Friday 30 November 2012

The Ballon D'or

Yet again it's the trio of Messi, Ronaldo and Iniesta, but for the briefest of moments Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon and Mario Balotelli were in with a shot. No one can complain that the three listed should not be in a shot to win it, yet it does feel that La Liga is the preferred choice.

Both Pirlo and Buffon have had long careers at the very top and should be recognised for that. Buffon began his career at Parma at just 13 years of age and graduated to the senior level at 17, he had the coolness to get a clean sheet against the mighty Milan in his debut appearance in Serie A.. He is now 34 and he is still at the highest level. He is plying his trade with The Mighty Old Lady, Juventus. A Juventus side that are still on top of Serie A and were unbeaten all last season and that record was only broken this month by Inter.

Gigi has won the most prestigious award with Italy which is the World Cup in 2006, he has also won 3 Serie A titles , 1 Serie B title and Serie A goalkeeper of the year 8 times he has also won recognition from the IFFHS as the best goalkeeper of the 21st century- amongst many others! Now, you can't be blamed for feeling a little confused as to why he has been omitted.

The last Italian to win this prestigious award was Fabio Cannavaro he helped Italy win the World Cup in 2006, Buffon came in second that year, one could argue that Buffon should have won it that year, especially since he only conceded once from open play- and that was an unfortunate own goal.

Goalkeepers are often overlooked in these awards, but in my eyes Buffon is more than a goalkeeper, he is a leader both on and off the pitch. He gives his team mates confidence and advice when required and he is respected and above all.. loved by everyone because above all he exudes class.

Andrea Pirlo at the age of 33 shows no sign of stopping, After spending 10 years at Milan He has won 2 Champions Leagues and has won the league twice with the Milan club and once with Juventus, he was a vital component of Juventus' unbeaten run. He was also a key player at the 2006 World Cup victory where he also won Man of the match for game against Ghana, Germany and the Final against France, World Cup Top Assist Playmaker and he was also in the FiFPro 1X in 2006.

More recently, he was a vital component of Italy's progress to the final of Euro 2012.  During the tournament he was named as Man of the Match for games against Croatia, England and Germany. He was also named in the Euro Team of the Tournament 2012 and it was no surprise as he is always calm and decisive which was made evident in the game against England where he went for that cheeky chip during his penalty against Joe Hart, only someone who exudes confidence and class could get away with that!

Like I said at the start, it is no surprise that players like Ronaldo and Messi have been shortlisted for this award, players that score over 80 goals for their club team can hardly be ignored! Also Iniesta was the player that outdone Pirlo at Euro 2012, all I'm saying is that it's slightly saddening that other great players get dismissed, I mean players who have achieved as much as Pirlo and Buffon, they should also get some form of recognition- shouldn't they?

Sunday 25 November 2012

Revitalised Rossoneri!

What a game?! Another loss for Juventus against a side from Milan. What can be said... Milan just had more to prove and had more desire to beat Juve. As they said before the game, a win against Juve could just be what's needed to kick start their season. There was some talk in the ESPN studio saying that it was the magic of Berlusconi, all joking aside, whatever he said had an affect because they played a fantastic game, and who knows they may have just brought a " stay of execution" for Allegri!

Juventus had over 60% possession but when you keep giving the ball away cheaply and not putting any real quality in the final third, it doesn't count for much. On the other hand, this was perhaps Milan's best defencive display, all the criticisms about their lack of defensive quality were washed away as both Mario Yepes and Phillipe Mexes had a wonderful game and so to did the youngster:  Matthia De Sciglio.

Milan worked well as a unit while Juventus looked fragmented and to often you would see miss placed passes, maybe they still had a hangover after the win against Chelsea? Whatever it was, it was unsettling and much more was expected from the defending Champions. Throughout the game Juve had 2 shots on goal to Milan's 6, and Marco Amelia had only 2 saves to make while Buffon had 5. The back three of Juve looked unsure of themselves at times as Giorgio Chiellini wasn't there due to injury, which did result in some slack defending and even a mistake from Buffon!!

  Milan got there goal from the penalty spot on 31 minutes, it was perhaps a dubias call as further viewing saw that the ball struck Isla's rib and not his arm. Robinho put it away, but what made it harder to watch was that Buffon went the right way and got a hand to it, but it managed to hit the back of the net. Talk may be focused on this incident but the truth is, Juve didn't play very well, even Buffon commented after the game about how they had an hour to put together some sort of reaction but couldn't.

 The second half saw an odd substitution as Fabio Quagliarella came off for Sebastion Giovinco, he wasn't to pleased as he was seen shaking his head and mubbling something to Allesio. This could be seen as slightly disrespectful as whatever happens, Alessio is in charge- a lack of discipline at the camp maybe?

Late on Giovinco did have a chance to level things but miss timed his bicycle kick, a lot of Juve pressure in the second half but no one to finish it.

This was Juve's first away defeat in 18 months, let's just all hope that this is just a blip and Juve will soon return to winning ways. The Rossoneri have now Juve to 8th place while Juve remain on top, but only 4 points separate them from their closest rivals Fiorentina and least we forget that both Napoli and Inter still have games to play!
FORZA JUVENTUS!!

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Juventus V Chelsea

The importance of this match could not be underestimated, not only did Juventus have to secure a victory to insure any hopes of qualification, but it also will shut the English media up, because every time they mention Juve, they never forget to mention that  they've never beaten a club from London. It was hilarious to hear their excuses at the end and the silence that followed.

It was a fast paced match with both sides having good opportunities in the first half, but what I found troubling was this growing animosity between Lichtsteiner and Quagliarella and Vucinic and Quagliarella. That is something that is rather troubling, I think maybe Fabio's hat trick in the league has given him a big head because sometimes when he had the ball and instead of passing to a team mate who was in a better position, he would go for goal- and miss, but not only that, Chelsea would then get possession and can start their counter attack.

One of the main difference between English and Italian teams, English teams have a lot of pace and with players like Juan Mata, Edin Hazard and Oscar they did cause the back three of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzargli some problem, and who knows, on a better day they might have put away the shots they did have on goal. After the second goal and when the game was nearing the end, it was visible and understandable that there were some tired legs out there, but what wasn't acceptable was thinking that it was done and dusted, thank God they had Gigi Buffon to snap them out of it as he was seen on a number of occasions trying to communicate the urgency to his team mates.

One of the most inspired changes that they made late on was when the brought in Sebastion Giovinco, his pace and energy disturbed Chelsea and he added to their pain by scoring the third goal. Last weekend Giovinco was jeered by the "fans" but now he has become their hero, as his goal made Juventus' victory secure.

Juve must keep in mind that this victory gives them hope,but it's not over yet, they still have to face Shakhtar which is no easy feat. Juventus still have a lot of work to do given that they had 25 shots but only 13 were goal bound and the fact that the only scored 3 goals out of so many chances, something they must work on especially if they are determined to win the last game of the group. For the game against the Ukranians they will be with the hardworking Claudio Marchisio who took a yellow card for the team meaning that he'll miss the next game.

The Juventus midfield of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Claudio are like a well oiled machine, so many of last seasons goals came from the middle of the park. Near the end of the game after all of the subs were on you could see Chiellini hobbling on the side lines, that is a slight worry especially since Juve have a big league game coming up- the big match against AC Milan.

Turin Giants.



This evening should be a very entertaining game for the neutrals, but it is going to be nerve racking for a Juventino like me! I will be proud of the lads no matter what the score is at the end, just as long as they keep fighting until the end. Juventus are a proud club with a fantastic history spanning 115 years and a "never say die" attitude that is admirable. They should be able to channel the frustration of the league result against Lazio and turn it into something positive.

The things that I will not be able to understand, is if they concede defeat and start making " silly" mistakes and rash challenges ( Giorgio Chellini I mean you.) The worst thing that could happen is that they give a free kick in a dangerous area or they score from a penalty and Juve find it harder to score because all Chelsea have to do is defend.
Too many people like to highlight the fact that Juve don't have the " top name" striker, but this Juventus is more than just the big names, it's a truly group effort, where goals can come from anywhere, and thus making them rather unpredictable. However, I still wish they would score more- just to help with my anxiety!

The last time these two met was in the 2008/09 season, and I remember it well as it was Pavel Nedved's last chance to get to the finals as he retired at the end of that season. They also had Alessandro Del Piero who scored in the 2-2 draw. They still ended up going out in the last 16 as it was not enough, that's what I fear tonight, that it won't be enough to secure qualification.

The Old Lady currently sit in third place just 1 point behind Chelsea, but as Juve have drawn the first three games and only won 1, qualification is not impossible, but a win will definitely make it less stressful!
There are only 4 players that have survived from the 2008/9 season encounter with Chelsea : Claudio Marchisio, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Sebastion Giovinco. Marchisio has grown into an integral part of Juventus' midfield and Buffon is the cool head that they need. But even though Chiellini is one of the best Italian defenders, he can get a little shirty with the opposition and we don't want to give the English media any excuse to turn him into a villan! Giovinco may not have the physical presence but he is determined to stay in this Juve side after a brief spell with Parma.

Turin couldn't be a better stage for this encounter as it is truly elegant and brimming with class and boast a tremendous history, just like Juventus!
FORZA JUVENTUS!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Top three all stall..

Juventus, Napoli and Inter were all pegged back to a draw in week 13 of the season to keep a 5 point gap at the top. And not only that, but because Napoli only drew with Milan they have surrendered third spot to Fiorentina who thrashed Atalanta 4-1.

The game that was probably the most frustrating was Juventus against Lazio, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Juventino. Juve had 21 shots and forcing Federico Marchetti to make 4 fantastic saves, Juve dominated the game and Lazio only had 5 shots and none were good enough to beat Gianluigi Buffon. This Lazio performance was the complete antithesis of the Rome Derby when they were on the winning side of a 5 goal thriller. One could get a sense that Juve had one eye on the big match against Chelsea, although you would hope that a big club like Juventus can walk and chew gum at the same time.

The game which was billed as an easy win for Inter was anything but. Cagliari were perhaps slow starters but they put in a valiant fight to end the game 2-2. The surprising thing was that Cagliari were leading Inter by 2 goals to 1 for a long time and a clever substitute by Inter and a devastating mistake by Astori even it up when he turned the ball into his own net. But even before that the Sardinian side could have won by a greater margin if they had more quality upfront.

This was a weekend that consisted of a wonderful comeback by Milan, an Inter that still isn't quite there and a Juve side that needs to work harder on getting the ball in the back of the net, it's never dull or predictable in Serie A!

Saturday 17 November 2012

Napoli V Milan

This was a game of great significance for Milan, they could not afford to lose it... but more importantly Max Allegri would have got the axe for sure, even if the President has given his full support, we all know how fickle they can be?

This game couldn't have started off worse for the away side as they went down by two goals in the first half an hour. The first goal was a rather freakish goal by Gokan Inler that wrong footed Cristian Abbiati, the second came from Lorenzo Insigne on the half hour mark.

Milan looked like a team lacking confidence and were constantly giving the ball away, they could have easily been down even more, with all the defencive errors plus  some questionable goalkeeping decisions, they were very lucky. But more than luck Milan had Stephen El Sharawary, a young player that seems to be carrying this team and for such a young lad the pressure could be just a little too much.

That doesn't seem to be the case as he struck before halftime to give Milan some hope. It was a wonderful ball that was struck with such power and accuracy, Morgan De Sanctis had no chance. After the half time interval Milan were on the front foot from the go, apparently the half time team talk had a profound affect on them as the were quicker in their attacks and accurate in their passing.

Milan's pressing payed off and in the 82nd minute it was that boy again! Only if they had begun the game with this sense of urgency and determination,they wouldn't be loitering in the bottom half of the table. But as good as Milan were in the second half, one could help feeling a little let down by Napoli, they took their foot off the gas and let Milan get back into the game.

Now only if Inter lose against Cagliari then it will be great for Juve, although that looks unlikely since Inter are just brimming with confidence. 

Friday 9 November 2012

The dangers of arrogance...

Having a degree of arrogance is not such a bad thing, all it indicates is that you are very confident in your work and in a sport like football where you have thousands of eyes watching your every move and not to mention the millions of people watching you on TV, that's not a bad thing.

When you believe that you never need to get better and that you are better than everyone, that's when you've taken it a bit too far. One has to be respectful of your teammates and the fans.. even when they criticise you. I'm referencing the whole Cristiano/ Messi debate. I have never heard Messi advertise his personal life in the press or comment that people are jealous of him because he is " rich" and "handsome"

Some people ( Frank De Beof on ESPN) may think that because Messi refrains from the limelight that he is boring. I tend to disagree, he has a job and that is to be a professional footballer, I had no idea that his private life is part of his job! Messi didn't get the Ballon D'or because he had an exciting private life and was covered in all the tabloid papers, he won because he was good at what he does.

No one is saying that Cristiano isn't an equally good player but when you openly talk about how a certain person doesn't deserve the award and everyone likes him and everyone is against me, you start to sound rather petty and childlike- not very professional at all!

For a player to be at such a high level as these two, it is inevitable that the media will want to write a story about everything you do, but whereas Messi shys away from the media, Ronaldo seeks out all the attention he can get, and this is the persona that people see and judge. Football is almost background noise when it should be the focus.As they are Football players! And he must remember that not all attention is good.

It is the Celebrity obsessed culture that comes with being in the public domain. And it is in people's nature to judge people on what they get from the media, so if Ronaldo wants to be seen differently, maybe he should learn how to manipulate the media to his desired result. I know that's part of why I dislike him the other part is his attitude on the pitch, he always seems to be moaning about something.Not only that, but one day you might end up angering someone on the pitch and the results could be, well...not pleasant!

Happy Birthday Alessandro Del Piero!

Like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better. He may not be plying his trade in the Italian Peninsular anymore, but I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say, he is missed. After spending 19 years and amassing over 700 appearances Alessandro will always remain in the hearts and minds of every Juventino for a long time to come.

Throughout his last season he was used sparingly by new coach Antonio Conte, who was also a former teammate, yet when Del Piero was used, his impact on the game would be immense. His first goal in the new Juventus Arena came against Roma in the Coppa Italia quarter final which they went on to win 3-0. Another important goal came in the Coppa Italia semi final second leg against Milan. He scored a beauty to secure a 2-2 score line on the night which meant a 4-2 aggregate score which insured their route to the final.
His first Serie A goal of the 2011-12 season came against bitter rivals Inter on the 25th March to secure a 2-0 victory.

His final game in Serie A was against Atalanta, it was rather emotional. Everyone was finally coming to terms with the loss of this amazing player. He was eventually subbed on 59 minutes but that was not before he scored an amazing goal to double Juventus' lead. The emotions were evident and open for everyone to see as everyone took the opportunity to embrace the legend before he left the pitch.
The emotions on the pitch were nothing compared to those seen in the stands, fans were seen in tears, not just the women and children but also grown men. They felt no shame for shedding a waterfall of tears, as they were witnessing the departure of a legend.

The focus was all about one man: Alessandro Del Piero, even as the game was still going on the great man couldn't leave things like that and he did 3 laps of honour while play was still going on.
Del Piero's final match in the Bianconeri Jersey was the Coppa Italia final against Napoli which resulted in their first defeat yet it was Del Piero who rallied the troop to fight on to the very end. It may have not been the fairytale ending that they had hoped for, but the emotions felt by every Juventino at the final whistle was the same.. It was an end of an era.

The club had planned to retire the No 10 Jersey out of respect for the legend that wore it, yet it was Ale' who stopped this from happening as he wanted kids to be able to aspire to the idea of being the next No10 for Juventus. After an illustrious career Alex Del Piero had the choice of retirement, yet his love for the game was soo much and he wanted to share his experience to try and better the game, and on September 5th he signed for Sydney FC. And so, we say goodbye to the man, but the legend will remain with us forever!

Happy 38th Birthday Il Pinturicchio!

Saturday 3 November 2012

Juventus V Inter- Derby D'Italia goes to Inter

This was the most talked about game in Italy, and it didn't let us down. Inter put an end to Juventus' winning streak and also ended one of their own taboos. Talk before the game were about how Diego Milito had never scored against Juve in an Inter shirt, well, he put that to rest when he scored 2 in the second half, one from the penalty spot and another after some uncharactoristic sloppy defending by the home side.
It had looked as though it was business as usual from Juve when Arturo Vidal scored the opener within 20 seconds of the whistle. Juve were playing their fast paced game and looked full of confidence and even had a couple of good chance to double it. Claudio Marchisio had 3 shot but only 2 were on goal and bot were straight at the keeper. But 12 minutes later Inter had thought they got the equaliser but Palcio was deemed to be offside, this would have been the main talking point had the game ended with a win for the home side. Stephen Litchsteiner was a little too up for this game and got himself a yellow card for some dangerous tackles, but he was subbed in the 38th minute as there was growing fear that he might get himself sent off and put Juve in a difficult position.
The Old Lady was growing more anxious and was pushing harder to secure a comfortable win. That inevitably meant that someone was going to make a mistake and we didn't have to wait long, in the 59th minute Marchisio tugged at Milito just before he got on the end of a wonderfully worked free kick. And instead of Milito almost scoring, he was sure to score from the penalty spot- and he did.
Juve tried everything to get back on level term but Sebastian Giovinco wasn't having the best of nights as the game was far too physical for him and Nickolas Bendtner didn't do much better, he often looked slow and clumsy on the ball.
Inter won by 3 goals and Juve suffered their first defeat in 49 games and there first ever in their new stadium. This result has meant that only 1 point separates these two. However it is my hope that this loss has given Juve some much needed humility as they came into this game almost expecting to win. Having lost this game may have also released them from the pressure that comes from being undefeated for so long. The Bianconeri's response to this loss will show whether or not they truly deserve to be on top. It is a long campaign and anything came happen between now and May.
I'm still proud of the lads in black and white!