulted by the fans like Felipe Melo or Z3BINA. And now, we try and offload him to a club he wants to be playing for, and he acts like a complete ass about the whole thing.

Either way, between the Tiago and Andrade experiments, here is a new official policy for Juventus.

Birthplace: Pisa, Italy (yes, the Pisa) though he grew up playing for Pisa’s local rivals, Livorno.

Nickname: Keyser Giorgio (coined by Marco P.), Giorgio of the Jungle (coined by Nnahoj), Tarzan, Chiello, the Schnoz

National Team: Italy, where over at the World Cup Blog, Julian and Paul keep you up-to-date on Azzurri news. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Personality: Chiellini is not exactly your typical young superstar calciatore. Thanks to a Twitter Chat he conducted (translated on the Juve Offside here), we learned quite a bit about him. First, neat that he is so willing to chat with his fans. Despite being a millionaire athlete, he still attends school and is currently about finished with his equivalent of a US Bachelors, and then plans to work on his Masters. His girlfriend is a childhood friend of his from Livorno, and he doesn’t really go out clubbing or anything, just downtown for some dinner. This is pretty apparent in his off-field personality, he’s a pretty quiet intelligent player.

On the field, however, he is a warrior, and a true leader. He’s not afraid of conflict, battles hard, and doesn’t shy from tough tackles or provocations. Chiellini has gained quite a reputation of a hardman, which is kind of funny that off the field he is such a quiet person. A very hard-working player, not a prima donna, and one who battles for his team.

Present and future captain of Juventus (Giorgio will be captain after Gianluigi Buffon)

Estimated Market Value: €25 million.

Preferred Foot: Left.

Media Status: Famous. Giorgio’s rise to fame really came in 2007-2008, the year Juventus returned from Serie B when he was shifted to a center-back having previously been a left-back. He was a colossus, winning the 2007-2008 Serie A Defender of the Year award, as well as winning it the next year in 2008-2009. His first major tournament with Italy was Euro 2008, which began poorly as he accidentally knocked Fabio Cannavaro out of the tournament. After the disaster that was the 3-0 drubbing to the Netherlands at the hands of Barzagli-Materazzi, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni opted for Panucci-Chiellini in the center, and they would concede 1 goal in 3 games against Romania, France, and Spain. (The one goal was a horrific backpass from Zambrotta) Against Spain, Giorgio was a one-man tackling machine and won Man-of-the-Match awards. This was followed by an excellent season the next year, including powerhouse displays against Real Madrid in the Champion’s League. He’s now widely regarded as one of the top 3 defenders in Italy, and probably one of the top 3 in Europe and the world.

Silverware:
With Juventus: Serie B 2006-2007

Strengths: Giorgio Chiellini is a prototype Italian hardman center-back. Unbeatable in the air, fast on the ground, and brilliant in his slide-tackling, Chiellini is very well rounded. He’s very different than Fabio Cannavaro, who largely plays off of an excellent reading of the game. Chiellini is a much taller traditional center-back, an excellent man-marker, and as mentioned, is no slouch when it comes to pace. In the build-up to the 2009 Confederation’s Cup, it was found in the Italy squad that Chiellini was the fastest sprinter. He’s well known for his excellent slide tackles that often level an opponent, playing tough is part of Giorgio’s game. Yet this doesn’t really weigh on him physically- Chiellini has one of the best injury records at Juventus, which is no small thing. His most serious injury the last 2 years or so has kept him out a maximum of 3 weeks or so.

Weaknesses: Chiellini is one of the best defenders in Italy, Europe, and the world right now, so he doesn’t have a whole lot of weaknesses. He does enjoy going forward and joining the attack, he is an excellent goal threat primarily in the air. Generally, he is not caught out of position on this, though it of course does occasionally happen. One thing that could improve is Chiellini’s distribution, he is certainly no defender who builds up play, but that’s not really his job. He’s not quite as good as Cannavaro in reading the game, but he makes up for it with excellent last-ditch tackling. Occasionally, he does make a rash challenge, but that’s to be expected for a player who is so prolific with the slide tackle.

After scoring in the local derby against Torino in the 82nd minute, the game finished 1-0.

Status on Club Team: Building block for the future. Along with Gianluigi Buffon and Claudio Marchisio, Giorgio Chiellini has been one of the most reliable and consistent performers for Juventus the last few seasons, and it’s no surprise that the three have been named as the backbone on which Juventus will rebuild.

2009-2010 Club Season: Juventus were dreadful this season, but Chiellini wasn’t. Abandoned all too often by consistently dreadful wingbacks and an indifferent Fabio Cannavaro, Chiellini is one of the main reasons the season wasn’t any worse. Our defense leaked an unprecedented (for Juventus) amount of goals, but I can’t really think of one that Chiellini was directly responsible for.
Status in National Team: Starter, and probably future captain. Chiellini got first call-up to the national team in 2004 at age 20 (throwaway game against Finland) but didn’t really get regular call-ups until 2007-2008, he was never really in consideration for the 2006 World Cup. I called that Chiellini should be a starter at Euro2008, but it took a 3-0 humiliation for Donadoni to draft him in. Ever since, he has been an undisputed starter and star for the national team, and it’s not an exaggeration to say he very likely could be starting in the next two World Cups as well.

An unlikely duo in 2007-2008 considering Chiellini was a raw left-back and Legrottaglie was on his way to Turkey, but ended up being the best partnership in Serie A from 2007-2009, until Cannavaro came along and ruined it. As Chiellini said, “He [Legrottaglie] helped me a lot, to teach me specific movements when I started as a center-back, we can play now with eyes closed.” (except Ferrara was choosing Cannavaro over Legrottaglie)

Expected Performance for National Team: Hero. Italy’s defense can be a bit on the slow side, with Zambrotta and Cannavaro still starting, but Chiellini is fast. A lot of question marks have been made about these defenders, so expect Chiellini to be bailing them out and in crucial games, have a brilliant performance. He’s never disappointed for the Azzurri thus far. Euro 2008 was sort of his “coming out on the European scene” party, this World Cup could be the time when the whole world sees him as one of the best.
Random Fact: Giorgio Chiellini’s best friend at Juventus is fellow quiet left-back Paolo De Ceglie, who is his roommate on away trips. (Find more interesting facts about Chiellini at his Twitter Chat)

Another random fact is that Chiellini scored 4 goals this season, 1 less than our wasteful Brazilian forward Amauri.

In one word: Colossus.

Send ‘em flying, Giorgio!

YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

YouTube Comp of Chiellini’s first huge game, Juventus-Inter, November 2007)

Marked the shit out of Ibrahimovic.

YouTube Comp Without Terribly Questionable Music:

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
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Birthplace: Asnæs, Denmark, a small village about an hour and a half outside of Copenhagen

National Team: Denmark. Over at the Denmark World Cup Blog, Cerberus does an excellent job constantly updating the blog with Denmark news. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Personality: This is a curious section. Before arriving in Italy, due to confrontations with Totti, Gattuso, and Kaka, Poulsen had a reputation of a hardman, a rugby-tackling defensive midfielder who provoked other players. The reputation I thought was kind of an irritating dirty player, similar to a Gattuso role in position and personality. Couldn’t be farther from the truth, he has never really lost his temper on the pitch, never got into a confrontation, and all in all, been a relatively well-behaved player. Perhaps too well behaved, as sometimes I wished he would get a little angry and make reckless tackles.

He’s a great professional, though he’s not the type of person to show emotion even if he is playing hard. Last summer Ciro Ferrara tried to push him out, Poulsen rejected transfers, yet trained hard and acted very professionally. He didn’t take it personally, Ferrara could count on him whenever he needed. A model professional.

Preferred Foot: Right footed.

Estimated Market Value: €7.5million.

Media Status: Well known continentally, though not terribly famous. Poulsen has a relatively quiet persona, plays in a quiet position, and thus, doesn’t really enjoy a whole lot of celebrity. Within Italy he was well known for the confrontations with Gattuso, Kaka, and Totti, and having played successfully in the Champions League with Schalke and Sevilla, a relatively well known European player.

Silverware:
With Copenhagen: 2000-01 Danish Superliga,
With Schalke: 2005 DFB Ligapokal
With Sevilla: 2006 European Super Cup, 2006-07 UEFA Cup, 2007 Spanish Cup
Individually: 2001 Danish under-21 Player of the Year,
Danish Player of the Year: 2005, 2006

Strengths: Poulsen was (incorrectly) signed by Juventus as the alternative to Xabi Alonso, and is clearly not a playmaker, more of a defensive midfielder. Despite this, he is a relatively well-rounded central midfielder. He is strong in the tackle and can position himself well, and has an eye for a decent pass once in a while, though he is no regista. Good endurance and rarely caught out of position.

Weaknesses: The strengths/weaknesses sections are kind of tough to do, because he is a completely different player between club and country. At Juventus, his chief weakness is he’s never really imposed himself on matches. He’s always had “decent” performances, but rarely any “great” ones. It’s curious, as several Spanish friends told me when Juventus signed him that he was one of the best Liga players and midfielders in the two seasons he spent at Sevilla, and this is a league with Xavi. So for Juventus, that’s pretty much it. Otherwise, he’s a pretty well-rounded defensive midfielder.

Status on Club Team: Rotation player. Poulsen wasn’t exactly welcomed to Juventus in the most ideal ways, the management spent much of the summer looking at Xabi Alonso and the deal scuppered over a few million euro, Poulsen was brought in as an alternative. From the start, the fans held up banners saying, “Congratulations, you’ve bought another rubbish player” which can’t be terribly confidence-inspiring. Nonetheless, Poulsen has been a great professional and worked hard in training and offered to play when needed. Last year he was very much on the periphery of the squad, but has improved since.

2009-2010 Club Season: Poulsen actually had a bit of a step-up from last season, which didn’t really happen for most players as Juventus delved into a hellish season. Last year, he was on the outside of the squad, playing very rarely in a 4-4-2, behind Marchisio, Sissoko, even Tiago. This season his performances improved a bit, and with Felipe Melo self-destructing, he got a few chances and played well. His play was simple yet effective, he shielded the backline well and made few mistakes. Despite trying to be booted out last summer, it appears he did well enough to earn another year at Juventus.

Status in National Team: Important first teamer. Christian Poulsen is always one of the first names on the Danish player list, he’s been a fundamental player for them since his debut in 2001 at age 21, making 75 appearances. In the qualifying for the World Cup, he played 882 out of 900 minutes possible.

Expected Performance for National Team: Denmark isn’t looking too great to progress, after the “other Poulsen’s” unfortuante own-goal, but it’s still doable. Poulsen plays better for Denmark than he does Juventus, and he’s one of the very important players for the national team.

Random Fact: Poulsen was selected by coach Claudio Ranieri because Xabi Alonso was “too slow.” Also, apparently Poulsen goes by the secret identity of Samson from the Bible.

In one word: Quietlyeffective. (It’s one word if there’s no space)
YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

YouTube Comp Without Questionable Music:

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
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Iaquinta greeting Camoranesi on his first day of Juventus training back in summer 2007

Birthplace: Cutro, Italy, in the Province of Reggio Calabria, though at a young age his parents migrated to Emilia Romagna for work, coincidentally to the town that Carlo Ancelotti is from.

Nickname: The Calabrian Cannon, Vincenzone, apparently also Jack, although I’ve never heard this.

Estimated Market Value: €15 million.

National Team: Italy, where over at the World Cup Blog, Julian and Paul keep you up-to-date on Azzurri news. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Personality: Hard worker. His personality is largely what got him into this World Cup squad, as he had a very disrupted club season. Vincenzo is very much a team player, he never complains about being played as a substitute or being played out of position, this is seen for example when Amauri replaced him, he frequently went to celebrate his goals (back when Amauri scored goals) with Iaquinta. In addition to his team player status, he is an extremely hard worker. Vincenzo runs his socks off every game, running onto loose balls and keeping the other teams defense honest. His positional flexibility and hard work are proof of his sacrificial nature.

Preferred Foot: Right-footed.

Media Status: Well known. Iaquinta has been one of Italy’s better strikers for some time now, and while he’s never really been considered one of the best or a guaranteed starter for Italy, he’s always been an important substitute. Outside of Italy, he’s somewhat known, he occasionally gets linked with squads like Atletico Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg, or some English Premier League teams.

Silverware:
With Italy: FIFA World Cup 2006

Unfortunately, he’s spent far too much time injured.

Strengths: Iaquinta is a strong, powerful, versatile striker. At 1.91m (6′3″) he has a considerable amount of height and is strong in the air, yet at the same time is very fast, considering his stature. His pace allows him to play as a winger, though it is definitely not his ideal situation. He can play as a target man, or as more of a supporting striker, though he is not particularly creative. Powerful shot, strong in the air, a very rounded striker.

Weaknesses: As far as his playing characteristics, there are only a few. He is occasionally wasteful in front of goal, and while he is a very rounded striker, he doesn’t have the best of first touches or dribbling skills. Unfortunately, over the last few years Iaquinta has been plagued with injuries, this year he was out for over 100 days with a meniscus problem. We saw last spring, when given some continuity and free of injury problems, Iaquinta was one of the most in-form strikers in Serie A for 6 months or so, however every season he has been set back from injury. It makes one wonder what kind of striker he perhaps could have been if he wasn’t constantly injured.

Iaquinta scoring against Ghana on a mistake from Kuffour

Then again, look at the “numero” Toni did to Ghana. If he can “salta un uomo…”

Status on Club Team: Important substitute- Iaquinta has varied in and out of the starting XI during his career, but generally has remained as an impact substitute. There has been constant rumors that other teams are interested in him, and indeed in most teams he would be a lock to start, but Iaquinta has rejected all of them to stay at Juventus, earning himself the status of fan favorites. He bleeds bianconero, as famously shown when he personally wrote a letter to VecchiaSignora.com confirming he would stay at Juventus. With Trezeguet and Amauri potentially leaving this summer, Iaquinta may see more playing time in the future, but it probably depends on his injury status.

2009-2010 Club Season: The last season was one to forget for Iaquinta, as he was out injured with a meniscus injury for over 3 months. He started brightly, scoring goals against Chievo, Livorno, Genoa, etc, until the knee injury occurred. Originally, he was supposed to be back in 45 days, but it more than doubled as he incurred more and more setbacks. He returned at the end of the season and scored a goal or two, but looked very rusty and wasteful in front of goal.

Will we see this again in South Africa?

Status in National Team: Substitute. A year ago, Iaquinta was in tremendous form and played most of the Confederations Cup, but a year of injury and the emergence of Pazzini means he probably won’t start, although his versatility as a winger in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 might push him for the starting nod.

Expected Performance for National Team: It of course depends on how much he plays, but don’t expect him to pull a Paolo Rossi this World Cup. He’s never exactly found his fit with the National Team, 5 goals in 37 games isn’t tremendous for a striker, though he has often been used out of position or as a substitute. He scored once last World Cup, against Ghana in the group stages, and I wouldn’t put it past him to bag one this year, though I’d advise against putting money on him to win the Golden Boot.

Random Fact: After winning the 2006 World Cup, Iaquinta got a tattoo on his forearm that says World Champion.

In one word: Sacrificial.

YouTube Comp with semi-Questionable Music:

YouTube Comp Without Questionable Music:

Iaquinta’s goals in 2009

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini
And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
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Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed

Birthplace: Naples, Italy

Nickname: Canna, il muro di Berlino (the Berlin Wall)

Estimated Market Value: €2.5 million. (Note- he is no longer owned by Juventus and has signed a contract with Dubai FC)

National Team: Italy, where over at the World Cup Blog, Julian and Paul keep you up-to-date on Azzurri news. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Personality: Fabio Cannavaro is the definition of leader. Since Maldini’s retirement in 2002, he has been the captain of the Nazionale. I am not a fan of him due to his Juventus history, but he is one of the most likable people in Italy.

What am I going to do against pacy attackers??

Preferred Foot: Right-footed

Media Status: World-famous. Fabio Cannavaro is one of the most well-known defenders of his generation, thus far the only defender to have won the Ballon d’Or. Cannavaro has been playing at the highest level for almost a decade and a half, and has been the captain of Italy since Paolo Maldini retired internationally after the 2002 World Cup. He is also the most capped Italy player of all time. For a defender, it is impossible to be more famous.

Silverware:
With Parma: Coppa Italia of 1999, 2002, Supercoppa Italia 1999, UEFA Cup 1999
With Juventus: Serie A 2004-2005, 2005-2006
With Real Madrid: La Liga 2006-2007, 2007-2008
With Italy: 2006 FIFA World Cup
Individually: 2006 Ballon d’Or, 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, 2006 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball Award, Serie A Footballer of the Year 2006, Italian Footballer of the Year 2006, Serie A Defender of the Year 2005, 2006, Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, FIFA 2006 World Cup Team of the Tournament

Something for the female readers out there.

Strengths: Cannavaro doesn’t look ideal for a central defender, he is only 1.75meters tall. (5′7″) Nevertheless, Cannavaro has built his career on excellent positioning and his sheer desire allowing him to compete against taller, stronger defenders. His leadership is another key attribute, as he inspires the players around him. Typically excellent as a stopper, as a last ditch tackler.

Weaknesses: Cannavaro’s weakness is simple- he’s too old. At age 36, he has lost much of his pace and 3 years in Spain seem have dulled his defending prowess as well. I don’t think he should be starting for Italy, but I don’t think he’s the weakest point either. He’s vulnerable to pacey players, and his defending has definitely dulled in the last few years.

Status on Club Team: Gone. After a very incredibly mediocre season with Juventus, the club decided not to extend his contract and Cannavaro has signed a lucrative contract with Dubai FC.

2009-2010 Club Season: Subpar. The wrong choice from day one, he was too old, and had a poor past with Juventus. He started out brightly, and many of us thought he had shaken the rust of 3 years at Real Madrid, but as Juve’s season spiraled downwards, so did Fabio’s. For much of the season, Legrottaglie was indeed better and under Ferrara and Zaccheroni, was chosen to start ahead of him, before the pressure from up high came down. His worst moment was the Fulham game, as the only center-back available for Juventus, he got sent off early in the game, making Zebina-Grygera our center-back partnership. Towards the end of the season his performances picked up again, and it seemed that he was merely putting on a good performance all season when Lippi was paying attention.

Status in National Team: Undeserved starter. He’s starting because he’s the national team captain and the most experienced, but he’s been poor since the World Cup ended, 3 shit years at Real Madrid and another one at Juventus.

Expected Performance for National Team: Average. I think given that he cares about the Azzurri, he’ll play much better than his history at Juventus, but the real truth is he’s been on the decline for years now. I don’t think he’ll be a very weak point, but he won’t be a protagonist either.

Random Fact: Cannavaro wanted to finish his career in Naples, but was snubbed the last two summers by De Laurentiis at Napoli. His brother plays at Napoli and many, including this writer, think he deserved to go to the World Cup this summer.

In one word: Veteran.

YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:

#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
Follow the Juventus Offside on Facebook
Follow the Juventus Offside on Twitter
Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed

Birthplace: Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay

National Team: Uruguay, alongside Serie A star Fernando Muslera of Lazio, as well as 2-time Golden Boot winner Diego Forlan. Lugo keeps you up to date on Uruguay National Team news over at the Uruguay World Cup Blog.

Estimated Market Value: €10 million.

Personality: Juventus has had a decent history of Uruguayan players, unlike the recent influx of Brazilians. There have been some important role players, like Zalayeta and Montero, and some flops like Fabian O’Neill. Naturally, as an Uruguayan defender, Caceres was immediately compared to the great Paolo Montero, the fiery Uruguayan known as much for his defensive prowess as much as his anger and poor disciplinary record. Caceres didn’t seem like he had the temper Montero did, and he doesn’t. However, he did win over Juventus fans with his Montero-style grit and determination. In a year when Juventus was floundering and looking weak, one could always count on Caceres to play his heart out for the club. As a young player, he is occasionally rash to poor tackles, but that is natural. He is a relatively calm player, one who doesn’t seem to cause any problems within the squad, and one who gives him all. His personality is one that every club would like in their young players, a player full of spirit and grinta who dedicates himself to the team.

In the Derby d’Italia against Inter, Sulley Muntari yanked Caceres hair. Martin didn’t just take it.

Preferred Foot: Right foot. While he played center-back in Spain and often with Uruguay, at Juventus he has almost exclusively been used as a right-back.

Media Status: Moderately well known in Italy, and the same in Spain. He’s status is probably that of a “talented young player with moderate experience.” Made his senior team debut in 2006-2007 back in Uruguay, signed by Villarreal the following summer. He was immediately sent on loan to Recreativo, he made his name there and was then signed for a significant 16.5million euros at age 21 by Barcelona. He endured a mediocre season there, despite the silverware, as Guardiola preferred Yaya Toure to him as a center-back in the Champions League final. This summer, he came to Juventus on loan. Despite his young age, he has shown plenty of talent and played for some big clubs, and already locked up a spot as a starter for his national team.

Silverware:
With Barcelona- La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and Champions League, all in 2008-2009.

Excellent Champions League tackle from Caceres.

Strengths: Caceres is a very rugged player, that is to say despite his very thin frame, he tackles strong and hard. In his first month or so in Italy, he was often caught out of position but has significantly refined his positioning since. Defensively, he is rough around the edges, but generally a good defender, against Inter he was named Man-of-the-Match due to his battling defensive display. As mentioned in the personality section, he plays with a lot of grit and steel, which is a major positive to his defensive abilities, he works hard and never gives up. Offensively, he has decent crossing and dribbling abilities. He does well to get forward in support of the attack, and has plenty of endurance and pace to be effective up top as well as back in defense.

A “not-so-good” Champions League tackle from Caceres

Weaknesses: Caceres is a very promising young player who not only offers a great future, but a solid enough present as well. It is expected that all his skills will grow as he progresses. The only real weakness Caceres has is his inexperience and his consequential “rough-around-the-edges defending.” He is a defender that is strong in the slide challenge (unlike his opposite Paolo De Ceglie, a young Italian wingback who rarely slidetackles), and as such, he occasionally mistimes it, leading towards penalties or dead ball situations close to goal. This happened in the critical Champions League match against Bayern Munich, at home Juventus went up 1-0 through Trezeguet, needing only a draw to progress. Caceres had a mistimed challenge in the box conceding a penalty, and Juventus capitulated at home 1-4. It would be wrong to pin the heavy defeat on Caceres as Juventus looked plenty likely to concede before, but it was obviously a significant setback. The only other note I’d say regarding his weakness is like Italy international Domenico Criscito, I’m not sure he has the physical stature to play center-back in Italy. In La Liga he certainly could, it’s a bit less rough-and-tumble than Serie A.

Status on Club Team: To define this, you’d have tto first define what his club team is, as he is on loan from Barcelona and it appears Juventus will try and negotiate down his buyout price. For these posts, I’m working on their past season at Juventus, so it would “young player challenging for a first team spot.” Due to the inadequacy of the other right-backs, Jonathan Zebina and Zdenek Grygera, Caceres quickly locked up a first-team spot at Juve. Unfortunately, a few injuries and a serious hernia kept him out for most of the Spring, though he recovered to be available for the last two Juventus games. I believe most Juventini want Caceres to stay, and as Barcelona has no need for him, it’s possible, though Barcelona wants 11mil for him.

2009-2010 Club Season: Caceres arrived at Juventus on loan, Barca didn’t want him anymore and Ciro Ferrara was unsatisfied with his set list of fullbacks. (he later went out and signed Fabio Grosso) He was often compared to Paolo Montero, though it appeared he was going to play more as a right-back than as a center-back. Caceres had a relatively successful club season, aside from the injury turmoil that plagued him in the Spring. He quickly displaced Jonathan Zebina and Zdenek Grygera as the preferred right-back, and in the incredibly disappointing season that it was, he was one of the few bright lights. Caceres is not a world-class defender yet, he makes position and defensive mistakes from time-to-time, but Juventini saw the potential for a world-class player. Given that he was thrown into a tumultuous club and moved from a relatively offensive league to a tactical, defensive one, I think most Juventus and neutrals approved of his performance.

Status in National Team: Important substitute. He made his debut at age 20, in September 2007. Though Caceres isn’t one of the superstars of the Uruguayan national team, he has won himself one a starting shirt, as he played most of the qualifiers he was healthy for. The blemish on qualifying for Uruguay was Caceres getting sent off against Argentina for a relatively stupid handball, which allowed Argentina to beat Uruguay and claim an automatic berth. However, Uruguay’s coach has changed to a 3-4-3 formation for the World Cup, which doesn’t really favor Caceres.

Caceres signing autographs for some lucky young Uruguayans

Expected Performance for National Team: Between Caceres mistake against Argentina and his mistake against Bayern, one could say he makes errors in high profile games. That’d be a harsh judgement, as one of his best performances came in the Derby D’Italia. I think Caceres will be one that you hear little about in South Africa, and for a defender, that’s not a bad thing. I doubt he’ll be scoring screamers like Maicon, but I don’t expect him to be committing any major errors. One thing to note is that he is coming off a very injury-plagued 4 months or so, in which he only played one or two games. It all depends on how much he plays, he is not starting given the formation change and injury issues, but he could see important time as a substitute.

Random Fact: With his first club Defensor in Uruguay, Martin Caceres played not just as a fullback, or a centerback, but also in central midfield.

In one word: Grinta.

YouTube Comp with (the definition of) Questionable Music:

Nice dribbling, doesn’t give up, then a perfect cross

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
Follow the Juventus Offside on Facebook
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Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed

Birthplace: Volta Redonda, Brazil, in the state of Sao Paulo.

National Team: Brazil, where over at the Brazil World Cup Blog, Duvel does a great job posting the yellow-tinted version of things. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Personality: This is where Felipe Melo’s greatest failings are. Felipe Melo is a very passionate player, and quite typical of a poorer Brazilian, like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, he is brilliant when on form, yet lacks discipline. In Ronaldo and Ronaldinho’s case, it led to weight gain and poor form, but as a defensive midfielder, it leads to a very poor disciplinary record for Felipe Melo. His temperament was one of the reasons I didn’t want Juve to sign him, at the conclusion of his season with Fiorentina he was banned for 5 games while beating the crap out of Diego Lopez of Cagliari. As Juve’s season went on and Felipe Melo’s performances declined miserably, he began to get into arguments with the fans, culminating in the Juventus 3-3 Siena debacle. After two dangerous plays near the box, Felipe Melo swore at the fans, telling them to “go f*** yourself” and later “shut up!” However, a few weeks later he made a fine gesture, apologizing to the fans after scoring an excellent header against Atalanta.

Melo swearing against the Juve fans

Famous Juve commentator Zuliani demands Felipe Melo be benched and sold for the season, following the above confrontation with the fans

Preferred Foot: Right-footed.

Estimated Market Value: €15 million.

Media Status: In Italy, he is quite well known due to a strong season with Fiorentina, and a high-profile (and massive price tag) move to Juventus, though not quite superstar status. He is very well known in Brazil, as for the last year and a half or so he has been a permanent fixture in Dunga’s Selecao which has also won him a fair amount of fame internationally, also as he has been heavily linked for some time to Wenger’s Arsenal.

Silverware:
With Flamengo: Rio de Janeiro State League: 2001, Brazilian Champions Cup: 2001
With Cruzeiro: Brazilian League: 2003, Brazilian Cup: 2003, Minas Gerais State League: 2003
With Brazil: FIFA Confederations Cup: 2009

Strengths: Felipe Melo, when in form, is an excellent defensive midfielder. He can read the game excellently, he can anticipate play, breaking it up more efficiently than say, Sissoko, whos’ skill is primarily recovering the ball via tackles. That isn’t to say Melo cannot do it, he can. If the strengths ended here, he’d be a solid midfielder, but not one of the best. However, Melo happens to have a decent pass as well as a good eye for goal, scoring 3-4 goals per season. They are decent enough that he could play as a pure central midfielder.

Weaknesses: On form, Felipe Melo is one of the top defensive midfielders in the world. However, his form varied significantly this season and was strongly tied to his emotional state. When Felipe Melo is not feeling positive, he will play poorly, without a doubt. He may lash out at a player, earning a foolish booking or worse, red card. The only other major fault of Felipe Melo is sometimes his tactical naivety, he has a horrible habit of losing the ball at the top of the 18, near the goal. Sometimes he tries to dribble out of dangerous positions, and it doesn’t work, at all. In fact, the game that provoked the angry reaction from Melo to the fans, was Juventus 3-3 Siena. The reason the fans started jeering Melo? Because he was dribbling too close to the box and losing possession.

Simply put- he is a player that completely depends on his emotions. If passionate and happy, he is one of the top defensive midfielders in the world. If not, he is a massive liability. With Brazil, he will have all the stimulus he needs to play well, the question is if he can keep his head on.

Felipe Melo (wisely) apologizing to Juventus fans after scoring a great goal

Status on Club Team: Unknown. He could conceivably be sold this summer, or attempt to prove his detractors wrong at Juve next season. He is not particularly well liked by many Juventus fans. Personally, I hope he performers well in the World Cup, and then gets signed for somewhere around what we paid for him.

2009-2010 Club Season: Felipe Melo endured arguably most difficult of years among any Juventus players on the roster this year. You’ll note I said Melo’s chief failing is his emotional state, and as the season progressed, that ended up forcing Melo into progressively worse and worse performances, and when the fans started heckling him, it all went completely downhill. But what started the bad performances? It was Juventus, for the last 2 years, and continuing, needed a regista, or in English, a deep-lying playmaker. (A Xavi or a Pirlo if you will) Despite having some decent passing skills (for a defensive-midfielder) Felipe Melo was signed as this regista, after management failed to secure Xabi Alonso (summer 2008) and Gaetano D’Agostino, last summer. He never was the right solution for this, and was asked to build play from the back of midfield.

As the enthusiasm for the new season started, Felipe Melo, like much of Juve played brilliantly. I still thought he was the wrong option, but could not dispute with his form. As Juve ran into difficulties, Felipe Melo’s inadequacy as a regista came out, the midfield passing game ground to a halt. In the first month, he was lauded as one of the signings of the summer. By December, he was named “Bidone d’Oro” the annual Italian award for the “flop of the season.” The season continued to descend into madness, and by March, Felipe Melo was fighting every game with the fans. He finished the season with some decent performances in a much calmer environment, as badly needed changes to management placated the fans anger. His future is still very much up in the air.

Good friends? Bitter enemies?

Status in National Team: Important cog. Two years ago Felipe Melo wasn’t near a Brazil call-up, but if imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Melo was driving for a callup. He plays a similar position to coach Dunga, that of a “volante” in Portuguese, or a defensive midfielder, and then joined Fiorentina, the team Dunga first excelled at. A great season for Fiorentina led to a call-up, and a strong performance in the Confederation’s Cup in a more pragmatic Brazil side cemented his role. He remained first choice for most of the World Cup Qualifying, and looks to be a starting member of the Selecao this summer.

Expected Performance for National Team: Considering Felipe Melo jumped from Fiorentina to Juventus, one thing Viola and Bianconero tifosi can agree on is that he is a mercenary. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, every team needs them. The good news for Brazil is that Felipe Melo (very similar to Robinho) cares about the yellow jersey, and he will play his heart out for Brazil. I think he is going to be a strong performer, as long as he can keep his head on straight.

My favorite Melo picture. The caption was “EVERYBODY STOP! I feel like something very bad is about to happen”

Random Fact: Felipe Melo probably is a renter. In the last 10 years, he’s been playing for 8 different clubs, starting in Brazil, going to the island of Mallorca, Spain, and then northern Italy.

In one word: Explosive. In every sense of the word.

YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
Felipe Melo on Twitter (I already sent him a VATTENE message, don’t worry)
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
Follow the Juventus Offside on Facebook
Follow the Juventus Offside on Twitter
Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed

That day when it looked like JuveBrazil might work…boy were we wrong.

Marchisio taking a shot on goal

Birthplace: Torino, Italy

Nickname: Il Principe (the Prince), il Principino (the little Prince), il Gladiatore, the new Tardelli

Estimated Market Value: €17.5 million.

National Team: Italy, where over at the World Cup Blog, Julian and Paul keep you up-to-date on Azzurri news. (Sister site to The Offside for national teams)

Claudio’s famous game-winning goal against Inter

Personality: Claudio Marchisio is very much an ideal young player. Calm, collected, and showing outstanding maturity, there has never been a problem with his temperament. He has never lashed out at an opponent, and never given less than 100%. In fact, Marchisio played the full 90minutes in a 3-1 win over Fulham, eventually receiving the captain’s armband while missing training all week due to a fever, and played another full 90 minutes 3 days later on the weekend. Since the season in Serie B, Claudio Marchisio has never received a straight red card. Humble, determined, Marchisio is a model player.

Media Status: Within Italy, he is well known as one of the best young midfielders, while not yet at superstar status. Outside of Italy, he is not well known. He is probably one of the least known Italian players going to South Africa.

Silverware:
With Juventus: Serie B 2006-2007

Preferred Foot: Right, although he is quite competent with the left foot as well.

Marchisio executing a slide-tackle

Strengths: Claudio Marchisio is a very well-rounded central midfielder, skilled in every facet of the game. A decent passer of the ball, solid in the tackle, he also has refined dribbling skills. What impressed initially with Marchisio is his advanced maturity, at a very young age he positioned himself excellently. He never made rash tackles, and he was rarely caught out of position defensively. Claudio also inserts himself into the offense and has a penchant for precisely chipping keepers. As expected of a young player, he has good enough pace and endurance, not exceptional, but plenty adequate.

Weaknesses: Claudio has two main weaknesses. First, he tends to be somewhat injury-prone, not to major injuries but occasionally niggling problems that keep him out of action for 2-3 weeks. The second is his long-range shot, he is no Pavel Nedved. All of Marchisio’s goals have come from excellent runs into the box pursuing through balls, he is hesitant to shoot from distance. He doesn’t have a particularly bad shot, though it is not very good either, but he is too reluctant to pull the trigger. If he manages to refine this, he can become a truly complete central midfielder.

Status on Club Team: Important first-team member. Juventus historically have not had a strong connection to the city of Turin, however Marchisio was born and bred in Turin. Having joined Juve’s youth system at age 7, he has progressed steadily through the ranks and made a perfect transition to the senior team. In 2006-2007, he played in Serie B at age 20 with Juve, before going on loan at Empoli. Having succeeded there, he returned to Juve where he immediately displayed some impressive performances. In his first season back at Juve, he solidified his starting spot due to injuries to Cristiano Zanetti and indifferent performances from Tiago and Christian Poulsen. One of the few bright spots from this dismal season, Marchisio has been named by new Juventus coach Gigi Del Neri as the player he plans to build Juve’s future around.

Marchisio playing back in Serie B at age 20

2009-2010 Club Season: Marchisio started out the season very well, in autumn he won 4 consecutive man-of-the-match awards and further consolidated his spot in the first team ahead of players like Italy international Mauro Camoranesi, Christian Poulsen, Tiago, Mohamed Sissoko, and Felipe Melo, becoming one of the first names on the starting sheet. His strong performances, indeed, led coaches Ferrara and Zaccheroni to field him in a few games as a left-winger, despite the presence of Giovinco and De Ceglie in the team. In his games as a winger, he had a few excellent (Genoa) but more average performances. He is certainly capable of playing as a left-winger, although he is far more effective playing as a central midfielder.

Juventus underwent their worst-ever season this year, conceding a record amount of goals and losses, but Marchisio was one of the few consistent performers alongside Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini. The other story of Juve’s season is that of injuries, over 60 occurred in this season alone, and sadly it affected Marchisio as well, as he was out for several months following knee meniscus surgery. He recovered well enough, and went on to have a reasonably successful season despite the dreadful performances surrounding him.

Status in National Team: Newcomer, yet focal point. If not for unfortunate-timed injuries, he would have more caps, as his knee meniscus surgery occurred during World Cup qualifiers. As it stands, he only has three. However, despite his “newbie” status and Lippi’s preference for more experienced players, the Paul Newman lookalike has indicated that Marchisio will be a focal point of his team, much of it due to his versatility. He experimented with him as a trequartista (attacking-midfielder), a position Marchisio originally played back in the youth teams. He will likely be a starter in most World Cup matches, as he can play defensive midfield, winger, or attacking midfield.

Criscito- “C’mon man, what are you doin??”

Expected Performance for National Team: Marchisio has never really disappointed in big games, in fact, two of his most memorable performances have been against Inter and Milan. (In the Milan game, he received man-of-the-match) As his reputation in the media is still far lagged behind his skills and experience, he will certainly be one to watch in South Africa. He’s not the second coming of Roberto Baggio, but he will establish himself as one of the best young central midfielders in the world. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go off and pull a De Rossi. (who was in a similar position in the 2006 World Cup)

Marchisio and his wife Roberta, coincidentally at a Turin derby that Claudio was injured for

Random Fact: Marchisio married his childhood sweetheart, Roberta, at age 22 and have since have given a kid. Though Claudio Marchisio has spent 16 of the last 17 years of his life wearing a Juventus jersey, his wife is a fan of Torino FC, the local archrivals of Juventus currently playing in Serie B. Her father played in the Toro youth program for many years.

In one word: Dynamic.

YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

YouTube Comp Without Questionable Music:

The Juventus youth team (Primavera) back in 2005. You can find two players here going to South Africa (Criscito and Marchisio)…two others who could potentially have been, had they been allowed to play more. (De Ceglie and Giovinco)

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
Follow Claudio Marchisio on Facebook (Yes, it’s him)
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
Follow the Juventus Offside on Facebook
Follow the Juventus Offside on Twitter
Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed

Birthplace: Carrara, Italy, in northwestern Tuscany.

Nickname: Superman, San Gigi. (Saint Gigi)

Estimated Market Value: €35 million.

National Team: Italy, where Julian and Paul keep you up-to-date on Azzurri news over at the World Cup Blog. (Sister site for national teams, to The Offside)

Personality: Gianluigi Buffon is known as one of the most likable players in Italy and Europe. Calm, collected, intelligent, he is one of the leaders of Juventus alongside Del Piero. He doesn’t lose his head, nor does he have any problem with big games, as he famously made a brilliant save both in the 2003 Champion’s League final as well as the 2006 World Cup Final. Buffon does not have any enemies in Calcio, but many friends, he gets along with everyone. (except Thiago Motta) Despite Juventus being relegated to Serie B only 2 months after winning the World Cup, Gigi proved his loyalty by sticking with the Vecchia Signora, despite a very uncertain future.

Media Status: Super-famous. Over the last decade, he has been the most consistent keeper and one of the best players. Everyone who knows soccer knows Gianluigi Buffon, who of course won the 2006 world Cup. He is the world’s most expensive keeper, as well as first goalkeeper to win the prestigious UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, in 2003.

Silverware:
With Parma: 1999 UEFA Cup, 1999 Coppa Italia, 1999 SuperCoppa Italia
With Juventus: 4 Scudetti (2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2005-2006), Serie B (2006-2007), 2 SuperCoppa Italias (2002, 2003)
With Italy: 1996 U-21 UEFA Championship, 2006 World Cup
Individual: 2003 UEFA Club Player of the Year, 2003 UEFA Best Goalkeeper, UEFA Team of the Year (2003, 2004, 2006), 2006 European Footballer of the Year Runner-up, IFFHS Best Goalkeeper (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), 2006 World Cup All-Star Team, Euro 2008 All-Star Team, Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)

Strengths: Buffon has everything required to be an elite goalkeeper: height, intelligence, and reactions that defy gravity and logic. Legendary Italian commentator Fabio Caressa once said, “Buffon is a man who singlehandedly wins his team 15 points per season.” He is rarely if ever caught out of position, and very very rarely commits errors. This season for Juventus, he committed his first major error since the 2001-2002 season. A big-game player, he is a calming influence between the sticks for his defenders.

Weaknesses: Gianluigi Buffon is quite possibly the greatest keeper of all-time, so it’s safe to say he does not have any weaknesses. He is never caught out of position, rarely spills shots, and never loses his head. The only way Buffon could improve his game is in penalties, he does not have the strongest record. However, he saved several penalties in the 2003 Champions League final, as well as a critical tournament-saving penalty in Euro2008 where Italy stared elimination in the 85th minute. He also saved one against Dani Guiza in the quarter-final penalty shootout against Spain.

Status on Club Team: Iconic. For his incredible talent, as well as his outstanding loyalty to the team during its darkest moment, Gianluigi Buffon will be remembered as one of Juventus greatest ever players.

Buffon and his wife/girlfriend and Czech model Alena Seredova

2009-2010 Club Season: He started the season excellently, making miracle saves against Roma, Livorno, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa and others. In 2008-2009, Buffon was injured for 3 months or so, and unfortunately he suffered a similar injury this year. His second half of the season has not been as decisive as the first, but he has still been a reliable influence in the back.

Status in National Team: Legendary. One of the heroes of Italy in 2006, part of the defense that never conceded an opponents goal in open play, the whole tournament. Buffon is a player who has always performed just as well for his country as his club.

Expected Performance for National Team: Heroic. Italy’s team does not look the most confidence-inspiring for Azzurri fans, but one thing everyone can count on is Gianluigi Buffon to come up big when it counts. With an average backline, it is important, as he will be under fire. The good news is he has looked great in World Cup qualifiers, this Fall when in fine form, made brilliant saves against Georgia and Bulgaria.

Random fact: Buffon named his first son Thomas, after one of Africa’s greatest keepers, Thomas Nkono of Cameroon.

Gigi playing at an elite level with Cannavaro, over 10 years ago

In one word: Stalwart.

YouTube Comp with Questionable Music:

YouTube Comp without Questionable Music:

World Cup Player Profiles and Other Links:
Full Interview of SuperGigi at FIFA.com
#1- Gianluigi Buffon
#2- Claudio Marchisio
#3- Felipe Melo
#4- Martin Caceres
#5- Fabio Cannavaro
#6- Vincenzo Iaquinta
#7- Mauro Camoranesi
#8- Christian Poulsen
#9- Giorgio Chiellini

And if you liked this article…
Check out the 2010 Transfer Target Player Profiles
Follow the Juventus Offside on Facebook
Follow the Juventus Offside on Twitter
Juventus Offside Email and RSS Feed