Juventus V Torino

This was a very special derby, " Derby della Mole"  and is always a heated  as Torino is mainly supported by the locals as it is more of a local team, whereas Juventus is supported all over Italy and the world. Il Granata has had its fair share of success mostly between the late 1920's and 1970's where they won 7 Serie A titles amongst others. But ever since the tragedy of Superga where " Il Grande Torino" tragically lost their live on May 4th 1949, Torino have been a far cry from Il Grande Torino, the team who won 5 Serie A titles in a row.

In the season 2011-2012 this current crop of players were promoted to Serie A after 3 years languishing in the lower tiers.

Torino did give Juventus a real run for their money but after Kamil Glik saw red after 36 minutes after a dangerous challenge on Emmanuele Giaccherrini, it was always going to be tough for Torino to get a foot in and it seemed that it was going to be a matter of time before the great wall of Torino cracked.

After numerous chances, most of all from Paul Pogba, who had 5 shots, some were just wide but others were cracking saves by the Torino Keeper, Andrea Pirlo had a penalty after 41 minutes, it seemed as though lady luck was a Bianconeri, but to everyones surprise he ballooned it over!

The half ended goal less but with both teams still having to do some work, most notably Torino who had to try and deal with Juventus' attacks with a man light. It wasn't long before the pressure got to them and it the 57th minute Juve youth product and local lad Claudio Marchisio bravely headed in the goal that would break the deadlock. Ten minute later it was another "Turin lad" to score, Sebastion Giovinco coolly slotted in the second, Juve did not stop piling on the pressure as there was still time for an upset, Marchisio scored his second in the 84th minute to insure a comfortable victory.

This victory not only insured that Juve remain on top but was a glowing endorsement of Juve's youth Academy as they were in scintillating form. Now all eyes should turn to the Midweek clash against Shakhtar in the Champions League, where Juve just need a point to qualify but in all honesty all three would be even better!

FORZA JUVENTUS!

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?

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!!

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!