Novara V Juventus

This match was billed as a potential "banana skin" for Juventus' title hopes, and with Milan breathing down their necks, any slip up would have been duly appreciated by the Rossneri. But it was not to be, as Juve ran out 4-0 winners! This was such an emotional game, because this is and very well could be the last " Piedmonte Derby", as Novara look to be going down, and for all those anxieties filling the Novara players, only 1 card was brandished through out the game and that was to Simone Pesce of Novara, so I have to tip my hat off to the officiating for letting the game be as free flowing as it was.
As in typical Juve fashion, they had the majority of possession with 66% and had 26 goals with 10 on goal and forcing the keeper to make 6 saves. The first goal took a while, at 16 minutes Mirku Vucinic got on the end of a fairly peculiar free kick by Andrea Pirlo, and instinctively flicked it in the top left hand corner. Vucinic had been a fairly frustrating player and I wasn't to sure which one was going to show up, but all my worries were scrubbed away when he scored his second on 64 minutes, that was in between fine goals by Marco Borriello and Arturo Vidal. Borriello was high on confidence after his winner at Cesena and could have made it 3-0 in the second half, but he fluffed it. But a good thing for this Juve side is that goals come from all over and on 50 minutes it was 3-0, as Vidal was the first to react as Fontana saved the shot by Vucinic but he didn't anticipate Vidal striking beauty!

As the Novara started to become deflated, there was more to come as Vucinic made it 4-0, and then you could see it was truly over, yet Juve remained professional and continued to play. Novara did have 2 shots on goal forcing Gianluigi Buffon to stay sharp, because it does only take one mistake, but it wasn't to be and Juve have now gone 3 games without conceding a goal, and that should be attributed to the ethos brought in by Antonio Conte, which is hard work but above all to defend, he encourages his men to always be ready to help out in defence.

The title race is in the balance as Milan also beat Siena 4-1, so that pretty much leaves the top as it was, but Milan have the much anticipated Milan Derby next week and Juve are home to Lecce in midweek- but are facing a Lecce side who are facing relegation, so it could be a feisty affair!

Cesena V Juventus

What a time to score your first goal...Marco Borriello did leave it late as Juve came through this game as eventual winners, and was there any doubt?? Juve had over 70% possession, but as Barcelona are painfully aware off, having the ball isn't everything unless you can do something productive with it. The Old Lady clearly showed her strength with 26 shot with 7 on goal, forcing Francesco Antonioli to make 6 fine saves. Cecena on the other hand had 9 shots but none were on goal and Gianluigi Buffon was never really called into action. The "Seahorses" showed there lack of quality upfront especially with Adrian Mutu and Vincenza Iaquinta out- both of who were ex Juve and maybe would have cherished the opportunity to settle old scores. Juve have to look back on this game and wonder why it was just 1-0? Against a better team they would have had more of a fight on their hands, and they would have had to put away more chances than one mere goal because at 1-0, anything can happen.
It looked as though this game was doomed to be yet anouther draw, with Andrea Pirlo missing the early spot kick an Paolo De Ceglie also hitting the woodwork, yet the goal came very late on in the second half when Borriello came on in place of another miss- firing striker, Allesandro Matri and scored in the 79th minute to condemn Cesena to Serie B next season.
This Juventus side has shown more focus and determination in attack but also Antonio Conte has made sure that Juve defend, and whenever they do lose the ball they are always pressing the opposition and finding some way to get it back,I have to admit they still can be a little rash in their tackles and let frustrations boil over...but overtime this will go, and the fans must realise that Juve have been on an amazing run, but can they do it a second season with the added pressure of European football... now that's a different thing.

Juve remain 3 points ahead of Milan thanks to their late winner against Genoa, But like Conte said, " the Scudetto is in their hands".

Midfield Magic!!

This was such an important game for Juventus, especially since Milan dropped 2 points against Bologna, this was their chance to go 3 points clear. Before the match, all the hype was surrounding Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti meeting for one last time, and again the media got it wrong as Del Piero came on as a second half substitute and Totti had to watch as his team lose by 4 goals from Artur Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio.
Juve got off to a magnificent start and were in complete control, and they were allowed to relax a little when Vidal got the first goal within 4 minute and  Martin Stekelenburg had little chance of getting it as Vidal struck it with such power, Vidal then scored again on 8 minutes and this time Stekelenburg did get his fingertips to it but again Vidal hit it with such intent that there was only one place it was heading and that was in the back of the net. The Old Lady got a huge call in their favour, when the Roma keeper came out to stop an on rushing Marchisio. The keeper was within his rights to go for the ball but bad news for him, he brought down the player as well. Although it seemed minimal contact was made yet the referee decided it was dangerous and the red card was show which I believed to be a little harsh as it wasn't an obvious goalscoring opportunity by Marchisio. Pirlo stepped up to take the penalty and hit it into the net on the second time.

After this Roma were playing with just 10 men and made it easier for Juve to dictate the game. Eventual Marchisio got on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute from a nice back heel by Mirku Vucinic, who was involved in all the goals, in one form or another!
This performance showed the best in Juve but also their worst. Juventus had a high intensity about their game a were riding high on confidence, yet some of their behaviour is not becoming of champions. For instance Giorgio Chiellini going down too easily, he doesn't want to get the reputation on being the Italian Drogba!! The next item is in nearly all Italian games, not just Juve, shirt pulling at set pieces. It is getting rather ridiculous and the ref needs to put a stop to it here, because in the Champions League they will not be able to get away with it, as Alessandro Nesta is aware of just how costly it can be! And if Juve have hopes of doing well in Europe, they will have to stamp it out now. Another thing  that bothers me about their game is that even when they're winning they are still seen complaining to the referee about something. This is not only unsportsmanlike of them, but it paints the picture of them being a bunch of babies, and they will lose all credibility if they continue on this path.
Even though on paper it seems like the hard part is done, never should they underestimate the desire for survival. Many of the teams could be a slip up, and Milan will be ready to pounce.

As this is looking more and more likely to be Del Piero's last season, wouldn't it be sweeter if Juve can stay on course to win the Scudetto- FOR ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO!!!

Italian Football is in mourning

The weekend felt hollow and full of sadness as the footballing world paid respect to the young Livorno midfielder who died at the tender age of 25! Piermario Morosini had a tragic life, both his parents had died before he was 18 and his brother committed suicide, the only remaining member of his family is his sister, who herself is very ill and relied on Morosini for support. This tragedy has deeply affected everyone especially the teams he used to play for and still owned him, Udinese and Captain Antonio Di Natale have promised that his sister will be looked after.
It looked like he had a cardiac arrest on the pitch, after stumbling he then collapsed and didn't regain consciousness despite aide by emergency services. This is deeply shocking given his age, he was only 25. Which just goes to prove how hard these athletes push themselves and how much of a stain this game can inflict. There have always been strict health check ups in Italy, but this instance has called for even stricter measures, because even if you have a mild condition that will than be times 10 fold because of all the strain they put their bodies through.
As an act of remembrance, there have been calls for his shirt to be retired. And  I hope they do. This should teach people to treasure each other and life because you never know when your number will be called.

Rest in Peace Morosini xxx

Midweek madness!!

Milan were on top for one day before being dethroned by a much healthier Juve side. To be fair to Milan, they were without key players, so much so that they drafted in 19 year-old Mattia De Sciglio, who in his defence didn't do bad considering he was thrown into the big leagues head first!
The match on Tuesday saw a Milan side concede over 50% possession against a Chievo side that showed no fear, they were just lacking that finishing touch as they had 13 shots but only 2 were on goal and only 1 forced Cristian Abbiati to make a save. However they did get the ball in the back of the net, but Alberto Paloschi was offside, Chievo were caught offside 6 times, showing that they wanted to score so badly that they ran too early. Yet it was Milan who got the goal early in the first half from a thunderbolt of a shot by Sulley Muntari- showing that things are better in the red half of Milan.

This then meant that Juve had to win if they had any illusions of getting their hands on the title. One could say Juventus had the harder game as they entertained a Lazio side that convincingly beat Napoli 3-1. But anything could have happened, one thing for sure is that Antonio Conte would prefer to remain unbeaten. Juve controlled this game with over 70% possesion, and playing with the high intensity that has become synonymous with Conte's style, a goal was going to come from somewhere and it almost came for the home side, yet Simone Pepe's shot was off target, but he later redeemed himself when he got on the end off an Andrea Pirlo pass and rather acrobatically thumped it in the net. Juve were on a mission: to regain top spot, the game went on in obvious Juve fashion but then, out of nowhere Lazio go the ball and Stefano Mauri grabbed the equaliser just before half time. The second half was not as free flowing as the first half, it was beginning to dawn on them that this could be another draw. Juve maintained their dominance, but they were also looking a little tense, and that could only lead to rash tackles, shirt pulling during corner kicks ( Chiellini!) and yellow cards. Stephen Litchsteiner, Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Quagliarella all got themselves booked.
They had no need to fret as Alessandro Del Piero came in on 73 minutes to make his 700 appearance in a Juventus jersey- not an easy feat! He marked this milestone with a magnificent and incredibly important goal on the 82nd minute. Lazio were still fighting on, as I'm sure they know that Juve have become somewhat of a draw specialist, but maybe a little too hard to the refeere's liking as Libor Kozak was sent off for an altercation with Leonardo Bonucci. But we can see as the viewers that this was never a sending off as Bonucci just headbutted Kozak and there was no intent shown from the Lazio man, it was purely accidental.

Juve may have returned back to top spot but I for one would like it if they would tone down on the embellishment, it reflects poorly on the game and is not an attribute that should be encouraged in champions!

Milan bow out...

But they can hold there heads high as two of the goals came from penalties. Milan should be proud of their performance as they were like the walking wounded at times! Alex Pato did make his return on 69 minutes but could only make 13 minutes before being subbed himself.

Leo Messi scored for the home side on both occasions, but the second penalty was rather dubious, yes Nesta may have tugged Busquets, but he was also being tugged by Carlos Puyol. Ans the Milan captain was right on the money when he said there is no uniformity with referees and that decisions are interpreted differently by different refs.

Milan only had 3 shot compared to Barcelona's' 21 and only one was on target, but having said that, the one on target resulted in the goal, so the problem for the Rossoneri isn't scoring the goals it's creating the opportunities. More creativity is needed to be able to contend with the trio of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. The game was built up in the media as a battle between Zlatan and Barcelona, but the Italians showed they were more than just one man. But hey, there's no shame in losing to the worlds greatest team, and thee side from the north of Italy pushed it right to the edge and I believe there is something great about that too!

Juventus V Napoli..

This was the game that Juventus had to win, Milan had dropped points earlier with their draw against Catania, which meant that Juve could go just 2 points behind Milan and so this was an important victory for the Bianconeri. This was the first of two matches against Napoli as they also have to battle with the on May 2th in Rome in the Coppa Italia final. Antonio Conte used this as an opportunity to experiment a little as he went for a back three to mirror Napoli and also had the front pairing of Mirku Vucinic and Marco Borriello, and the latter didn't exactly endear himself with the fans as he has not yet scored in 7 league appearances, and that may be because of his inability to stay on his feet and his tendency to go down so easily.

The first half went by so quickly as it was fairy free- flowing, Napoli had a tragedy almost near the beginning as Cristian Maggio had to be taken off on the 25th minute, and losing an important player early on, obviously had a negative affect- for the away side at least! Napoli were able to get 7 shots but none were on target, and that was very surprising as they have one of the most famous attacking three in Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavazzi and Marek Hamsik, but tonight they didn't have any impact on the game and barely even saw any of the ball.

Juventus showed their intent which was to win the game, with their 27 shot and 9 on goal they showed their quality and determination to be taken seriously as title contenders with this stand out performance and goals by Leonardo Bonucci, Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella.

Having said that. The Old Lady did show her ugly side at times with rash tackle from Giorgio Chiellini, Stephen Litchsteiner, Claudio Marchisio and Vidal. Chiellini may have been the only one who amazingly didn't get a card and actually got Napoli's Zuniga a straight red, which I thought was a bit unfair because Chiellini does get away with so much and he did make a meal out of Zuniga's challenge, but he must keep in mind that in the big European competitions he must be careful not to foul people and expect to get away with it, because he could end uo giving away free kicks in dangerous areas and worst case scenario, he could see himself taking an early shower and leaving his teammates to play the rest of the game a man light.

A little calm and more control, and who knows, Juve could be celebrating their first Scudetto since 2003.