1-1: Well That Was Painful…

Caceres worked brilliantly on the right side in the first half, yet the others did almost everything they could to avoid giving him the ball. Unbelievable. We’ve once again resorted to the long ball. Depressing. No one’s moving forward off the ball because we’re too concerned with conceding goals. Catastrophic.

Now that’s truly impressive.

All week we’ve been hearing about this game against Livorno and how our boys are going to play determined to win. The truth is, I completely believe them. I expect a tremendous display of football from our side and quasi-landslide victory against Livorno. The Zac is going to get his three points here as he’ll hope to use the Amaranti as a spring board to bigger and better things. More specifically, a streak of victories.

What was I smoking? If by “quasi-landslide victory” I meant “fortunate to escape Livorno with a single point”, then I’d have something to gloat about. Boy was I wrong. Dead wrong. That was a tremendous display of what exactly you ask? An example of just how far the mighty have fallen probably.

alessio’s Pagelle:

Buffon- 6: Didn’t have a whole lot to do until the end of the match, but remained attentive throughout.

Legrottaglie- 7: Led by example, defensively he was a rock, and of course, scored the tying goal.

Chiellini- 6.5: Had little trouble in containing Livorno’s strikers.

Cannavaro- 6: Decent game, though he had a few nervy moments.

Caceres- 5: Final ball was far, far too poor.

Melo- 4: Classic Felipe Melo game. Mediocre, and then gets sent off.

Candreva- 5: Looked bright in the first half, but faded badly in the 2nd.

Grosso- 5: Too slow, 2nd to the ball, and his crosses, like Caceres, were miserable. One would think that
with less defensive responsibilities, the wingbacks would be able to get forward more and have more time on the ball, and deliver a better result. Didn’t happen.

Diego- 6: Hit-or-miss set piece deliveries, and did alright with distribution but the forwards were in poor form tonight so he had few targets.

Del Piero- 5: Very anonymous game, and never really got into the thick of things.

Amauri- 4: Static. Too slow. Whiny. These describe him for the last year, and yet again tonight.

Zaccheroni- 4: We could have won this game, but he chose the wrong players from the start and made poor
substitutions. De Ceglie should have started over Grosso. Paolucci surely can do something more than Amauri. Giovinco should have come on early, or started over Del Piero.

Takeaway-point-of-the-game: We need to sell Giovinco, ASAP. Arsenal would be my pick, obviously Wenger knows what he’s doing with young talent and we wouldn’t have to see him play against us.

Zac’s post match comments:

We made too many mistakes, are not accustomed to playing this way and the new tactic worked only in part. Having said that, this is a rare time in which Juventus have fought back from a goal down, so we saw a good reaction. The big worry is that we have giants in defence and allowed one of the shortest players on the pitch to score with a free header. This is something that cannot happen and needs to be addressed.

We are also slow in moving the ball around, which makes us predictable. The midfield is a problem that this team has had since the start of the season. If a move starts badly, it’ll end badly. I am confident I will be able to solve it, but not in the space of a few days. Juventus aim to improve and reach the summit at the right moment. We’re counting on it.

In the second half when Diego started to go wide a bit more and didn’t remain rooted to the centre, we became dangerous. He should start as a trequartista between the lines and find the space, tying the midfield and strikers together. I expect him to release Amauri and Del Piero. Amauri is forced to play with his back to goal and we need to move the ball around so he can face the target.

Melo is a lad who can’t bear to lose and always gives everything he’s got, which unfortunately means he picks up early cards and they affect the rest of his game.

It’s entirely likely that two weeks ago we would’ve lost this match. It’s worrying that against Lazio and Livorno we left a man alone in front of goal and that is unacceptable. The teams who are consistent should all be considered for the Champions League. I see it very even after the top three, so I believe itwill go right to the final round.

This was another game to throw into the depressing pile. Yea our midfield is the problem Zac thanks for stating the obvious. And why the hell is no one going forward off the ball? You say we play a three-man defense but truthfully we still have too many people back there and not enough joining the rush. Like five it takes six people to stand behind Melo and watch him try to switch the play into the second row. Fuck it’s hard watching this shit.

How was Melo’s second yellow card even a card-able offense? I’m just waiting for Diego to get injured soon and then we’re definitely screwed in our midfield. Shit refereeing in this one too. Ok ok i’m done ranting. Btw, now Palermo and most likely Sampdoria will be ahead of us in the standings come Monday. Great.

Some Related Juventus Posts:

• VotD: ‘The Road Is Long…’
• Juventus – Livorno
• The Bianconeri return to Rome
• Chievo v. Juventus: Pin The Tail On The Donkey
• Udinese Beat Milan, Gap At Four

Category: Amauri, Blanc, Buffon, Chiellini, Coach, Competitions, De Ceglie, Del Piero, Grosso, Legrottaglie, Management, Melo, Players, Previews & Reviews, Serie A, Team News