Wednesday 24 April 2013

Welcome to the...

.... Silly season.

The football season isn't even over and already there are talks of some major moves. I know most of then are just rumours or the agents trying to hike up their client's price tag, but for the supporter of these clubs, it's torture!

There is some speculation that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is going to be returning to Italy and that his destination is likely to be Juventus! This is something straight out of La La land, not just the small fact that he is on the wrong side of 30 or will be soon, but his wages are way too high. I understand to some degree why he would want to return, the French league is not exactly challenging enough for him, but would he really make an impact back in Serie A, the French league is not exactly the same as the Italian league...
Another rumor that has reered it's ugly head is that Claudio Marchisio will leave Juve!!! They have squashed the rumor of Arturo Vidal leaving by securing his service until 2018 and another equally devastating rumor pops up, why would they contemplate separating MVP???

Like I said before, it's called the silly season for a reason, because if they went through with these deals they really would be a joke!!

Thursday 11 April 2013

You tried, they conquered..

The score line may have been the same as the first leg, but the performance was radically different. Juventus
played with more intensity and at a higher tempo, whereas in the first leg they conceded after 25 seconds, in the return leg Bayern had to wait 64 minutes for their first goal. The possession stats were also more close, Juve had 42% to Bayern's 58% and Gianluigi Buffon had to make 5 saves to Manuel Neuer's 3- much closer than before!

This was a great achievement by Juve and they have had a remarkable 18 months, after being in 7th place for 2 consecutive years they won Serie A and remained unbeaten and reached the Champions League quarter finals. And the reached that point by putting in a brilliant performance against Shaktar, knocking out reigning holders Chelsea and beating them with some style by 3 convincing goals and then clinically disposing of Celtic over 2 legs.

The previous games had caused Juve to show their quality, but the games against Bayern Munich showed what they were lacking- a consistent goal scorer. I have been a defender of Juve and the media's insistence that they need a " top striker", I had always believed that they had enough quality all over the park and that that was their main advantage. Against  some teams that may be enough, like the game against Pescara where they don't have enough quality to punish you for the 31 missed opportunities, but for a side like Bayern who are more or less the most complete side in Europe, if you don't take your chances they will punish you!

The Old Lady had 12 shots and 3 on goal, and those 3 shots they had were saved by the German keeper. This isn't a thing to be ashamed of because Neuer is a top class keeper and very rarely does he ever make a mistake, so it is that much harder to score against him and let's not forget Juve were with their 2 best players in Arturo Vidal and Stephen Lichtsteiner- with them, who knows what could have been.


Juve have acknowledged how superior the opposition were and now that they have been tested against the best, they can only learn and get better. Juve were perhaps not fully ready for this game which take great class and humility to admit, but you can bet that they will be back next year having learnt a lot from this experience.

You live and learn....

Monday 8 April 2013

Juventus- The last hope for Italy..

Ok, so maybe the title is just a little bit dramatic yet it does have some real truth to it, Juventus are the last Italian team in the Champions League, and this tournament is one of the most watched, and so they have a responsibility to put on the best display possible, so that people can see that Italian football is not to be scoffed at! It's time for the world to see some beautiful football and corruption in football is not just an Italian thing.

The Old Lady does have a battle on her hand as she is up against the powerhouse of German football, Bayern Munich have just wrapped up their domestic league with games to spare and with a 20 point lead! And not to forget they beat Juventus 2-0 at home and did it with some ease, and as a long time Juve fan I find that slightly troubling.

The Bianconeri are also at the top of their domestic league, but with a substantial smaller lead than the Bavarians, they lead by 9 points. Juve will be coming off a 2-1 win against lowly Pescara, but they were only able to score late on in the game and that was thanks to a Mirku Vucinic penalty in the 72nd minute. Throughout the entire game Juve had over 60% possession and over 30 shots and 13 on goal and causing Ivan Pelizzoli, the Pescara keeper to perform 11 saves.

With all that possession and all those shots they only won by 2 goals? Pescara on the other hand had 4 shots with 2 on goal and one of them made it through. Against a side like Pescara and where they have almost won the league, they may be able to afford to miss so many chances, but with a team like Bayern they will have to take any opportunity given, because believe you me... chances will be far and few and Juve can't afford to concede or they will have to score more than 2, something which they have not done this season.

This is perhaps why all the papers are saying that they still need a " top player". With a proven goal scorer they have taken all the chances they missed against Pescara, yet I have forgotten to mention that the Pescara keeper did perform some out of this world saves, yet it wouldn't hurt to have someone who could beat a keeper who is clearly on a mission!

I think for now, more time dedicated on target practise is needed if they want to remain in the competition.

Wednesday 3 April 2013

First blood goes to the Germans


You live and learn…
Okay so the game yesterday didn’t go exactly to plan, with Bayern Munich getting the opener in the first 25 seconds! What does make me worry a bit is that Juventus seemed to be frighten and that is not what we’ve come to expect from the Italian champions, I've always expected them to put up a decent fight and the fact that they didn't shocked me.
The wonderful people at Sky were the only broadcasters that were showing it and because I can’t afford Sky Sports, well I had to make do with the reports online. And what I could gleam from these reports is that Juve were nervous and let that get the better of them, and the fact that many of the players played against Inter on the weekend, certainly didn’t help!
Antonio Conte seemed to have gotten his game plan wrong; he went for a 4-5-1-1 formation, a formation that the players were unfamiliar with and uncomfortable with. I have always viewed Conte as a smart man and a person who know when to stick or change, but after hearing his press conference I feel a little befuddled. He claims that he had the right approach to the game and that Bayern are just a very good side, yes they are a very good side but you are The Grand Old Lady and should have had more than  8 shots with only 2 on goal to Bayern’s 22 shots and 9 on goal. 
Conceding a goal so early in the game was a sign that all the build up to the game and nerves had gotten the best of them and to be fair to Juve, they did react, just not as clinically and ruthlessly as we would have hoped.
Throughout the entire game Bayern had over 50% possession to Juve’s 43%. Stats that many Bianconeri faithful are not used to seeing.  What was good for the Turin Giant is that they only conceded 2, when it could have been a lot more. The second leg is going to be difficult as Juve couldn’t seem to find an away goal and that two of their regulars; Arturo Vidal and Stephen Litchsteiner will miss the second leg in Turin due to suspension.
Yet all hope is not lost and even if they are knocked out, it is all part of the learning process and these lads are young and relatively new to the Champions League. There is no shame of losing to the German Giants, all I want to see is that fight and never say die attitude that has become synonymous with Juventus.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Bayern V Juventus

This game is perhaps the most highly anticipated and intriguing matches and will truly test the Italian Champions, and it is not going to be shown on TV!!!  The Bundesliga is one of the strongest Leagues around, at least in my opinion. They have the pace and physicality of the Premier League and the tactical prowess of Seria A, and many of the players are home grown- which is another reason why they are so successful. They may not have the money of the EPL but their national side is always making the latter stages of major competitions- so who do you think is on the road to success?

Serie A is one of the most competitive and unpredictable leagues, in my humble opinion. At the start of the season both Milan club were lingering at the bottom half of the table and AC were just above the relegation zone, now AC Milan are challenging for second place. And not to forget Juventus' transformation, from finishing seventh for 2 consecutive years to winning the title last year while remaining unbeaten.

But enough about the leagues, these two teams are coming off domestic wins, Juve won 2-1 against Inter and Bayern won a whopping 9-2 against Hamburg, but one could argue that even though Bayern won by a massive margin, the Old Lady will feel the better prepared as Inter are more on their level and were more of a test than Hamburg, because let's face it if you haven't been tested against the best, then you'll be in for a shock when someone does come up to challenge you.

Juve might be suffering a little due to their hard fought victory over the weekend, yet they will want their revenge after being knocked out of the competition in the 09/10 season by 4-1. They should keep this in mind for some extra motivation-  as if they need it!

This game will be a test to see if the Bianconeri are ready to be back in Europe and will have a hell of a trial, the only way you can know you're among the best is to face the best and beat them. Bayern got the final last year and they will have a real desire to get past the Turin Giants, but so do the Italians, after being out of Europe for so long, they will have a need to make an impact.
Juventus are the only Italian side in it, so they have to do it for Italy and Italian pride!
FORZA JUVENTUS!!