Juventus have struggled to find any consistency throughout another frustrating season which currently sees them sit in sixth place in Serie A with Lazio in fourth on 48 points, a full seven ahead of Juve. There is no point comparing this season’s Juve with the last one for a number of reasons. Last season, Juve were simply hurt by mismanagement and some rash decisions whether in the choice of players brought in or in terms of the wrong coaching decisions made.
This season the new Bianconeri management did fairly well to offload some undesired players such as Jonathan Zebina and most recently Amauri on loan to Parma. The management parted ways with older players such as Mauro Camoranesi who are passed their best but a good deal of work still needs to be done in order to revive the Bianconeri. The current management’s biggest mistake has been the failure to address Juve’s defensive frailties, in particular the two full-back positions. Frederik Hillesborg Sørensen has yet to turn 19-years-old and has been used as a right-back by coach Luigi Delneri, however, the Danish youngster is obviously an unfinished product and will need time to become both efficient and experienced enough to cover his critical position. Giuseppe Marotta has done great to offload unwanted and older players yet he has failed to address the problem with the full-backs and Sørensen is not the immediate solution.
The left-back position is a mess with Fabio Grosso clearly unfit to cover the position while Giorgio Chiellini has recently been moved to occupy the position but this has greatly weakened Juve’s central defensive partnership which was being built based on a Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci partnership. This cost Juve dearly against Lecce earlier today. The signing of Arsenal’s Armand Traoré on loan proved to be another unsuccessful move, but perhaps injuries have derailed the defender from showing what he is capable of doing.
Another area of concern is the presence of a high number of loan signings, around 8 players in total are on loan with Juve, which shows how desperate Juve are to save on the financial end but also hints the club’s inability to unearth new talent which was a strong point of the Juve management back in the 1990s. How can a club such as Juventus which is supposed to be challenging for titles have 7 to 8 players who are on loan? This could cause instability but also show a lack of ambition. Big name players could be discouraged from joining a club which appears to be in free-fall and where uncertainty with regards to the squad is a year-to-year concern.
One major concern is Juve’s lack of a talented maestro who can create something out of nothing and unlock stingy defensive lines. This becomes even more evident against weaker teams and might explain why the Bianconeri have struggled against the weaker sides in Serie A while doing quite well against the big clubs. This season, Juve have defeated Lazio, Milan and Inter yet lost to Bari, Lecce and Parma. The sent-off players against Lecce and Parma do not explain the whole story because the Bianconeri also failed to win against Bologna and Brescia. Against the weaker sides, faster and talented players are needed yet Juve’s attack is largely static with older bodies such as Luca Toni, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero while the weak defensive line makes the club highly susceptible to counter-attacks as witnessed in matches against the small sides.
Injuries have also played a role in hurting the club with top scorer Fabio Quagliarella sidelined while Gianluigi Buffon missed several months this season. Coach Delneri has also made some questionable decisions during games such as removing Milos Krasic against Lecce after Buffon was sent-off. Why was not the slow and less effective Luca Toni substituted while keeping Krasic who could perhaps create something even if he has been inconsistent since the start of 2011? There are grave concerns with the direction of the club and another season without Champions League football could prove to be a disaster for Juve. Delneri has shown weaknesses when it comes to making impact substitutions and does not seem to be able to get the players back on track, at least from a mental standpoint. The players do not have the proper mental approach and the situation can get worse when the coach does not have a flexible approach with regards to tactics.
Marotta has perhaps been the club’s shining star this season with a number of positive moves made on his end yet he too failed to fix the pressing matter on the defensive end, in particular the full-backs. Coach Delneri appeared to be a solid choice at times yet his in-game decisions such as substitutions and tactical changes have left a lot to be desired on more than one occasion. Delneri is certainly an improvement on the inexperienced Ciro Ferrara and his temporary successor Alberto Zaccheroni but he is still behind some other leading candidates when one considers a high-profile club of the stature of Juventus.
It is too early to judge Juve’s season but anything less than a Champions League spot, meaning a top four finish, will prove to be a failure and will start another summer campaign filled with uncertainty and panic. Will the likes of Krasic re-discover their late 2010 form to help the Bianconeri emerge from this dark spell or will Juve pay the price for not covering their defensive weaknesses? It must be noted the attitude and approach of certain players on the squad have raised questions about how such members of the squad can be given the responsibility of defending the prestigious Bianconeri shirt because they lack some of the club’s most visible historic traits such as sacrificing for the group’s benefit and the fighting spirit.
Feel free to comment below or get in touch on Twitter @RamiSoufi and I will gladly discuss with you Juve’s problems.
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Will Juventus qualify for the Champions League? - World Soccer Talk

Will Juventus qualify for the Champions League?

After the sad news that Fabio Quagliarella will be out for the rest of the season, Juventus got a replacement in record time. It’s Luca Toni who will be replacing Quagliarella (out for 4-6 months with a torn cruciate knee ligament), the World Cup winner leaving Genoa to sign a one and a half year contract with the bianconeri. It was a free transfer from Genoa to Juventus, and Toni makes sure to thank Enrico Preziosi for letting him join Juventus.
<blockquote>“I’m extremely happy, it’s a dream to wear this jersey… I thank Preziosi for this opportunity, at Genoa there were some problems, the marriage [between the club and the player] didn’t end well.”</blockquote>
Toni continued talking about the transfer,
<blockquote>I didn’t hesitate in joining Juventus, it is an adventure which fascinates me. I know the group, I know that every player wants to win. I believe… The Scudetto? We will try to win all the games and then we will see what happens, there’s a lot of will to return to the win.”</blockquote>
While Toni is 33 years-old, the tall striker was a useful player for Roma last season in their attempts to win the Serie A. Juventus’s next match is against Napoli at the San Paolo, a tough match after their 4-1 defeat to Parma at home. Quagliarella had to be substituted just three minutes into the match after injuring his knee, and he was replaced with Amauri. But the Italian/Brazilian had another dry night, goalless as his side suffered Giovinco and Palladino’s wrath.
Toni says he is ready to play, and after seeing what Amauri provided up front (little to nothing), Delneri could try and spark the team this weekend with his new signing. Here’s what Toni said regarding his possibility to play this weekend, and what he hopes to do at Juventus.
<blockquote>“I played 90 minutes yesterday with Genoa, I’m ready to play against Napoli, but Delneri will decide. I did my best to come to Turin, in 2007 I was a step away from Juventus but then I went to Germany. To play here I turned down offers which were economically more beneficial, I’ve cut my wages because I want to show my value here”
“I’m ready to play at Naples. I will find myself well, I’m a man of the penalty box and I can count on two strong wingers. I chose the number 20 even if I like 9 and 30, they were already taken.”</blockquote>
While this is a big move in the Serie A for this January transfer window, there’s a possibility of more to come from Juventus. It seems like they aren’t happy with just Luca Toni, especially after seeing the poor display of Amauri and Del Piero. Marotta didn’t say yes or no to whether Juventus will try and find a more similar forward to Quagliarella in hopes of replacing him.
I’m unsure about how Toni will do. While he won’t have a major part in Delneri’s plans, he will be a a useful player who will provide some goals. Krasic’s excellent service will finally be put to some use with Luca Toni often being a commanding presence in the box.
How do you think Toni will do at Juventus? A good or a bad signing for the bianconeri? Share your comments below!

Juventus Replace Quagliarella With Toni - World Soccer Talk

Juventus Replace Quagliarella With Toni

With a new year upon us, the January transfer window will be opening up soon. While normally we don’t see super-stars switch allegiances in this period, but 2011 could be different. The names of Klose, Toni, Gilardino, and Kaka have been circulating, but can we really expect these players to move in January?
Starting at the top of the table, AC Milan seem omnipotent with the team they already have. Ronaldinho will probably be leaving for Gremio (the club where he started his professional career) &nbsp;in Brazil. While the Brazilian would be glad to return home, AC Milan are trying to squeeze anything out of Gremio, and Galliani has put an 8 million Euro price tag on Ronaldinho.
AC Milan fans shouldn’t worry that one of their Brazilians will be leaving, the replacement is already training with the team in Dubai. Antonio Cassano seems to be the perfect replacement when Ronaldinho leaves, and he is probably and even better partner for Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front. But AC Milan are looking to sign another creative Italian, Andrea Lazzari, to help out the already overpowered attacking sector of the team. Massimiliano Allegri shouldn’t have too much trouble bringing the 26 year-old to the San Siro considering that he coached him last season.
The rossoneri will also try to do some work regarding Kevin-Prince Boateng who belongs to Genoa but is on loan at AC Milan. It is very possible that Milan will try to give half of Alberto Paloschi for half of Boateng, but we will have to see what Genoa want from Milan for the Ghanaian midfielder. It should be a fairly quiet transfer market for AC Milan, but you never know with Berlusconi.
Lazio are looking to buy this transfer market, and there are multiple names circulating as to who they want as their new center-forward. While Bayern Munich‘s&nbsp;Klose would be the dream, it is more likely that Manchester City reject Santa Cruz could join. Sadly there have been problems regarding that deal as well, and it seems like Santa Cruz isn’t interested in a loan or transfer to Lazio. So now the name which has been mentioned is Federico Macheda‘s. The young Italian currently at Manchester United could return to Italy for a loan (or permanent transfer) deal.
Inter Milan are searching for a few players to buy, and while the names of&nbsp;Kaka and&nbsp;Fernando Torres have been mentioned, it is doubtful that Moratti will be splashing the grotesque amount of cash needed for those players. Instead Inter are chasing&nbsp;Zaccardo to strengthen the defence, and the wild idea of&nbsp;Patrice Evra of&nbsp;Manchester United has been floating around.&nbsp;Ilicic of&nbsp;Palermo is unlikely to be bought in January and so is&nbsp;Udinese‘sSanchez, both might be additions made this upcoming summer. For now Inter have got&nbsp;Ranocchia from&nbsp;Genoa, but there could be few other signings until the summer of 2011.
Juventus are looking at some possible deals, but nothing has materialized yet. While the big rumours have been around a possible swap Gilardino-Amauri, it is more likely that the Fiorentina forward arrives for a hefty transfer fee, without a swap. What is needed for Gilardino’s arrival is some cash, and Juventus might find it in the form of selling Sissoko. The Malian has been observed by Wolfsburg, and a deal worth around 10 million Euros could be struck sometime soon. The money from selling the midfielder could be used to get a proper forward to finish off all of Krasic’s delightful crosses, Edin Dzeko maybe?
Roma has sold Julio Baptista to Malaga for around 2 million Euros and it seems like the giallorossi have managed to agree a deal with Behrami of West Ham. Another unhappy Brazilian at Roma had apparently decided to leave, but it now seems that Adriano will be staying with Roma. Unless it is a successful season for him, expect him to leave for Brazil this upcoming summer.
Which possible tranfser are you looking forward to most? Share your comments below!

Moves To Expect This January Transfer Market - World Soccer Talk

Moves To Expect This January Transfer Market

<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-august-2010/image/9499132?term=Juventus" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
Mention the 2009-2010 season to Juventus’ 170 million fans and they will shake their head in disgust.&nbsp; Italy’s most successful and <a href="http:\/\/www.repubblica.it/2008/08/sezioni/sport/calcio/sondaggio-calcio/tifo-juve-inter/tifo-juve-inter.html" target="_blank">beloved</a> soccer team was a shell of itself, missing out on a European tournament spot due to poor play and aging players.&nbsp; It is not a coincidence that the Italian national team also failed to live up to expectations in the World Cup, as Juve players made up a large contingent of the team.&nbsp; Overall, it was a season to forget in Stadio Olimpico and the club wasted no time in cleaning house, replacing individuals from the team president down.&nbsp; The new Juventus still has many familiar names, but has strengthened its weaknesses to make a run at the top four. 
Management: Jean-Claude Blanc, the brainchild behind the new Juventus stadium, was forced out in May 2010 and replaced with Andrea Agnelli, the fourth member of his family to run Juventus.&nbsp; Similar to Blanc, he has a business background and is tasked with maintaining the profitability of the club.&nbsp; No doubt part of his financial plan includes UEFA tournament money.
His first task upon being hired was to grab Luigi Del Neri from Sampdoria as a permanent replacement for Ciro Ferrara.&nbsp; Del Neri guided Sampdoria to a top four finish and was in demand this offseason.&nbsp; His 4-4-2 style will be a good fit for Juventus, and look for the team to focus a bit more on defense this season.&nbsp; Del Neri could, however, actually play more of a 4-2-2-2 if he extends the wings and moves them forward in the attack.&nbsp; Juventus in their matches this month have also played a 4-3-3 at times.&nbsp; He’s seen success at Atalanta before guiding Sampdoria to the Champions League, and he was the best person available for the job. 
The Transfer Market: Juventus was active in the transfer market, as to be expected, sending out older&nbsp;and more expensive players and bringing in both quality starters and key backups.&nbsp; Maybe the biggest name to come to Juventus was Pepe, acquired on loan from Udinese with an option to buy.&nbsp; Del Neri knows Pepe from his time in Palermo, and has added him as an attack option on the right side.&nbsp; The club also beefed up its defense, which is discussed in depth below.
The continuing story of this offseason is the departures from the club, or a house cleaning if you prefer.&nbsp; Italian national and rapidly aging defender Fabio Cannavaro has left for the UAE soccer league and a hefty contract.&nbsp; Christian Poulsen was transferred to Liverpool for about €5.5 million to free up some salary and space after a disappointing stint with the club.&nbsp; The biggest loss long-term, however, may be <a href="http:\/\/blogs.soccernet.com/juventus/archives/2010/08/ciao_gio.php" target="_blank">the loss of Sebastian Giovinco</a> to Parma.&nbsp; The young playmaker had been tabbed by fans as the next Juve star, but he grew tired of waiting to break into the starting XI. 
Key Players: Starting in the back of the 4-4-2, vice-captain and all-world keeper Gigi Buffon begins the season&nbsp;on the injured list, leaving AC Milan acquisition Marco Storari as the starter.&nbsp; Storari will never cause people to forget Buffon, but he is experienced and talented enough to hold down the position until Buffon is healthy.
<div style="float: left;margin-right: 5px"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/shamrock-rovers-juventus/image/9449128?term=Juventus" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20100818_WST_64337_shamrock-rovers-juventus.webp&amp;width=234&amp;height=156" border="0" alt="July 29, 2010 - Dublin, Ireland - epa02266030 Pat Flynn from Shamrock Rovers (R) and Giorgio Chiellini from Juventus in action during the Europa League 3rd round 1st Leg Qualifiying match between Shamrock Rovers and Juventus in Dublin, Ireland, 29 July 2010." width="234" height="156"></figure></div></a></div>
Coming into the new season, Del Neri knew he needed to revamp the defense after Juventus allowed 55 goals last season.&nbsp; He acquired rising star Leonardo Bonucci from Bari and Marco Motta from Roma to partner with stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Grosso, or if Grosso leaves during this transfer window, Paolo De Ceglie.&nbsp; The two new additions will strengthen the backline and makes defense a team strength.&nbsp; Look for Bonucci to become the next Fabio Grosso in his time at Juventus.
If Del Neri continues his traditional formation, the midfield will see two holding and two attacking wingers.&nbsp; As mentioned, Pepe will man the right wing and replace Mauro Camoranesi, who regardless of his transfer status should be replaced by a younger player.&nbsp; Claudio Marchisio, one of the players who actually looked good in last season’s debacle, could start on the other wing, with Mohammed Sissoko in the middle.&nbsp; UPDATE – Juventus <a href="http:\/\/www.goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2010/08/19/2078378/breaking-news-cska-moscow-confirm-milos-krasic-will-join" target="_blank">added another potential starter</a> to the midfield with CSKA Moscow winger Milos Krasic.
Up front, Del Neri against Shamrock moved Pepe and attacking midfielder Davide Lanzafame (Parma) to the forward position with Amauri.&nbsp; While this could be an attacking option, I can see a rotation (assuming a 4-4-2) of Amauri, Trezeguet, and Del Piero as a potent attack.
<div style="float: right;margin-left: 5px"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-august-2010/image/9545240?term=Juventus" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20100818_WST_64337_sports-news-august-2010.webp&amp;width=234&amp;height=238" border="0" alt="Aug. 14, 2010 - 06320941 date 13 08 2010 Copyright imago Gribaudi ImagePhoto GC Bari 13 08 2010 Trofeo Tim Milan Juventus Photo Giuseppe Celeste Image Sports Nella Photo Esultanza Gol Diego PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxITA Bari men Football ITA Series A 2011 try out Portrait Vdig xmk 2010 Square premiumd." width="234" height="238"></figure></div></a></div>
This is, of course, assuming Diego is sent to a Bundesliga club, where he has been rumored to be going (<a href="http:\/\/soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=815305&amp;sec=transfers&amp;cc=5901&amp;cc=5901" target="_blank">or not going</a>).&nbsp; If Diego stays, the forward position has the potential to be one of the deepest in Serie A.
Outlook: This preview could change if Juventus makes any more changes on the transfer market, which is possible.&nbsp; But as their club stands, Juventus is definitely a favorite to finish in the top four.&nbsp; Even without a healthy Buffon to begin the season, the defense is improved from last season and will be a strength.&nbsp; The attack will be more “exciting” than last season with a good variety of scorers that Del Neri can turn to for goals.&nbsp; Under new management and with Del Neri’s vision revitalizing the club, there is no reason this club will not move higher in the standings.&nbsp; Whether they can challenge for a scudetto will depend on if they can improve on their record against the top clubs.

Serie A Preview - The Resurrection of Juventus - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Preview – The Resurrection of Juventus

Italy boss Cesare Prandelli announced his 23 man squad for the friendly against the Ivory Coast which will take place on Tuesday in England. Many of the names chosen by Marcello Lippi were dropped.
Prandelli made some expected changes following the World Cup disappointment with Fabio Quagliarella the only striker remaining from the team selected by Lippi for South Africa 2010. Prandelli selected five strikers who were not part of the disappointing experience in the World Cup: Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano, Marco Borriello, Amauri and Giuseppe Rossi.
Lippi was urged and asked on more than one occasion why he would not pick Balotelli and Cassano yet the veteran coach never budged from his decision to exclude the talented duo. Critics felt their omission from the Italian squad led to the disastrous campaign which yielded two draws, including an embarrassing one against New Zealand, and a defeat against Slovakia.
While he was expected to select both Balotelli and Cassano, the former Fiorentina tactician sprung two major surprises by picking striker Amauri who had a dismal season with Juventus and former teammate Cristian Molinaro who is not exactly popular in Turin. Molinaro plays as a left-back and the tifosi were glad to see him move to the Bundesliga to join VfB Stuttgart. While no one can doubt Molinaro’s work ethic and speed, his defensive abilities leave a lot to be desired and his crossing is mediocre at best. Molinaro’s comical defending almost became part of football folklore due to some mind-boggling mistakes and miscalculated moves such as using a back-heel to give away the ball on the flank and frequently being tricked by wingers and attackers on their way to assisting on a goal or scoring themselves.
Aside from the debatable choices of Amauri and Molinaro, the Italian coach seems to have named the best set of players available for selection. The Azzurri fans must be delighted to see the return of certain players such as Rossi and the selection of new faces such as full-back Marco Motta who played for Italy at all levels, including the U-21 side which he represented on 39 occasions. Motta has never played for the senior team despite being called up in 2009 but he was an unused substitute.
The main concern will probably be on the defensive end as Gianluigi Buffon will be out for a few more months after surgery and those named include Federico Marchetti, Salvatore Sirigu and Emiliano Viviano. Marchetti did not impress during the World Cup when he had to replace the injured Buffon while the latter two lack the necessary experience to become regular starters. It might be worth giving Sirigu the start against the Ivory Coast to see how he can handle the spotlight as Italy’s goalkeeper while the legendary Buffon remains sidelined.
The defenders chosen lack the experience associated with the legendary Azzurri back-lines&nbsp;of the 1990s and even the 2000s with Giorgio Chiellini the most experienced having played 32 times for the national team. In the absence of the recovering Buffon and the unfit Andrea Pirlo, Roma’s Daniele De Rossi will most likely captain the side having represented the Azzurri on 57 occasions.
Below is the full squad selected by Prandelli:
Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo), Emiliano Viviano (Bologna)
Defenders: Cristian Molinaro (VfB Stuttgart), Marco Motta (Juventus), Luca Antonini (AC Milan), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Stefano Lucchini (Sampdoria), 
Davide Astori (Cagliari), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo)
Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Ricardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Juventus) 
Andrea Lazzari (Cagliari)
Forwards: Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal), Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan), Marco Borriello (AC Milan), Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria), Amauri (Juventus).
Feel free to comment below or contact me on Twitter @RamiSoufi for further discussions.
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Azzurri: Cesare Prandelli Picks Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli - World Soccer Talk

Azzurri: Cesare Prandelli Picks Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli

While Juve’s main concern this season isn’t the Europa league, the European competition is helping Delneri build his team. So now that Juventus has played and won their first competitive match against Shamrock Rovers in Europa League qualification, Delneri will have a lot of positivies to look at. But Juventus hasn’t qualified yet, they’ll need to play the return leg at Modena, and all they need to do is not lose by more than one goal.
Juventus started well right away, in the third minute Amauri combines with Diego to complete a give and go which penetrates the frozen Irish defence leaving Amauri to finish with his left for the first goal. A perfect example of how Delneri wants Diego to work as a “trequartista”, or number 10. Every opportunity Juventus created was filtered through Diego, just like Delneri did with Cassano at Sampdoria and Doni at Atlanta. Amauri was a dangerous presence up front and the wingers, Martinez and Lanzafame, constantly changed sides every five minutes, disorienting the Irish fullbacks, and maybe themselves a little too considering their average performance.
In the second half Amauri scored again, an offensive push which passed through Diego and finished with Amauri. The Italian/Brazilian headed the ball downwards across the goal, to hit the far post and bounce into the back of the net for the final goal. While Juve came close again, and Diego could’ve earned a penalty, the scoring stopped with Amauri’s second in the 74th minute. The Shamrock Rovers were dangerous from set pieces, using their physicality and strength to get close to a goal in their home stadium, but Juve held out well to win 2-0 away from home, hopefully ensuring their qualification to the Europa League.

Amauri scores double against Shamrock Rovers - World Soccer Talk

Amauri scores double against Shamrock Rovers

<div style="float: right;margin-left: 5px"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-july-2010/image/9421500?term=Juventus" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
Juventus have been preparing for their Europa League qualifier which will be played against Shamrock Rovers with friendlies against Hamburg (0-0) and Lyon (2-1 for Juventus). Juventus will play the Irish club over two legs, and the team with the best results over the two legs will go through. The first leg will be played July 29th in Ireland at the Tallaght Stadium, and the return leg will be played at the Braglia stadium of Modena. But first here’s what happened against Lyon, what went wrong, and what went right.
Juventus played with a 4-4-1-1 starting with Storari in goal, and a backline (right to left) of Motta, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, and De Ceglie. In front of the back line there was Martinez on the right wing, Lanzafame on the left wing, and Sissoko and Marchisio in the middle of the midfield. Delneri decided to start with Del Piero behind Amauri instead of Diego and Trezeguet who replaced the Italian attacking duo at the beginning of the second half.
Lyon went in front in the 22nd minute thanks to Chiellini fouling Ishak in the penalty area, giving the French club a penalty for Storari to face. Ederson had little trouble with the penalty as he scored to put Lyon in front. But Lyon’s fortune took a change for the worse in the 26th minute, Martinez was giving Cissokho trouble down Lyon’s left side, and Cissokho went in hard with the ball far away from the tackle. This resulted in Cissokho’s expulsion with a direct red card, leaving Lyon in 10 men ahead by a goal.
After the goal Juventus attacked more, Lanzafame pushed forward on the left wing, and he was able to filter through a pass for Amauri, and in the penalty box there was contact between the Brazilian/Italian and Lovren, earning Juventus a penalty. Del Piero took the penalty, scoring the equalizer for Juventus in the 38th minute of the first half.
In the second half Juventus was solid, Motta was a wall on the right side as he also provided Martinez with support on the wing. The defense was compact and organized, and the midfield also began to click with Pepe and Diego combining for the winning goal. It was a triangle outside the box closed by Diego’s chip which is finished off by Pepe who scores the final goal of the 2-1 scoreline.
Diego was a dangerous presence for the Lyon defense, and the Brazilian’s creativity and technical skill are beginning to show as he gains more confidence with his team-mates. And as Diego and Trezeguet’s attacking partnership grows, Del Piero and Amauri’s doesn’t shine as brightly. It seems like Delneri has already chosen that it will be Diego and Trezeguet who will start against Shamrock Rovers, but Delneri would like more from the Brazilian. Here’s what the Juventus coach said regarding Diego’s performance,
<blockquote>“He’s doing very well, from him I expect performances like this, even if I would like more consistency. I’d definitely say that I’m very satisfied with everybody.”</blockquote>
Now there are no friendlies left before Juventus plays Shamrock Rovers on the 29th of July, while Juve will be favored, they shouldn’t underestimate the Irish champions. It will be interesting to see whether Juventus will be able to defeat Shamrock Rovers, or whether they’ll have trouble in their first seasonal competition. What do you think? Share your thoughts below by commenting!

Juventus defeat Lyon 2-1 in friendly - World Soccer Talk

Juventus defeat Lyon 2-1 in friendly

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Juventus had a disappointing 2009/10 season, last summer they signed Diego and Felipe Melo in hopes of ending Inter’s title run, but the two failed to deliver the scudetto. Now Juventus is beginning to change, with Andrea Agnelli as the president, Beppe Marotta as the general manager, and Gigi Del Neri as the coach. But the first step to creating a squad of top quality players is selling the &nbsp;broken ones, and Juventus have plenty to get rid of.
While Diego and Felipe Melo were supposed to add Brazilian flair and defensive solidity to the team, they were unable to make their mark on the team. This past season Diego only scored 5 goals in 33 appearances (31 starts), which is very little compared to his past three seasons at Werder Bremen, where he scored 13 his first, 13 his second, and 12 in his last season in the Bundesliga. But maybe a more interesting fact is that Diego was subbed off 18 times, signfifying that he either had an injury mid-game every week, or wasn’t good enough, and was taken off.
Felipe Melo on the other hand has scored 4 goals in 29 appearances this season, but his real problem was his constant fouling and picking up of cards. He received 11 yellow cards, and 2 red cards due to accumulation of yellows, because of this high amount of cards, he has had to miss plenty of games because of suspension. And what’s the point in having a defensive midfielder who’s constantly suspended, getting red cards, and giving away fouls and penalties to the opposition?
While these two Brazilians haven’t delivered, Juventus are still willing to keep them for another season. Diego hasn’t received many offers, and will very probably stay, but Felipe Melo is in a different position. The club are listening to offers, which means they’re sitting around the phone, waiting for it to ring with an offer of above 10 million. If Juve don’t receive any decent offers, they’ll keep Melo for another season and see how it goes, but if Arsenal or Liverpool ask how much for the Brazilian, the club will certainly be looking to negotiate.
Juventus also have the slight problem called Amauri, the underperforming forward who scored 5 goals this past season with the club, and on his CV you’ll also see a very nice, big, direct red card. Amauri not only has underperformed, but he has a temper, and this results in yellows and reds which are not very useful for the team. The Italian-Brazilian wants to stay at Juventus, he says he has unpaid debts with the club and the fans, and that when he’s playing right, he’s the best. He also says he fears no one like Pazzini, Gilardino, or Dzeko (who could join Juventus this transfer window), and if he has the chance, will play for the Azzurri in the 2014 World Cup (which is in Brazil). So Amauri will be trying to avenge two very disappointing seasons as he will probably remain with the bianconeri for next season, but the 30 year-old isn’t getting any younger.
Juventus will also be looking to offload Trezeguet, who has received offers from Sevilla and Marseille. And the same with Giovinco, who is wanted very much by Bari, although Juventus might be only interested in a loan deal. Zebina is another weight on the squad list as he isn’t accomplishing much in his sporting career, and apparently he has received some offers. And Del Piero seems to have bothered his ankle/leg in training today, it’s not specified, but in training he seemed to step on it wrong, and with an expression of pain on his face, he stopped training. The medical staff are hoping that just a day of rest will be enough before he can resume training, but at 35 years of age, it might be time to retire for Del Piero.
So Juventus have plenty of players to sell, and in this economic crisis there’s two main clubs that have money, Manchester City and Real Madrid, the bad thing is, I’m pretty sure they’re not interested in any of these players. So Juventus will be looking to convince some players to leave, others to retire, and possibly a few to join for the strange experience which will be next season.

Juventus ready to sell - World Soccer Talk

Juventus ready to sell

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