<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>
<p>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.  <strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Management: </strong>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.</p>
<p>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.  <strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>The Transfer Market:</strong> 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.</p>
<p>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.  <strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>Key Players:</strong> 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.</p>
<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>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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; <strong>UPDATE – </strong>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<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>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>Outlook:</strong> 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 <em>scudetto</em> will depend on if they can improve on their record against the top clubs.</p>

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

Serie A Preview – The Resurrection of Juventus

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<p>Juventus have passed their first test, they’ve qualified for the next round of the Europa League defeating Shamrock Rovers 2-0 away from home and 1-0 in the return leg at home. Now Juventus will play a play-off against Austrian side Sturm Graz, and if they win that playoff, then they will play in the Europa League group stages.</p>
<p>The return leg was a nasty affair, heavy rain slowed down the pace of the game and reduced the field to a barely playable condition, but the stats show that Juve was dominant throughout the match. Juventus had 7 shots on goal, while Shamrock Rovers had one, and the bianconeri were able to keep 67% of the possession leaving the Irish team with 33%. But the match wasn’t an easy affair, Juve needed Del Piero to break the deadlock in the 74th minute with a magnificent free kick from 35 yards out, which Ale tucked into the top left hand corner, scraping the bottom of the bar.</p>
<p>A moment of genius which Delneri orchestrated by replacing a disappointing Diego for Del Piero at the beginning of the second half. Juventus started with a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1 with Storari in goal and a back-line (from right to left) of Motta, Bonucci, Chiellini, and De Ceglie; a midfield (from right to left) of Pepe, Sissoko, Marchisio and Lanzafame; and in attack Delneri stuck with Diego and Amauri. But this time only half of the attacking duo was effective, Amauri used his physicality to fight for high balls and battle with the Irish defense, but Diego was ineffective, unable to tame the ball with the extremely watered field.</p>
<p>But as for the rest of the team, players sacrificed themselves to play a disciplined 4-4-2, Sissoko and Marchisio didn’t play the ball well, but they held the midfield. Motta at right-back was among the best, along with Bonucci and Chiellini in defense and Amauri and Del Piero in attack, who were both constant threats to the Irish defense.</p>
<p>But now Del Piero has made Delneri’s job a lot harder, a wonderful goal and a great performance which eclipses the Brazilian Diego. Who will Delneri put in his starting 11 now? It will be interesting to see what will happen in the future, whether Diego remains a starter, or whether Del Piero is just too good to stay out. Be sure to share your thoughts below by commenting!</p>


Juventus beats Shamrock Rovers 1-0 in return leg - World Soccer Talk

Juventus beats Shamrock Rovers 1-0 in return leg

<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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. </p>


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>
<p>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 29<sup>th</sup> 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Lyon went in front in the 22<sup>nd</sup> 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 26<sup>th</sup> 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.</p>
<p>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 38<sup>th</sup> minute of the first half.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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,</p>
<blockquote><p>“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.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Now there are no friendlies left before Juventus plays Shamrock Rovers on the 29<sup>th</sup> 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!</p>


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

Juventus defeat Lyon 2-1 in friendly

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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>


Juventus ready to sell - World Soccer Talk

Juventus ready to sell

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Amauri scores double against Shamrock Rovers

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Juventus defeat Lyon 2-1 in friendly

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Juventus ready to sell