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In what has become a habit for Juventus, the Bianconeri dropped two points and settled for a draw with Catania. Juve could not defend a 2-0 lead over the visitors who have yet to register their first away win of the season. The Bianconeri squad is lacking in quality and this is evident when the legendary but aging Alessandro Del Piero is the main source of creativity for the team.
As discussed in previous pieces (Check: <a href="http://www.serieatalk.com/will-juventus-qualify-for-the-champions-league/3502">www.serieatalk.com/will-juventus-qualify-for-the-champions-league/3502</a>), the Bianconeri have seen slight improvement compared to last season but there are still some glaring problems:
– The Bianconeri are still weak at the full-back positions. Juve lack quality full-backs and have yet to replace Gianluca Zambrotta who departed following the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.
– Juve lack a creative player. Diego was sold and perhaps it was the proper decision but when Del Piero is not playing, the Bianconeri clearly lack a player who can create scoring opportunities. Alessandro Matri is decent but he is a finisher and not one who can easily create his own scoring opportunities. Fabio Quagliarella is perhaps the only player besides Del Piero who can create something on the attacking end yet he has been sidelined by long-term injury.
– The centre-back positions remain fragile, particularly when Giorgio Chiellini is out due to injury or suspension. Andrea Barzagli is a mere short-term replacement and can perhaps cover for a game or two but not for an extended period.
– The Bianconeri’s management must make the right decision during the summer by signing at least three quality players and bringing in another three decent players to cover various positions. There is a need for two full-backs, a centre-back, a winger and an attacking player who can create scoring chances.
– Luigi Delneri might be a good person but this is about coaching and he seems best fit to take charge of a provincial side. Delneri appears to be dealing with problems that might be too much for him to handle considering the ambitions of a prestigious club such as Juve. Below are some interesting stats about Delneri:
1) He lost 9 games while in charge of Sampdoria last season and has already lost 9 matches with Juventus in Serie A this season
2) With Roma he lost 16 games in just one season and his results with Palermo were not impressive
3) Delneri has never won more than 50% of matches he coached over a season. He achieved that once with Sampdoria.
4) Delneri is not great with substitutions. He has often been criticized for the changes he makes during a game. Against Catania he started with Marco Motta, a certain candidate to be replaced or to receive a red card in almost any game, and then replaced Motta. He also replaced Del Piero and Matri with Simone Pepe and the less mobile Luca Toni.
5) Delneri is not flexible when it comes to tactics. He does not seem to be a commanding figure and is not inspiring. Would established and experienced players or even rising stars want to play for a coach such as Delneri? It is doubtful Turin will be an attractive destination for quality players with Delneri in charge. Juve need a quality and well-established coach to take over.
Obviously this summer will be a busy one in Turin and the changes to be made could be drastic and will likely cover the coach as well as the squad. To blame everything on Delneri would be unfair and inaccurate. The squad at his disposal is lacking and has many glaring weaknesses but it is hard to see how Delneri can return Juve back to the top of Italian football when he seems to be limited in his tactics and substitutions. He also does not have the winning pedigree to garner the respect of big name signings.&nbsp;Feel free to contact @RamiSoufi on Twitter for further discussions.
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Juventus throw away 2-0 lead & chance to fight for 4th

Juventus throw away 2-0 lead &amp; chance to fight for 4th - World Soccer Talk

Italy’s elite clubs are struggling in the Champions League and have struggled since 2000 despite two trophies won by Milan and one by Inter in the last decade.
Italian clubs were the dominant force in the 1990s with Milan and Juventus winning the Champions League with Juve reached&nbsp;&nbsp;three consecutive&nbsp;finals. Italian clubs were also a force and quite successful in the UEFA Cup.
This raises the question as to what has caused this decline in European competitions. A number of reasons can be used to track and carefully assess the factors behind the fall from grace of the Italian clubs.
1- The English Premier League has been steadily gaining ground in terms of financial muscle, worldwide viewership as well as attendance at matches.
2- The top two clubs in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid, have been able to effectively use their popularity across the globe to promote their successful runs on both the domestic and European front. Barca have been particularly successful with many players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi starring on the club and international scene.
3- Calciopoli has certainly effected Italian football even if some would like to discount its effect or perhaps put it behind and overlook it. Juventus are no longer a force and can no longer afford, or even attract, stars such as the ones who wore the famous Bianconeri shirt in the 1990s like Zinedine Zidane, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Baggio and others.
4- Inter’s dominance for a number of years in Serie A has weakened the opposition in Italy, whether Milan or other clubs. Milan are back as a force but are struggling in Europe for various reasons.
5- Financially, the Italian league is simply behind England’s Premier League while both the Spanish La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga have overtaken Serie A as revealed by UEFA’s updated co-efficients which will starting 2012-13 see Italy have only three spots in the Champions League compared to four for German, English and Spanish clubs.
6- The lack of money compared to the other top three leagues has contributed to big names and stars preferring either La Liga or Premier League. The Spanish league might be limited to Barca and Real Madrid in terms of star power but the Catalans alone have Messi, Xavi and David Villa as well as others while Los Blancos have Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and other big names.
7- Big investors and wealthy businessmen are flocking to invest in the English Premier League with the global audience focusing on EPL and, thus, TV rights are much more lucrative for English clubs than Italian ones.
8- The lack of emerging Italian talent with Antonio Cassano long proving he lacks the discipline while Mario Balotelli remains immature. Other potential stars are not as prominent as those from Spain or Argentina or Brazil. Argentina’s biggest star, Messi, plays for Barca. Even the established Brazilians playing for Inter are no longer featuring much for the Selecao with Lucio and Maicon being overlooked in recent international matches.
9- One of Italy’s strong points used to be defenders and the peninsula now suffers from the lack of emerging leaders who can play as centre-backs or full-backs. The most evident example is Juve’s decline and their pathetic defensive record despite having two of Italy’s starting defenders in Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
10- Some of Italy’s elite coaching figures such as Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello and Roberto Mancini are plying their trade in England with Capello in charge of the national team while Ancelotti is in charge of Chelsea and Mancini manages Manchester City.
Obviously, the lack of investors and capital have been quite a hindrance for Italian clubs and the progress made has been slow in recent years with Inter’s success last season owing much to foreign players as the Nerazzurri barely had any Italian citizens in their squad last season. This season Milan have been solid in Serie A but have been inconsistent in Europe due to their aging defensive line and midfield. The likes of Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso, Massimo Ambrosini, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Nesta are all over 30 years old.
It is hard to see Inter overcome a 1-0 deficit against Bayern Munich since the return leg will be played in Germany but anything is possible. Roma will need to win by a two goal margin in order to progress unless they can win 4-3 while Milan will need a massive turnaround to even have a chance of defeating Tottenham in London.
For further discussions on Serie A and the Champions League, feel free to contact @RamiSoufi on Twitter
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Serie A clubs struggling in the Champions League

Serie A clubs struggling in the Champions League - World Soccer Talk

Inter have succeeded in completing a historic treble and credit must be given to everyone at the club from president Massimo Moratti for his persistence in pursuing the dream of emulating his father by winning the Champions League to Jose Mourinho for his exemplary preparation ahead of keys matches and for his superior motivational skills. However, the Nerazzurri players deserve much of the credit for their solid performances with Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Lucio, Walter Samuel and Samuel Eto’o among others providing the driving force behind the successes this season. One player stands out above all the rest and it is not Wesley Sneijder who had a great season but Argentina striker Diego Milito who deserves much of the credit for his valuable contributions in the big games.
Mourinho deserves credit for guiding the squad, for making them believe and for his solid tactics, but none of this can be achieved without the proper players. The outspoken Portuguese craves the media and the fact he did not get along with the Italian press is one of the reasons behind his decision to leave the club which is not something that reflects positively on Mourinho. The former Chelsea manager expects the media to make a big deal out of his statements and create the attention he craves. In England, Mourinho was able to successfully manipulate the press to cater to him and give him the desired attention while in Italy he has failed to do so and was at odds with the Italian media early in the season.
Without taking away from Mourinho, the credit must also be shared with the squad with many of the starters providing solid contributions at different stages of the season such as full-back Maicon who broke down the resistance of Juventus with a great strike in a crucial win which helped the Nerazzurri to retain their Serie A title. Dutchman Sneijder has been very influential too but striker Milito has been phenomenal when it really matters considering the Argentina international has scored the winner against Roma in the Coppa Italia final then followed it with the winner against Siena in Serie A which secured the league title before his stunning brace against Bayern Munich helped Inter claim the Champions League trophy.
Mourinho prepared the Nerazzurri in the proper way and the squad provided a solid and professional display yet Milito was by far the star of the Champions League final. While Goran Pandev struggled to make much of an impact and flopped on every possible occasion, Eto’o sacrificed for the team and was running around the pitch like a man possessed, but above Milito was the difference maker. The former Genoa striker was a willing runner often taking on defenders and running from either flank but his well taken double against Bayern perhaps merits the highest of praise due to the level of skills involved in both goals. For the first one, Milito actually used his head to direct the ball to Sneijder before he ran to accept the Dutchman’s wonderful pass and finish it with style. Another striker might have rushed his shot and missed the goal or hit the goalkeeper but not Milito who faked an initial shot before finishing with style.
As for the second goal, words would not give it enough justice and cannot represent how great it was because Milito ran a reasonable distance before showing some great footwork and displaying great skill to perfectly place his shot to put the match beyond Bayern’s reach. Diego’s numbers with Inter have been quite good as he scored 30 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions divided into 22 strikes in 35 Serie A games, 6 goals in 11 Champions League matches and 2 strikes in 5 Coppa Italia appearances. Mourinho might be gone but the Nerazzurri have a winning foundation and this is evident by the Serie A titles won before the Portuguese arrived under Roberto Mancini who is a decent coach but not part of the elite coaching group. Mancini benefited from having a great squad as well as the demise of certain teams, in particular Juventus, due to Calciopoli which helped pave the way for Inter’s dominance.
All credit must go to the players as well as Mourinho for this great achievement and there is no doubt Inter are currently Europe’s best. The interesting question now is whether Mourinho will take with him to Real Madrid two key players in the shape of Maicon and Milito. If the Portuguese does indeed lure both players to Madrid then Inter might struggle next season. Regardless of who leaves, the current Nerazzurri squad is one of the best as a group and they could challenge again in Europe if the core players are kept and a decent coach is hired to guide the club.
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Diego Milito: Inter's Hero As Nerazzurri Complete Historic Treble

Diego Milito: Inter's Hero As Nerazzurri Complete Historic Treble - World Soccer Talk

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Juventus throw away 2-0 lead & chance to fight for 4th

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Serie A clubs struggling in the Champions League

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Diego Milito: Inter's Hero As Nerazzurri Complete Historic Treble