Juventus v. Napoli: Preview & Notes

By: roberto | March 16th, 2008

First and foremost, apologies for the lack of general attention to the Old Lady blog. I’ve been overseas securing reserves for my new Cambodian breast milk venture. But now I’m back at home and ready to spit out some more of these posts. What great timing too!Our glorious club of clubs take on those babies in blue this Sunday in our home town. We’ll give ‘em a nice welcome, but that bus ride home is gonna sting like a bitch though. We need to win! Wehave to win! We need all three points. Not just because we’re playing against Napoli, but because it’s time we take control of our own destiny for the next eleven matches. This is Juventus- winning is in our DNA!

Trezeguet

Come get a taste.

Who the fuck do you think you are? I’ll tell you who. You’re a fan of the greatest damn club in the world…walk like you gotta fucking pair ok?! Time to quit the talking boys and put some W’s back in the game column. I’m sick of this half ass’d opening to 2008. Four wins out of ten is bullshit for us frankly. For the remaining eleven matches I want d-o-m-i-n-a-t-i-o-n, nothing less. This is our club, and we deserve it all.

“This is the time when we need to accelerate” (ADP).

Amen. Management needs to listen up here cause we’re only gonna say this once… burn that Molinaro and keep Grygera on the left for the rest of the season. Ok, for this one against Napoli since Zebina and Legrottaglie are suspended, we’re gonna need some gritty fucking defending here. Unfortunately that might mean allowing Molinaro on our stadium property to sit on the bench. But thank the Lord we can still do without him in our starting eleven. We’ll put Salihams at RB, Stendardo can go in at RCB next to the monster Keiser Chiellini at LCB. Speaking of Chiellini, he’s gonna have to take charge of our entire defence in this one. If there was ever a time when he wanted to be a pilar of strength in D, now’s his chance. He needs to get juiced-up ‘Bill Romanowski style’ and come out with an incredible amount of controlled aggression for this weekend’s clash. Then, we’ll slot in Grygera at LB from the start (hopefullly), and let the Czech run his head off.

With Camoranesi suspended, and thus our hopes and dreams of a creative display tomorrow thrown out the window, we need Palladino to playing some quick one-two football at RWM. I’m not 100% happy with him and Salihams together on that side, but due to injuries its the best we can do. Anyway, we have Pavel ‘Who Will Tear Your Fucking Face-off’ Nedved fresh from Chino in this one. Yeah that’s right, Nedved’s back from serving some hard fucking time. He really misses football, wiener schnitzel, and the sight of soap suds flowing down the crack of some guy’s ass. He’s gonna be the key to the game here I think. With Zanetti out (fuck, with his work ethic I saw that coming), Camo out, and Palla in, Nedved is going to be the only genuine link between our attack and our kinda sorta line of kinda sorta defenders here. Nedved and Chiellini are gonna be called on a lot in this one, I mean a lot.

Then there’s of course the ever absent Tiago. We’ve hated him, loved him, hated him, and loved him about twenty times or so. What’s weird here is that he hasn’t even played for us in six months practically. Either way, Ranieri has come out to say that it is once again ‘Tiago’s time to shine‘. So we’ll be watching to see if Tinkerbell actually gives Tiago the start in place of Nocerino. As far as Ranieri’s faith in Tiago goes; Why now? and Why, after not having thrown him any bones in the last couple games, does he feel as though he’s ready to start for 90 minutes… against Napoli even? Oh well, fuck it. Nocerino is still stinking it up- maybe that’s Ranieri’s deciding factor…

In attack, shit well it’s simple. Iaquinta and Trezeguet up front right from the start. No ifs, ands, or buts. ADP comes off the bench in this one. My theory is Napoli’s gonna come out looking to stir the shit, and with the talent they have (even without Zala) they can cause some problems. So, since nobody likes playing against hustlers (at least this guy doesn’t) we’ll let Iaquinta get his cleats dirty and win us some 50/50 balls. As if we need any more with Momo in our line-up though, hahhaah. Speaking of Sissoko, I didn’t want to have to say this but… “I TOLD YOU SOOOOO”! This kid is making a comeback with the Bianconeri and I for one am loving every minute of it.

Buffon

Salihams Stendardo Chiellini Grygera

Palladino Sissoko Tiago Nedved

Trezeguet Iaquinta

Men of the Match: Nedved, Chiellini, Sissoko, Iaquinta, and Buffon

* Nedved wants a Champions League and dammit he deserves it. The beautiful one is in my estimation playing some the best football I’ve seen this year period. He’s first touch is better than any other player’s entire career over the last 30 years. Yea that’s right Maldini I said it. “I absolutely want to secure Champions League qualification, as that is the season’s objective. We are working hard and things are going well – the win over Genoa has given us confidence“. Holla back Pavel.

* Buffon for the Prime Ministre… or President… or Grand Chancellor of Italy! Extending his contract to 2013 is just music to my ears. He is the heart and soul of Juventus. Not only is he one of the greatest talents in the world, but he’s a sportsman’s sportman. I feel compelled now to win a Champions League next year and apparently so does our management! One of the convincing conditions was that we’ll sign three top-class players this summer and that we’ll fire that mutherfucker Secco! Ok I lied about that Secco thingy… or did I?

* Secco is reportedly being shipped off to Genoa in a little fucking box, chopped up, and poured all over with Canadian Maple Syrup! Damn I only hope Goal.com is right about this one. Apparently, we’re getting a blind monkey to fill his position. The kicker is, we’re surgically implanting Moggi’s brain in for the chimps… Scientists have already figured out a successful way to make up for the empty space left in the chimp’s skull after the procedure is complete. In any case… I’m happy

* Palladino for Amauri? hmmmm….

That should get us pumped!
IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

Some Related Juventus Posts:

Category: Coach, Competitions, Players, Serie A, Sissoko, Team News

« Live Coverage: Genoa v. Juventus FORZA RAGAZZI!!! | Home | Palm Sunday Victory & Wednesday Night Ashes Before Saturday’s Derby d’Italia Clashes »

adam

i hope ur right marco. i hope ranieri stops playing around with the formatioin and uses the one against roma, sissoko and grygera included ofcourse.
Marco P.

Juve were thinking too much of next Saturday (Inter), not enough of today (Empoli).
Alessio

Yeah, Brazzo was not very good today. Our midfield definitely weakened when Tiago left.
adam

i would of liked to see palladino come in for brazzo and camoranesi staying in. nedved should of came in for tiago. Trez cant do much coming off the bench.
Alessio

2 wasted points. at least milan, fiorentina, inter, and roma are all tying/losing too.
adam

what a bad first half juve are having. they just cant create anything. on a positive note, molinaro was subbed on the 28th min maybe now ranieri sees how ineffective this kid is.
Alessio

Sure thing. Bwin is also showing it, and so is SerieA.tv if you want to pay. (bwin wont work if youre in the US)

Expect the Myp2p feed (same one as live footy) to work, but be shitty. I wish ESPN360 was carrying this.
adam

thanks alessio if thosw links work you've just made my day
Alessio

its at 330EST. unfortunately it doesnt look like Bet365 of ESPN360 are carrying it.
Alessio

http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast....
Possibly:
http://livefooty.doctor-serv.c...
adam

does anyone have a stream for the juve-empoli game?
adam

fortunato, hamsik has scored 6 goals in 27 matches, camoranesi has scored 3 in 13, hamsik has played more than twice as much yet they have almost the same goals to games ratio. if camoranesi wasnt injured as much as he is he could have gotten more than hamsik. but we'll never know for sure. and saying that he is overrated is crazy talk. if youve been following juve this season, which u probably havent, ull see the difference he makes in the team, napoli was lucky he didnt play because if he did u guys would of been raped. and if anyone's overrated it napoli's extremely inconsistent Lavezzi, 5 goals in 24 matches. maybe in a few years he could be worthy of being put in the same sentence as camoranesi. but till then hes nothing more than promising kid. the only true talent you have on your team is hamsik and id be more than happy if we buy him from you guys, maybe then he can score 12 goals in 27 matches.
Marco P.

I rest my case too. To equate Camoranesi's contribution to the team solely on the amount of the goals that he scores is purely and simply complete ignorance. Pointless to continue this debate with you.
R.J.

Fortunato, good thing the only stat that matters is 1-0.
Fortunato

OK. So you're saying that my stats are proving your point but then again the 58/42 territorial stat means nothing. Juve had the advantage in stats BUT they were the heavily favoured home team and they were supposed to crush Napoli and they didn't. Napoli played a good road game and could've easily have tied had it not been for a defensive gaff by Domizzi. Napoli had their share of chances as well (check the hi-lights again). Juve did not completely dominate the game and the win was not inevitable. My friend, the stats do not prove total domination at all. Your own Juventini friends will attest to that!!! Objectivity backed up by facts my dear Alessio, not outrageous fanaticism.
Also, ask any Napoli supporter about El Panteron's goals. They were bunched over three or four games and only one or two really involved true skill. Most of them were of the garbage variety. Most Napoli fans are embracing Calaio getting a starting role at the striker position with Zalayeta out.
It's not all about goals either, if not you would be proving my point that Camoranesi, being paid 3 mill, has only three goals (cost of 1 mill per goal) and our 20 year old midfielder Hamsik has six goals, at a salary of 0.5 mill, has six goals (83,000 per goal). Using your logic then, I rest my case. Camoranesi is overrated and overpaid!!!
Marco P.

Erm... wow... you do realize all the figures you've just given me completely prove my point, don't you?

By the way, when I said "the whole game was played in Napoli's end", I meant exactly that. Your 58/48% stat means nothing, because which team had ball possession inside that half is completely irrelevant: Napoli were simply having a tough time getting out of their defensive zone, with our without the ball.

I'm not even going to comment what you said about Camoranesi and Zalayeta. You do know El Panterón is your team's leading topscorer (8 goals, 2 more than Hamsik and 3 more than Lavezzi), right?
Fortunato

Marco. You want objectivity and facts? You got it:
-Juve had 6 corners to 4 for Napoli;
-Juve had 4 shots on the net compared to 2 for Napoli;
-Juve had 14 shots off of the net compared to 5 for Napoli (some were good chances, some were long range that were going no where shots);
-Juve had the territorial advantage of 58% to 42% (not anything like 75/25 as you describe it "the whole game was played in Napoli's end");
-Forget Zalayeta (you can have him back as far as I care) the loss of Blasi (on loan from you guys)is huge to our midfield. We do't have the depth you guys do so please let's not try to compare plus not having Camoranesi is probably a blessing. He's tempramental and overrated!
Napoli played a very good road game and in my mind, a 0-0 draw would have been very well deserved.
Marco P.

Agreed on Sissoko. That guy's quality, I sincerely hope Liverpool will deeply regret letting him go. However, defensive contribution: A+, offensive contribution: B. You gotta stop losing those balls inside our own half Momo.

I was quite satisfied with Tiago's contribution as well for once. Nothing extraordinary, but boy... that 25-yarder was headed straight inside the post had Gianello not been there.

Oh and as usual, until roberto goes to work on the game report (how kind am I roberto, helping you out and all ;P ) you can read mine here, if you're interested.
Chxta

WE WON! Forza grande Iaquinta.
Alessio

Well, to be fair to Grygera, we didn't buy him. We got him for free. I meant he's primarily a fullback, and most of the campaign he's been played as center-back. Like Tiago, he's done well recently with the little time he had.

Molinaro does work his ass off, but there have been several instances where he's just been plain beaten. (Lazio comes to mind) I know at another Juventino forum I'm on he's probably the most disliked player in the squad. He's not a disaster by any means, he's just incredibly mediocre, and he's 24, almost 25. Nocerino, who I've criticized, I think has enormous potential, and he's 2-3 years younger.

Speaking of young players, how about Momo today. I was a huge critic but he is getting better and better every game, and today, jesus, he was tackling all the way over the fucking field.
Marco P.

Alessio, we'll have to agree on disagreeing about Molinaro. I already acknowledged his crossing his sub-par, but the defending? I'm sorry but... which games did you watch? Guy is running up and down the wing endlessly, supporting the attack and coming back to defend equally. For a guy that's only 24 years old, he's still got potential for improvement roberto.

And that comment about Grygera being played out of position? Grygera is, by definition, a versatile player: he can play left-back, center-back, and right-back equally well. That's one of the main reasons Juve bought him. The fact that, so far, he hasn't played well has got nothing to do with where Ranieri has placed him. Grygera used to cover the right-back side at Ajax, and now after the Genoa-Juve game everybody's singing his praises now, for a game during which he played left-back. So positioning really ain't the problem here.

Fortunato, you want objectivity? How's this:
1) Napoli was missing some key players? Who? Zalayeta and Blasi? How about the fact nearly half of the Juve starters were out of action today (Legrottaglie, Camoranesi, Zebina suspended, Cristiano Zanetti injured). Talk about forced substitutions, huh?
2) What chances Juve had? Ditto what Alessio said. Honestly, did Buffon have to make any serious save today? I don't think so. The entirety of the match was played in the Napoli half, with Juve getting close to hitting the target many times over (two Tiago shots come to mind, one from outside the box deflected by Gianello, another inches over the crossbar, Stendardo and Iaquinta headers, long-range attempts by Nedved).

So please, you can be a sore loser and moan about the 90th minute loss, but try to use facts to back up what you say.
Fortunato

Are you guys kidding me? Napoli played a great road game. What chances did Juve really have? You guys really think Juve played a great home game? Please, some objectivity. Let's forget the fanatic talk and let's talk soccer boys....
Napoli was missing some key players and you guys were playing in front of your home folks with supposed revenge on your minds. The Iaquinta goal was a fluke and only happened because Domizzi misplayed it.
Oh by the way, if there was ever any doubt, Tiago has proven that he was a huge waste of money....
FORZA NAPOLI!!!! I'll se you guys next year in San Paolo...I guarantee a Juventini beating at the hands of Napoli!!!
vialli

i doubt we can speak a lot next season when ranieri still the coach.

the present juventus is like a boy with high spirit but doesn't know what to do...
Luca

Napoli was absolutely terrible (save Santacroce) and the fact that it took 85 minutes to get a goal was ridiculous. Our left flank (aka Molinaro) could not cross properly to save their lives. Our defense was sloppy as hell, our passing in midfield was atrocious, and nobody could hit the net all game.
vialli

i agree with Luca. an ugly win.
more like, a lucky win. we don't scare the opposition enough. nedved is not very effective playing as AMC.

i agree with you guys, there are couple of players that being play out of position.
Alessio

Ugly? Are you kidding? We were pounding them repeatedly, our team was playing well (except a few defensive errors) and the win was inevitable.
Luca

ugh, what an ugly win
Alessio

Terrific goal, terrific game.

Major props to Ranieri, Sissoko, Tiago, and the team in general. We played very well today.
Alessio

Tiago and Sissoko are playing great in center-midfield together...this goal is coming, cmon.
Alessio

Wow, even if he was offside, that was a big mistake by Chiellini.
roberto

Thanks Marco, it's good to be back in Burbank.

You're right on the money about everything, even those heresy charges buddy. I shouldn't get excited about Grygera I know, he's second string (two years ago) but i'm more excited that we can replace Molinaro.

Molinaro's runs may be a little reminiscent of Zambrotta's long strides and similar slowish speed but I would never relate their qualities with respect to Zambrotta's choice of passes, off-the-ball runs, or most importantly his defending. Like I've said in the past, Molinaro has reached his potential and it will simply not make the grade for Juventus... this season and especially not the next... not ever really.

As for the 4-3-3 formation I would love to see more that. I think Ranieri is too caught up with wing play so he resorts to a lot 4-4-2 type shit. If we had some solid defenders we could certainly get away some 2-4-1-3 with the attacking mids we have as well as the possessing mids and defending mids as well. Then we can use Iaquinta full time have ADP slotted behind them, and run some wing play whilst still using our defensive mids .... aaahummm Tiago.
Alessio

Marco, you must not be watching the same games as us. Molinaro's crossing is crap, and his defending is hot-or-cold. He plays like Napoli does. And Grygera has been mediocre because in almost every game, he's been played out of position. Center-back, left-back, but not right-back.

I'm hoping Tiago gets to play. I'm waiting for him to show up but he was such a good midfielder for Portugal+Lyon, let's hope he gets out of his funk.
Marco P.

Welcome back roberto.

Let's not get too excited vis-à-vis Grygera just yet, shall we? He scored a great goal, played an amazing game last week, but that was one match out of the dozens or so mediocre performances coming before that. Me, I like continuity... I need 2-3 games at least before a player joins the "approved" list. And I don't understand why you keep dissing Molinaro. Sure his crossing ability needs some improvement, but the lad's been running his ass off in every single match he started for Juve this year. At the cost of being branded with heresy, I'll even say he reminds me of Zambrotta minus the crossing part. A dynamo.

Regarding Tiago, I read the "Praise the Portuguese, give him time" Ranieri interview too. Honestly, I get the feeling Ranieri's the kind of man who'll give everyone the benefit of the doubt, he's way too kind. He says Tiago's been playing better and more motivated in training? I can only take his word for it. So far, Tiago's match performance can be very easily defined: lackluster, no personality, shadow-of-former-self. Where the hell is the Tiago who made Lyon win games? I'm tired of waiting for Godot.

With that said, I guess that with Sissoko in from minute 1 the creative part of midfield will have to be left to the Portuguese (no offense Nocerino, but you're a lot more effective at killing play than creating it). Then again, Nocerino might have an added motivation factor on his side, given he himself is a Napoli native.

Regarding Sissoko, ditto on what you said. Myself, I liked him from day 1 to be honest, ever since I did his career profile on mCalcio. There's a lot of untapped potential in that kid, and over time I think he can significantly improve his passing distribution as well.

As for our striking starters today, it'd be very surprising for me to see ADP benched: our captain has been a regular executioner of Napoli in the past years, and I want him on the field to put those "Zona" goals in. Then again, following the traditional squad rotation policy I'd say his time has come. Were I Ranieri though, I'd wait an extra game on this one.
Alessio

I would be down for a 4-3-3. Iaquinta needs to play more, and since that 4th spot in midfield is up for grabs.....why not eliminate it?
Alessio

I hope we crush Napoli merda today....it's been a while since we've put 4 or 5 goals in the net.

I think your formation is wishful thinking. Ranieri loves Molinaro, not so much Palladino. And Del Piero's been in good form, even with a slight dip. Since we don't have Camoranesi, we have to play him over Iaquinta to start..otherwise T-Rez (as you call him, I like it) is going to be stranded up front. (I would like to see Iaquinta get more playing time) I foresee this-

Grygera Chiellini Stendardo Molinaro
Salihamidzic Sissoko Tiago Nedved
Trez ADP
adam

i think were gonna start a 4-3-3 formatin
Buffon
Grygera-Stendardo-Chiellini-molinaro
Palladino-Sissoko-Nedved
ADP
Trez-Iaquinta