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.

First up, the starting eleven said something for how Gigi plans to play his team:

At the back we finally saw Leonardo Bonucci pair up with Giorgio Chiellini at the heart of defence, with Marco Motta and PDC on the right and left respectively – The results ? Mixed at times but positive overall – While Bonucci and Chiello were typical solid in the centre, they were left exposed on occasion while Motta and De Ceglie were granted plenty of space to get up and down the wings, linking up with the wide men.

In the midfield, Gigi opted for Marchisio and Sissoko, a typically solid pairing in the middle, with Lanzafame playing wide left and Pepe starting on the right. The first thing i noticed here, despite the modest opposition, was the speed with which the midfield got forward to support the front men, something that was sorely lacking last season – The wide men were quick to stretch the defence allowing for that extra room in front of Shamrock back line. I stress again, the opposition was not up to the standard we’ll be facing in Serie A, but when Juve had possession, they held on to the ball well.

Up front, Amauri started as the target man with Diego playing in the ADP role next to him. First and foremost, it’s important to mention that Amauri looked like a different player to the one we saw last season; While the Amauri of old was quick to flap his arms about and look questioningly at his teammates, this Amauri looked far more lively, making decent runs off the ball and getting himself in the heart of the Shamrock defence. His hard work paid off with 2 great goals, both well deserved and the hope is this will give a much needed confidence boost to a player that struggled to score 5 goals in 30 league appearances. Diego was lively all night, playing a with a degree of freedom that the new line up helped accommodate – He drifted into wide positions and linked up well with Amauri giving Del Neri an extra option up front for the coming season.

It’s easy to be underwhelmed by a 2-0 victory, especially when Juve could have won by a greater margin against a much smaller side, but it’s still early days. The team, needs time to gel and there’s always those new signings….

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:

Formation: First off, we look to be returning to the basics – Luigi Del Neri likes to play solid football; 4-4-2 or, at a push, 4 – 3 – 3. Either way, we are going back to getting results first and foremost, the flair and adventure can come later. If that’s what it takes to win Lo Scudetto (as evidenced by Inter under Mourinho), then I’m all for it.

Defence: Secondly, we are doing what we do best – Building from the back. The most successful Juventus sides have always been founded on a strong back line with a formidable duo at the centre of the defence, whether it was Thuram and Cannavaro or Scirea and Gentile. Beppe Marotta has wasted no time in signing Leonardo Bonucci, possibly the most promising defensive prospect in all of Italy to partner the experienced Giorgio Chiellini. Next up, he’s addressed the problem at right back that’s plagued us since Thuram was switched to the centre, by signing Marco Motta and may yet secure a deal for Martin Caceres.

Width: The thing Juventus lacked last season was width. Playing a 4-3-1-2 formation was all well and good in the early days (see Roma and Lazio), but once it emerged that we were relying on Diego to feed the attack, opposition sides were quick to hurry him off the ball, leaving the 3 man midfield to try and shield the defence as best they could. A few games into the season and we resorted to what all footballers know best:  long ball’s hoofed up to target men.

Del Neri has been quick to address the problem by bringing in wide men like Martinez and Pepe, both of whom have extensive experience with Catania and Udinese respectively. Whilst the capture of these players may not have been the marquee signings we all expected, they are solid, reliable players that should be given a chance in the new coaches plans.

I presidente: We have an Agnelli back at the helm. Enough said.

Deadwood: Zebina, Tiago, Poulsen, Molinaro, Grosso – All on the chopping block and almost certainly not featuring in Del Neri’s immediate plans. Huzzah ! Huzzah ! Huzzah ! Juventus are finally in the process of a long-overdue clear out and with players like Cannavaro and Molinaro already shipped out, it’s only a matter of time before Marotta ‘convinces’ the remaining deadwood to move on.

All in all, i think we have a right to be optimistic – Given the disastrous season we’ve just had, it’s seems as though we’re moving in the right direction. Expectations are high, and rightly so after so much upheaval – What are your thoughts on the pre season ? Are you happy with the signings ? Can we improve on last season ? (Not difficult, i know!)

More posts wll be added at some stage in the future !

To say i was apprehensive about this game would be an understatement. Roma, despite the fact that we’ve thumped them silly for the last 4 years, always present a threat and i was half expecting to see the same gritty Roma side that showed up in midweek against Kosice. Not to say i expected a 7-1 drubbing, but rather a team that showed some real attacking intent and put us under pressure.

Instead, i saw a personal dream realised and the birth of a new Juventus idol. Now it may be early to start gushing about individual performances, especially as the season is only  2 weeks old, but come on, how good is Diego ?!

Juventus showed real attacking intent with the option of playing down the middle or switching the ball to the flanks to provide the overhead ball for the target men. The midfield was bossed by another new signing, the Vieira-esque Felipe Melo – The Brazilian seems to have learned a thing or two in pre-season and moved the ball on quickly whilst timing his tackles with precision, capping the night off with a brilliant individual goal.

Now, I should point out that in no way do i consider this to be an ‘easy’ group – I doubt there is such a thing in the Champions League, but when you compare ‘Group A’ to Milan, Inter or Fiorentina’s draw, you can understand why I’m smiling.

Both AC Milan and Inter are set to face recently departed superstars Kaka and Ibrahimovic)as they take on the Spanish sides Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Meanwhile, Fiorentina face a mighty tough task in ‘Group E’ against Liverpool and Lyon.

In comparision, Bayern Munich, the top seeded team in Group A have made an indifferent start to their Bundesliga campaign and look a beatable side provided Juve can build some momentum in the build up. Bordeaux may pose more of a threat to Ciro Ferrara’s men, especially as the reigning French champions have now secured Yoann Gourcuff from AC Milan. Maccabi Haifa look to be the whipping boys of the group boasting very little European pedigree in the illustrious history as the most successful team in Israel.

All in all, not a bad group for Juventus to be preparing for – Not perfect, but far better than last years draw !

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.

It’s become painfully clear that David Trezeguet, Vicenzo Iaquinta and Amauri cannot play up front without at least Giovinco or ADP beside them. Given Trezeguets’ recent lack of form combined with his desire to leave the club at least once every season, it seems only logical to leave him on the bench for the time being. Iaquinta seems to be struggling for form despite scoring a few goals in recent weeks – Amauri, on the other hand, has been in inspirational form, knocking in goals in almost every game this summer and possesses a hunger to be involved in play that often sees him tracking back into the midfield to get into the game. His pace and ability in the air makes him the natural choice for the strikers role. Next to him we have the alternating duo of ADP and the heir to his throne, Seba Giovinco.

We’ve seen lots of variation in the midfield but with the departure of Zanetti and Momo’s ongoing injury problems, the choices are narrowed down. Mauro Camoranesi has shown real attacking intent along whilst not neglecting his defensive duties playing on the right side of the 3-man midfield. In the middle, shielding the back four, it has to be Felipe Melo – Juve’s most expensive signing this summer and a player that seems to be improving with each game, breaking up attacks and picking out some nice passes over opposition defences. That leaves the vacant position to the left of centre and there are two candidates for the role – Tiago Mendes and Claudio Marchisio. Tiago has showed some signs of the terrific form that saw him leave Lyon for Turin two summers back but could this be yet another false dawn for the Portuguese midfielder ? Marchisio, whilst still young, has the ability to attack and defend in equal measure and impressed the Juve faithful last season with his key goals in the big games making him my choice.

That leaves the defence, and in my opinion, the only part of the team that isn’t up for debate. The central pairing of Nicola Legrottaglie and Giorgio Chiellini has grown in stature with each season. The two compliment each other perfectly and each possesses a perfect understanding of how the other plays. At left-back, the natural choice is the returning Paolo De Ceglie – More assured at the back than Cristian Molinaro and with a better pass when supporting the strikers up front. That leaves right-back and the only possible option is the newly loaned Martin Caceres – The Uruguayan needs to work on getting into the final third of the pitch but looks more comfortable in defence than his counterparts Jonathan Zebina and Zdenek Grygera.

The visitors made their intentions very clear early on, pushing through the Juventus midfield with relative ease and testing Alex Manninger from set pieces. Juve, in contrast failed to capitalise on the the handful of chances they were presented with, opting to play on the counter.

Juve’s defending was bought under the spotlight as Robert Pires netted twice along with a goal a piece for Cazorla and Nilmar.

Far too depressing a game to even contemplate giving player ratings – With Amauri being the exception , i would score the entire team a 5/10 just for turning up (in body, not in spirit)

Ferrara was quick to say the defeat was a slap in the face that would do the team good. Let’s hope so as Juve are back to facing Italian opposition this week in the shape of Inter and Milan.

Cast your mind back to last Friday and the Peace Cup final against Aston Villa. Yes, it was only a friendly and yes, it’s still pre-season but where was David Trezeguet during this game ? I mean the Trezeguet that would juggle the ball in the midst of the Fiorentina defence and still drill the ball into the net with lethal precision. The man i saw was a shadow of  his former self, squandering a hat full of chances and failing to get himself into the game with any regularity.

Beyond his performances on the pitch, there’s been the on-off talk of David leaving for the Premiership, then La-Liga and now to rivals AC Milan in Serie A. Granted, he’s since spoken publicly of his desire to stay at Juventus and how a move to Milan would be a betrayal, but this isn’t the first summer we’ve had to endure a prolonged ’sulk’ from the player. Not a summer has gone by that he hasn’t been linked with a move away and the player himself has done little to distance himself from the rumour mill until the last minute.

At 31, he’s far from being over the hill and with the allegiance he showed to Juventus during Calcipoli, he really should be with the club until retirement, along with Alex, Gigi and Mauro. On the other hand, he spent the majority of last season injured, mustered just 4 goals in Serie A and sulked on the bench whilst Amauri and Iaquinta hit their respective form.

With the whole ‘will-he, won’t-he’ saga now put to bed for another summer, Juventus, and Trezeguet in particular, can look forward to the remaining friendly fixtures this summer, safe in knowledge that David is with us…..for another year at least.

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.

Player Ratings

Buffon - 6.5/10. Untroubled for large parts of the game but made some nice saves when Villa did threatened. Managed his defence well and did the best he could in the penalty shootout.

Legrottaglie - 7/10. Played well next to Chiellini and judged his tackles well. A solid performance.

Chiellini - 6/10. Gave the ball away cheaply on occasion but performed well overall.

Zebina- 6/10. Seems to be having a patchy pre-season – looked off the pace and was left red-faced when he fired his shot straight at Guzan.

Grygera- 6/10. Came on to the pitch early in the game to replace Molinaro but failed to make an impact. Didn’t really present any kind of threat to the Villa defence.

Melo- 6/10. Coming on with each game he plays – performed his role well but should have been pushing forward more often.

Camoranesi- 6/10. Looked a shadow of the player he was against Real Madrid – Didn’t drift in often enough and his crosses were misplaced.

Marchisio – 5.5 /10. Had very little impact on the game and struggled with his positioning – needed to push into the opposition 3rd but seemed stuck in the middle of the pitch. Anonymous for much of the game.

Giovinco- 6.5 /10. Started well but failed to supply the forward two with any regularity. Ran all over the pitch but was intimidated out of the game by Villa’s defence.

Iaquinta- 4 /10. A very poor performance – looked disinterested for parts of the game and failed to track back to help build attacks. Wasted a few good opportunities and needs to improve a great deal before the new season.

Trezeguet- 3.5/10. Doesn’t look anything like the Trezeguet we all know and love. Normally known for his clinical finishing, Trez managed to miss a series of good chances and spent much of the game offside.

Juve are through to the final of the pace cup after beating Real Madrid 2 – 1! Goals came at the beginning of each half with Cannavaro latching on to a Del Piero free kick to put Juventus one nil up. Madrid got a goal back at the end of the half after a rash tackle from Giorgio Chiellini downed Raul and Ronaldo stepped up to convert the penalty.

Juve were far from disheartened and within 8 minutes of the restart, Juve were 2-1 up as Brazzo was left unmarked to head in a Del Piero cross. Madrid tried their best to push forward and grab an equalizer bringing on Higuain and Negredo late on but the Juventus defence, marshalled by Gigi Buffon, was more than equal to the task.

Player Ratings

Buffon - 7.5/10. Kept Juventus in the game on more than one occasion by making some fantastic reaction saves and commanding his defence well.

Grygera- 6/10. Largely anonymous throughout the match and was run ragged by Royston Drenthe all night. His only real contribution came late on with a nasty tackle on Ronaldo that would have warranted a red card in a competitive game.

Cannavaro - 7.5/10. Rolled back the years by putting in a fantastic first half performance, reading the game as he used to, making some solid tackles, breaking up Madrid attacks and marking Karim Benzema out of the game. Scored a perfect header to put Juve in the lead with just 3 mins gone. A class act.

Chiellini - 6.5/10. Was solid for much of the game but conceded a poor penalty late on in the first half. Better in the second half, marking Ronaldo well and keeping the Madrid attack at bay.

Brazzo - 7.5/10. Ran up and down the left flank all night, creating chances and linking up well with the midfield. Didn’t neglect his defensive duties and scored a peach of a header early in the second half.

Melo - 6.5/10. Lost possession too many times in the first half but raised his performance as the game went on, sitting in front of the back four and giving Ronaldo something to think about.

Tiago- 7/10. Who is this player ? Certainly not the midfielder we’ve had to endure for the last two seasons ! He looked confident all night and  and picked out some inch perfect passes for the forwards. He’s definitely come on this season and looks set to feature in Ferrara’s first team

Camoranesi - 8/10. Left the Madrid defence in his wake as he darted in and out of the flanks, creating opportunities with every touch. Showed some deft touches and managed to defend very well despite the odd dodgy tackle. Has adapted perfectly to playing on the end of a 3 man midfield.

Giovinco- 7/10. Played just behind the forwards and showed some real spark by putting through Amauri on numerous occasions. A real asset to the team throughout the game  and he seems to be relishing his new role.

Del Piero - 7.5/10. Created both the Juve goals and shows no signs of slowing down despite his age. Could have scored a goal or two himself and tore the Madrid defence apart all night.

Amauri - 6.5/10. Kept running all night and showed why he’s Ciro’s first-choice striker. Looked lively in the first half but went MIA in the second.