Milos Krasic 2011 Best Goals *NEW*

Juventus V Genoa

What a game!! It was fast flowing and open, it was clear that both teams went for the win. Juventus wanted all three points as they have a fiery Udinese side breathing down there necks and getting three points clear would have give them some breathing room, but they had to be grateful for a point as they could have easily lost it.

It was a bright start for the home side as Alessandro Matri put the Bianconeri ahead after 6 minutes, it began with a wonderful corner kick from Andrea Pirlo which then found Claudio Marchisio who fired the ball back into the danger area and then the ever aware Matri toe poked it past Sebastian Frey. Andrea Pirlo has really clicked with his new team mates and provides a lot of the creativity that was missing in the last couple of seasons.

Genoa replied to Juve on the 31st minute with a strike from Marco Rossi, but it was an excellent cross from the on loan Milan bot Alexander Merkel, he was a constant Thorn in Juve's side and it was his cross that helped Genoa get back on level terms.

This game showed that it is not just about the attack, I know Conte is trying to be more offensive but their defending was a bit clumsy at time especially from set plays and if they were playing against a better team, they could have easily lost it.

I'm not saying that Genoa are an easy team, they made Marco Storari work hard and had over 40% possession. In the first half Mirku Vucinic made little impact on the game and it talk the half time talk to wake him up. The second half saw him work harder he even had a shot on goal, but he never seemed to be on the same wavelength as Matri as he would often mistime his runs and miss passes. Matri than put Juve ahead in the 58th minute, and again Pirlo had a small hand in it, but again Juve went behind this time with 5 minutes left on the clock.

All the talk before the game was about Krasic and his poor run of late, but personally I think it's to early to make that kind of judgement. Krasic did come on in the 84th minute, which isn't exactly enough time to make any real impact. Krasic looked slow for a change and a bit out of sorts, which was a shame as I was secretly hoping he would get the winner and fall back into the graces on Conte and the fans. Genoa were back in front in the 85th minute with agoal from Genoa substitute Andrea Caracciolo.

There was six minutes of added time and Genoa could have snatched a late winner but thankfully the whistle blew and it ended all square with a point each but a lot for The Old Lady to think about!

PATIENCE PLEASE!

Diego hit the nail on the head when he said they have no patience, as it seems that they are ready to get rid of Milos Krasic... a player that has only had one season and that was with a different coach. He has hardly had any chance to get used to Conte's managerial style, and I remember a number of occasions where Antonio was quoted as saying that he will fit in with his style!!

There are ridiculous rumours going around that he'll play in the premier league, this is absurd as that league is full of thugs and Krasic will get injured so many times that it may prematurely end his playing career, and at only 26 that will be a tragedy for the world of good football. Conte has show that he knows what he's doing, after all Juve are sitting pretty at the top of the league. What he must take into consideration is that unlike last year, Krasic is not new, opposing teams have become aware of what he can do, which is making it twice as hard.

Juventus are financially questionable and I don't think by getting rid of their best players will do anything good to their bank balance! They have already set back Diego's glittering career, they can't do the same to Milos. Please give him time and for god's sake, someone give him a hug! He always looks so sad.

Chievo V Juventus

An underwhelming match after Juves' explosive start, for Juventus and Serie A in general, almost every game ended in a scoreless draw today.

Juve had the lions share of possession with over 60% but they were finding it difficult to get past the well organised Chievo side, Chievo made it their purpose to frustrate the leaders, and they did but Chievo were the team to amass 6 yellow card to Juve's 2, the referee did not have a great game as he let a lot slide and particular protection was given to Andrea Pirlo, which just goes to prove if you're not a giant ass like C Ronaldo, you will get the benefit of the doubt.

Juventus were going for the win and it showed in the stats, 13 shots but only two were on goal, Conte got his tactics wrong in the first half when he decided to go with Vucinic as the loan strike, don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant player but it was evident he needed some support. The problem with just having one upfront is that not only does he lack support, but it makes the attack rather predictable and the opposing team can just smother him. Krasic didn't have a great game but I believe that has more to do with where Conte plays him, remember he's a natural winger not a right sided midfielder, so he was playing out of his element. Least we forget Krasic has greet speed and like to run down the wings, and when he doesn't get teammates making the runs into the area, it can be a bit of a waste and it was no surprise when he was taken off earl on in the second half. But the first half could have ended differently, when Cyril Thereau had thought he had put his side ahead after Buffon had just fumbled a shot from Sergio Pellisier moments earlier, but it was disallowed due to a foul on Pirlo, so he got a yellow card for his troubles as well as having his showed scrubbed off.

The game had started to get very frustrating with Juve player falling over all the time looking for a decision, that is not something you expect from a great team, that's something you expect from Inter!! Juve were lucky not to end the game with 10 men as Chiellini and Vidal were losing their heads, That's one of the problems with Juve, they don't have a natural leader on the pitch, they have Del Piero and Pirlo who are well respected but are not that vocal and imposing.

Juve are still heading the League as 5 out of the 6 games ended in a goalless draw, but the scariest thing about this game was not that they might have a few suspended players, but they started to look like last seasons' Juve, where they started to panic. Hopefully that's not the case and we'll see Juve back to their best next week against Genoa.

FORZA JUVENTUS!

Italian football in decline???

I keep hearing how Serie A and Italian football in general is going downhill. Are they crazy or just stupid?!! It is glaringly obvious that people who say this have not seen an Italian game and are just repeating what some else is saying. I don't care what anyone else says, the Premiership is dull and predictable, maybe the top 4 teams have a little bit of skill but guess what... that's only because many of the players are from abroad! I remember reading an interview when Sergio Aguero first arrived, He was going on and on about how he loves the Premiership, all I was thinking is that he probably loves it so much because scoring goal has never been more easy! In the Premiership you can make an educated guess about who the top 4 are going to be, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and perhaps Man City, with all there purchases. Also the rest of the league play a type of football I like to call school ground football, it's when the blast the football down field, hoping that someone can knock it in the net. Yes I admit, the Premiership has more pace but pace alone is not enough, you need to know what to do with it, also what's going to happen when that pace goes? Watching the Premiership is like watching Volleyball- the ball goes from one end to another with no thinking inbetween.
Anyone who does watch Serie A will know that the league is far from predictable. For one thing, current holders Milan look like they are in trouble and Napoli are giving everyone a run for their money, Juventus are rejuvenated under Conte and Inter seem to be somewhere in between transition and falling. Serie A is far more unpredictable and exciting, just because they have not got the cash to buy all the players means nothing, after all, cash doesn't automatically mean class!