It was never going to be easy to get excited about a Europa League qualifier this early in the season – I mean let’s face it, it’s a painful reminder of just how poor Juventus were last season and more importantly, of the long season ahead of us. On the plus side, it gave us fans a chance to see the new signing’s in action, and more importantly, how they would fit into Gigi Del Neri’s lineup.
After a truly uninspired season that included elimination from the Champions & Europa Leagues, defeats to Bari, Udinese and…Fulham and, of course, a pathetic 7th place, I’ve finally decided to start posting on the blog again !
Why you may ask ? The answer is simple: Change. There’s an air of change at the club that’s been missing since Calciopoli and long before our season of purgatory in Serie B. The change I speak of has not been confined to a switch in management, a new directorship or the emergence of Andrea Agnelli as club president – It seems to be at the very root of the club, and at every level upwards:
The summer spending appears to be over for us, and as such, Ciro Ferrara seems to have a first choice 11 ready for the start of the Serie A season. It’s been a summer of trial and error as each friendly game has thrown up as many questions as answers as to who should be playing which position.
Firstly, I think the fans are pleased to see a change in tactics for the first time in a long time. A solid three man midfield with lots of industry and hard work, combined with a play maker in a ‘free’ role to link with the front two has created a hospitable environment for new summer signing, Diego.
Secondly, the players bought in by the club, if slightly overpriced, appear to have slotted in well and appear to be of the caliber we require. Whilst Real Madrid have hogged the headlines for obvious reasons, Juventus have worked hard to re-enforce and address last season’s squad frailties, rather than splash out on ‘marquee’ players. The only problem left for Ferrara to face would be which player to play in each of the positions, but it seems pre-season has helped address the issue.
Juventus signed off on a decent run in the 2009 Peace Cup with a limp performance in the final against Aston Villa. Juventus were without the injured Diego while Villa were missing a host of first team players and were forced to call up 3 youth players to bolster their ranks.
David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta started up front for the Bianconeri but they failed to capitalise on some fine crosses from the midfield. Trezeguet was particularly wasteful as he fired over the goal from point blank range and Iaquinta nodded an open header just over the bar.
The Bianconeri were left frustrated as Villa pulled men behind the ball and looked to hit Juventus on the break. Ciro Ferrara threw on Del Piero and Amauri late on in the hopes of bagging a winner but the game seemed destined for penalties.
We’ve seen two friendly matches so far and preseason seems to be going well. Ciro Ferrara said from the outset that he wants to use a different formation to accomodate newly arrived Diego, and so far, he’s been good for his word, fielding a 4-3-1-2 formation. With Diego still carrying a knock and Giovinco recovering from nose surgery, Del piero has been called to fill the ‘trequartista’ role behind the two strikers, even though Alex has confirmed this is not his preferred position.
Following on from the previous post, I have to admit the only part of the Juventus squad that worries me (and does seem to lack in depth), is the centre of defence. Last season we had a host of defenders including recent departures Olof Mellberg and Dario Kneverplayedamatchovic. Having sold Mellberg and returned Dario, that leaves us with a central defence of Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Lorenzo Ariaudo and Nicola Legrottaglie.
With the big deals done, Juventus look set to back off from the transfer market and start planning their 2009/10 scudetto campaign. The club have spent almost £45 million and all of that had gone on just 2 players – Brazilian fantasista Diego and his fellow countryman, Felipe Melo. Now I can’t argue with the spending or the players we’ve bought, but surely there are at least 3 important areas the management have overlooked ?
The deal is almost done – Melo has undergone his medical and should be putting pen to paper later today. He seems to have the right attitude about playing for the club; ” We can win everything, including the Champions League” he said earlier today.
At £21 million, Melo was far from a bargain and thanks to his performances at the Confederations Cup, he was certain to be snapped up by either Arsenal, Real Madrid or Juventus – Luckily enough, the player wanted to come to Turin and seemed set on joining fellow Brazilians Diego and Amauri.
