Juventus-Napoli preview

AC Milan V Barcelona

This was such a perfect advert for the Italian game, it was free flowing had some spectacular defending. the only thing it was lacking was goals but my God, they did have their fair share of chances. Milan came into this game with maybe not the most ideal squad with Thiago silva out injured, no Ignazio Abate or Alex Pato and some of the returning players were not quite match fit, like Kevin Prince Boateng, Robinho and Nesta, but the latter out in a magnificent performance, by using all his experience he managed to keep the onslaught of Barcelona attacks at bay! That is what many people forget and they only look at their age and just label them as being too old, but what people forget is, to get this far in the competition you start to need the experience and intelligence, and you can't win the major trophies with just pace!

Milan had the first chance to open the scoring in the early minute but Robinho shot it over, having not played for a while had shown in his performance, yet they tried hard and defended well but also had the confidence to attack Barca'. Milan may have only had 35% possession but they did force the keeper to make 3 crucial saves- the same as Barca', Barca' may have had 18 shots but only 3 had forced Cristian Abiatti into action.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was impressive throughout the match, but what impressed me the most was when late into the second half, Barcelona were growing desperate for that away goal and a Barca' player was quite literally stuck to him and just as you thought he might lash out, he kept his cool and played his way out of it. The Rossoneri will need that coolness and clear thinking when they go to Spain for the second leg.

Juventus V Inter- Do or Die!

The stage was set, the anticipation had been reaching an all time high, and what better time to score your first goal in the new stadium, than now? Alessandro Del Piero scored his first Serie A goal in the second half and what an important goal?? The fans were tremendous and made themselves heard- and seen! With rather cheeky banners!

The first half was a little scary to watch, I must admit, yet for the neutrals amongst us, it was a very open and entertaining first half with chances and both ends, yet it was Inter and Diego Milito that did have the better of the chances which caused Gianluigi Buffon to make some excellent saves. During the first half there was a peculiar moment where it looked as though Mirku Vucinic took the ball off Claudio Marchisio- his teammate! Antonio Conte has to keep an eye on incidents like this as it seemed that Marchisio was in a better shooting position before the ball was taken away from him and he was barged out of the way. The first 45 minutes didn't see the best out of Alessandro Matri and Simone Pepe, and they were ultimately subbed. Leonardo Bonnuci came on for Pepe and Alex Del Piero came on for Matri, Antonio Conte saw things were not working out and tinkered the system unlike the " tinkerman", Ranieri who stuck with his system and didn't move forward in the game, they actually started to seem rather tired and out of ideas.

Juve find themselves again just 4 points behind Milan, yet with Milan playing Catania next week and Juve playing against Napoli, one can hardley rest! The Old Lady is looking on the up though, with their 19 shots 12 were on target forcing the keeper to make 10 saves, which tells me they have been doing more target practice and reading my blog! On the other hand, Milan will be without their "rock" at the back, Thiago Silva for 3-4 weeks, a huge blow for Milan and could even tip the title back in Juventus' favour! Who knows what will happen, all you can say with absolute certainty is that, ITALIAN FOOTBALL IS FAR FROM BEING BORING!

Juventus-Inter preview

Juventus V Milan- Coppa Italia pt2

What a pulsating game, so much so that I almost passed out during the game and hence me waiting a day to write about it! There were whispers before the match that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was not going to play because of flu type symptoms, and when I saw him in the line up, I was slightly less than happy. But I was also surprised that he was going to be risked since they had a big game against Roma on Saturday, however the big Swede did have to be taken off halfway yet that did nothing to hinder Milan's advances, it actually spurred them on to get the equalizer.


Alessandro Del Piero may have not scored in the League but he maybe he was just reserving the best for the big occasions... and maybe for SOME people ( the pundits on ESPN) this is not a big occasion, but for a team like Juventus, who have been through some terrible times, this is very meaningful, and to beat Milan was the cherry on top. Juve went into the game with a 2-1 lead and Del Piero scored on the 28th minute to ease some pressure, yet this is Milan and they mean business, so it wasn't long before they got the equalizer and put some real pressure on Juve. They had their share of chances, but it took Milan to get goalscoring after Zlatan was taken off. You could see Juve just relax ever so slightly when Ibra wasn't there anymore, they thought they were scot free... they were wrong, as Mesbah scored for Milan making it 1-1 on the night.


The good sign from The Old Lady is that they didn't panic and the kept their shape and above all - they were determined not to squander their lead. Yet even with the brilliant run from Poalo De Ceglie and efforts from Vucinic and Giaccherini they went behind in the 81st minute from a wonder strike from Maxi Lopez, This then left the situation rather unsettling, to say the least!


It had then forced the gut wrecting reality of extra time, Vucinic was the player who was perhaps meant to settle this as he had tried in normal time- even if they were slightly off target. It was Juve back in front, but this was Milan and if the get chances, they will score. But they didn't and by some luck Juve managed to keep the lead and keep all eleven players on the pitch! It ended 4-3 on aggregate and Juventus will either meet Napoli or Siena, whomever it ends up being Juve should try to remember to kill off the game as early as possible and try to keep their heads as Chiellini and Vidal were putting in some wayward tackles and Vucinic almost talked his way into the book when he wouldn't stop arguing with the ref and even Del Piero, the " mild mannered" Captain was starting a battle with fellow veteran, Clarence Seedorf. Also did anyone else notice that the players were taking a tumble a little too often?

Fiorentina V Juventus

Finally after three consecutive draws, Juve get back to winning ways and in style, a five goal thumping of bitter rival Fiorentina. But it didn't feel like it was going to be an easy game for Juve, after drawing so many "easy" games I did fear the worst. It started of very open and it was visible just how much each team wanted all three points, La Viola wanted safety while Juve wanted to try and catch Milan up, Milan who had won their earlier game against Parma, so the gap had widened to a huge seven points! Both Fiorentina had been guilty of having a go at the ref in previous games and it seemed as though the referees decided to take revenge by letting things play out early on. Yet in the 20th minute Alessio Cercie did his team a huge disservice and got sent off and Fiorentina had to play the rest of the game with 10 men. Although Lichtsteiner did start to put in some "rash" tackles as the gamee went on and could have easily been sent off.

The Old Lady had obviously been reading my blog! As half of the shots attempted were actually on goal and the keeper was only able to keep two of the five out- a vast improvement! Maybe this result will tell Conte that his ladss can do it if he can just stop moaning about the refs and get on with the football.

Let's just hope they can consistently play like this as they have Milan on Tuesday and than Inter on Sunday, and both Milan and Inter have 11 players that can finish a game.

The Great Italian Cafe - Episode 4 - TURIN

Turin Capital of the Kingdom of Savoy (parte 2 di 2)

Turin Capital of the Kingdom of Savoy (parte 1 di 2)

Everyone IS NOT against you!

While Antonio Conte may want to believe there is a conspiracy working against him, I beg to differ. They are still unbeaten in 27 games, and even though they have not had any penalties awarded to them, they have had many other decisions that have been hugely beneficial to the- Muntari's ghost goal and De Ceglie not being sent off in the game against Genoa. What Conte should focus on is the gradual evaporation of any type of goal threat, whereas at the start of the season they were winning by an average of 2 goals now they are finding it hard to get any- in Genoa they hit the woodwork 3 times and Simone Pepe missed a guilt edge chance from 2 yards! Now tell me Antonio, how did the referee make it so that you wont score from 2 yards?!

All he's doing is alienating the referees and giving them a reason to dislike Juve, if you keep calling them crap, they may start to give the benefit if the doubt to the opposing teams. I'm just saying that it would be wise to tread carefully or all the goodwill that he built up early in the season will start to dissipate! Just use this sense of persecution you have and turn it into accuracy on the pitch, and maybe if you stop whining then people will have some sympathy for you when a decision doesn't go your way, all you're doing know is making a mockery of this illustrious football team.

The game against Fiorentina will be an interesting one as they used to be a team that would be near the top of the table and currently they sit in the bottom half. So in conclusion, Juve need to calm down and focus, because if you're like this without European football I would hate to see what you'll be like in Europe's elite competition.

Close but not close enough..

Juventus record yet another draw, and fall 4 point behind an on fire Milan while Lazio are threatening to steal second place. Some pundits may believe that it's a two horse race for the title, I beg to differ, sooner or later Juve will lose and Lazio will pounce, because Lazio have some rather decent stikeforce in Klose, Brocchi, Henanez, Ledesma amd even Mauri can be a threat, and while I admit that some of the aforementioned player are not strikers per say, they are potent in attack, while The Old Lady has started to lose her shine.

The side from Turin may have had over 60% possession yet that means nothing if you can't do anything with it! But lets not crucify them yet, the intention was there, they had 30 attempts with 5 on goal and the the 5 attempts on goal made Sebastian Frey produce 5 fine saves the others, the woodwork helped a bit. Juve lack the quality upfront as I've said on numerous occasions. I'm just glade they didn't concede, as both their starting center backs were out and they had a make-shift defence with Caceras and Vidal in as replacements, this could have attributed to them being rather poor upfront, as the players that would be bossing the midfield or helping in attack were defending. Having said that Genoa could have quite easily had the lead early on, just 20 seconds from the start Genoa had a chance on goal but the brilliant Buffon made an important save, had it gone in, it might have been a different game and I'm not quite sure Juve had the firepower or should I say accuracy to get a goal.

Juve may have achieved too much in a short amount of time and it's finally starting to catch up to them. They should be proud of what they have achieved so far... yet it would have been nice to win their first Scudetti since 2003- and that could have been a wonderful sending off for the legend that is Alessandro Del Piero.

Forza Juventus!

JUVENTUS ---- is BACK

juventus 2011-2012 The unbeaten all goals

Unlucky number 13...

Juventus have so far gone though the season unbeaten, an amazing feat wouldn't you say?? Yet they have also drawn 13 games and have missed the chance to go joint top with Milan after their latest draw against Bologna. Even the fans will be ripping their hair out, Juve didn't play that badly after they got the equalizer and even when they went a man down.

Juve had over 60% possession, yet that does not give me much comfort when they have 13 shots and only 4 on goal and only got the keeper to work 3 times, something is missing upfront. Maybe all the negative energy brought by Antonio Conte has started to have an adverse affect on the players- or maybe it's karma, for all the moaning and grief that Conte has caused the refs, the football God have taken away their scoring ability, whatever it is, the longer they go without winning the more it could affect the team, not only their position in the league but also it could have a very negative affect on team morale. Conte has not only angered the Gods but also the referee, as he was sent off during the Bologna match and is also banned for the weekends match against Genoa. One of the things a team needs to be a success is a stable leader and not someone who keeps throwing tantrums- not a very good example. Yet I still have hope in this side as I see a resurgence on the horizon!

The Old Lady

The following are some pros and con I feel about the current Juve side:

Pros

• High intensity approach to the game- always equals an exciting match
  



• Hardwork and determination from the team
  



• The " never say die" attitude




• The loyalty they have to their veteran players and willingness to play the youth- this has made the team fresher and has given Juve a new dimension




• The fact that goals can come from anywhere- last night De Ceglie got his first Serie A goal!
  



• They sit just a point behind Milan!

Cons

• High intensity can also lead to mistake being made- eagerness to score early on can lead to them becoming sloppy




• Constant complaining to the referee- the moment a decision doesn't go their way, 4 Juve players surround the ref!
  



• Falling over too easily- sometimes a player is in a good position and goes down looking for the cheap free kick, when it would've be better if the got on with it instead.
  



• Goals are starting to dry up in the forward positions- they only got a point against Chievo thanks to Poalo De Ceglie.




• Too many draws can lead to their undoing.

Just a few things to think about, but as supporters we also have a role in this.. which is to support them no matter what, and not jeer them as this does not help anyone and doesn't do anything good for their motivation, actually it can be rather damaging to their confidence. Remember where they were last season and be grateful Conte has gotten us this far, we have announced ourselves and hopefully Juve will be here to stay!!

Juventus V Chievo...

... Juventus should look as this game as 2 points dropped, how can they be taken seriously as a team if they've drawn 12 games? Conte might cling to the fact that they remain unbeaten, well that means nothing if half of them are draws! Juve had a high intensity to the game which has been their signature playing style this season, yet all the intensity in the wold means nothing if it doesn't translate into results- and by this, I mean wins!

Juventus had 60% possession which equated to 20 shots with only 5 on target and only 4 were good enough to force a save out of keep Sorrentino,who was in excellent form! Which is rather worrying, I've been saying it for a long time now- players should spend more time on target practice and less time moaning to the ref. Juve did get the first goal but it came from a set piece, which can go either way. It came from an unlikely source in De Ceglie. What worries me is how they couldn't fashion a goal from open play and how, with all their dominance they only had one goal?!! After that goal, it looked as though some nerves had settled yet there were periods in the first half where Chievo could have easily scored, and this is disturbing, the mere fact that almighty Juve could not brush aside Chievo showed a serious chink in Antonio Conte's tactics, also it doesn't help that Conte keeps chopping and changing the front pairing. It was fairly obvious that Alessandro Matri and Mirku Vucinic are not a great match, as they would often get in each others way!

The second half did show how slender Juventus' lead was and they kept up this high intensity, but there was just no end result and Chievo punished them on the 76th minute. Conte should start to worry as they are starting to struggle to score goals and Milan have just got their "mojo" working. Juve have a game in hand and now they must win this game if they want to have any hope for the title and to keep the pressure on Milan. The thing that can identify you as a championship team is your ability to adapt and do without certain players, Milan have shown that they can still score with the giant Swede, but Juve are a different side without Simone Pepe!

It is miraculous what Conte has achieved so quickly, and I respect that, however he must acknowledge that some is wrong with the team and not the REFS! ( most of the time)

I do worry for Juve as even a legend like Del Piero is finding it hard to help you!

Palermo v Milan- Ibracadabra!

What a game from the away team and what a return from Zlatan, only his second hatrick- if you can believe it! But what a performance by him. Milan played like the home side with over 60% possession and with 19 shots and 12 on goal, it would've easily been 5 or 6 for Milan. It felt like the injustice suffered by the away side against Juve gave them an extra boost, as they played like a side possessed!

Palermo were letting them self get bossed around and only had brief moment where it looked as though they were going to make Milan uncomfortable, they had 15 shots, so they were trying but only 3 were on goal which just made it abundantly clear how big the gap in quality there is between these 2 sides. Whereas Milan had the returning Ibrahimovic, they also had Robinho, Nocherino and even Thiago Silva, who, besides from being a top class defender even got on the scoresheet, on 58 minutes he topped of the "Ibra show" with a little gem from himself. This shows that Milan can get the goals from anywhere on the pitch which also means they can be very unpredictable to play against and they are not going to let go of the Scudetto anytime soon.

A vital 3 points for Milan, which will see them stay onto of the top of the table