De Ceglie to Roma???

You got to be kidding?? He has all the potential to be a great left back not only for Juventus but also for the Italian national squad. All he needs is for Antonio Conte to show some faith in him, and when Conte does, he has worked himself into the ground, as was evident in last Sundays draw against Cagliari. He showed spirit and was enthusiastic and least we forget he did put in one or two decent crosses! He is still very young and it shows in his game, but don't discard him all he needs is a little guidance. It has been mentioned how Chiellini can play left-back, but as we've seen in previous games, it's really not his position. I think it is cruel to just leave him on the bench and he does deserve playing time, but will he really get it at Roma??

I wish Paolo all the luck in the world and I hope he doesn't go---but if he does go, make sure you get an adequate replacement!

Lichtsteiner turns 28 today!

Happy Birthday Stephen!
Lichtsteiner has quickly become a permanent fixture in the starting eleven for Juventus, and this is only his first season at the club! And what an impression he has made, his non- stop running down the right flank have earned him the nick name “ Forrest Gump”, he has often run so hard and for so long that he more often than none looked as though he was going to collapse. He made his debut in the game against Parma, and what a debut it was, as he scored the opener in the new Juventus Arena.
Stephen is no stranger to the Italian game as he played 100 games for Lazio, so it was hardly surprising that he fit in relatively easy in the Turin club. He has played in all seventeen games for the side showing to us all how important he has become, he may not be knocking the goals in, but again that’s really not his job, his job is to provide cover and defend when his team have lost the ball but also charge forward when the team have the ball. This requires you to have truck loads of stamina at your disposal, which he obviously has.
He had missed the chance to play in the 2006 World Cup but got his chance to play for the Swiss national team in Euro 08 where his performances not only secured him a place for his national team but also attracted the interests of clubs like PSG and Everton. He opted to sign a four year contract with Italian side, Lazio. He had three successful seasons in the Italian capital but decided not to see out his final year there, instead he went north to Turin, and on the 27th June he was an official Juve player and for a conservative fee of 10 million over three instalments, you could consider that a bargain for what we’ve got. Lichtsteiner is a big strong and reliable player, and at only 28 he has a long way to go!!

Juventus Vs Cagliari

Everyone presumed this would be an easy win...oh how they were wrong. The first half was pure class by Juve, they dominated and passed well and were rewarded by the early goal by Mirku Vucinic, and Cagliari had some sporadic possession. That all changed in the second half, Cagliari came out with anger at not being awarded a penalty in the first half, and it looked as though the Coach used that anger to light a fire under the players as they scored the equalizer within 5 minutes of the restart. In stark contrast to Cagliari, Juve looked rather tired and lackluster especially since conceding a goal so soon after the restart, they did have their chances to go ahead again but either it was save by the keeper or went wide. In total Juve had eleven shots with only three on goal to Cagliari's nine shots with only one on target. This tells me that The Old Lady shot put in some more time on exercises like target practice.

This was not the same Juve as before, after conceding they didn't panic or give up some more goals as they have in years gone by, they attacked, but this was becoming difficult as they found it difficult to keep the ball and to perform some quick passes like in the first half, they didn't lose the spirit just the fluidity.A large part of this could be attributed to the fact that they ran themselves into the ground during the first half, that they simply ran out of steam. If this is the case they should learn to conserve their energy, to catch their breath they should attempt to pass the ball among themselves like Barcelona do, but then again there is a reason that Barca' do this so well--they are currently the best team in the world!

Another thing that I see creeping into Juve's game of late is that some players are to keen to throw themselves to the ground and hope to get a free kick than play on i.e Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio. Matri could have used his strength and at least made the keeper work, instead he went to ground rather theatrically and saw himself get booked. And I have praised Marchisio for his great work ethic and abilities, but he is starting to go down looking for a free kick or some protection from the referee, maybe if he was Andrea Pirlo he would get the benefit if the doubt..most of the time, but when you are aggressive yourself and get as many warnings as he has,you don't get the same luxuries.

Juventus will look back at this game as one they would've had in the bag. Two points lost and maybe even slipping out of title contention. However, Juve shouldn't panic and look towards next weeks game against Atalanta as a game they really must win, and I can't believe I'm saying this but let's hope Inter beat Milan in the evening!

Atalanta V Milan..

A win that means Milan remain on top, due to their superior goal difference putting them infront of Juventus. But it wasn't as easy as the scoreline might suggest, and Atalanta with the league's top scorer in German Denis was not going to wait and kept fighting till the very end. But the Rossoneri had The Big Swede, and it was Ibrahimovich that opened the scoring with a confident taken penelty on the 22nd minute. There was however a young man who was lacking this- Alexander Pato, he had been in the media for a while now with talks of him maybe reuniting with old coach Carlo Ancellotti and Leonardo in Paris, the latter introduced him to Italian football. It would be a sad day if he left, after all, he is just 22! And a player that young and talented is a rare find and Milan would be foolish to give up on him, yes, I realise he is slightly injury prone but the Milan labs are almost legendary certainly they can help the lad. He needs to play on a fairly consisted bases inorder to regain his confidence and goals. If Milan decide to bring in Tevez, this may cause an unbalance in the dressing room, with all those egos flying about and no REAL leader, it will be a huge blow to the "Duck's" confidence, it will be as if the coach has given up on him already.

Weekend movies...

The first visit to the cinema since July 2010- that should tell you something about the quality of movies! I had my doubts about this movie, but I remained open, the movie I speak of is The Artist. A silent movie....okay now that may put you off, but the kids nowadays have be spoilt by all this 3D malarkey and they have forgotten how to use their imagination. It's set in 1927 Hollywood when silent movies were all there was but then talking movies pop up and threaten to end this form but it also a love story, to the past, present and a girl who has a youthful ambition.

This was a refreshing change from all the "fluff" out there and gets 3 out of 5, broaden your horizons and take a look!

Movie 2- Rango a great animated movie that everyone in the family can enjoy. It's about a chameleon, voiced by Johnny Depp, who's looking for adventure... and boy does he get it! After falling out of the family car he finds himself in the Moave desert- cue comic antics. But he eventually comes across a village of other weird creatures who are in desperate need for water.

This cartoon illustrates how we take water for granted and how the encroachment of man has upset the natural order. A great movie and a great way to get through to the kids- and some adults! 5 out of 5, some great voice actors!