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?

Will Juventus qualify for the Champions League? - World Soccer Talk

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has picked 29 players for training this week but did not include any players from Roma or Inter who will be contesting the Coppa Italia final. Serie A leaders Inter will probably not have any member in the Azzurri squad headed to South Africa 2010 considering Davide Santon is injured while Mario Balotelli has not impressed Lippi with his unprofessionalism and troubling attitude.
As for Roma they will provide Italy with midfield general Daniele De Rossi yet the question remains whether Francesco Totti and Luca Toni will be called up as well. Toni who is on loan from Bayern Munich is unlikely to be included in the final squad given the form of Giampaolo Pazzini and Marco Borriello&nbsp;with both&nbsp;chosen in the initial setup.
In attack it appears Lippi’s choices have been expected since he did not call up Antonio Cassano, Palermo’s Fabrizio Miccoli or the aforementioned Balotelli. Juventus captain and World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero was not included and it is doubtful he will be unless there is a dramatic injury crisis prior to the decision on the final list.
In goal, the legendary Gianluigi Buffon is a certain starter and Lippi actually sprung a surprise by calling three other goalkeepers and not two which implies he is keeping his options wide open. Federico Marchetti of Cagliari, Morgan De Sanctis of Napoli and Palermo’s Salvatore Sirigu were all named. It is likely Buffon will be accompanied by Marchetti as his understudy and De Sanctis as third choice. The Defensive line included many of the usual names such as Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso despite their lack of form and their limited playing time in some cases. Others included in the list of defenders: Nicola Legrottaglie, Domenico Criscito, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as well as Salvatore Bocchetti, Christian Maggio and Mattia Cassani. In view of those called up, the core of Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Chiellini and Grosso will start with Criscito, Bonucci, Maggio and Legrottaglie providing backup unless Bocchetti is picked ahead of Juve’s reserve centre-back Legrottaglie.
In midfield, Milan schemer Andrea Pirlo, Roma’s anchorman De Rossi and Juve’s Claudio Marchisio are all certain starters despite De Rossi’s exclusion from this initial list due to his commitments with the Giallorossi. This area of the team appears to be the weakest with the Italy boss likely to rely on two veterans in the shape of Juve winger Mauro Camoranesi and Rossoneri defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso both of whom have missed large chunks of the season due to injury or lack of playing time. Lippi has also called up Sampdoria’s Angelo Palombo, Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo and Udinese’s Simone Pepe as well as Andrea Cossu and Antonio Candreva. The last two will unlikely be included leaving Palombo and Montolivo to compete for one spot with Pepe probably completing the list of midfielders. Candreva’s recent lack of playing time with the Bianconeri will affect his chances negatively while Cossu does not have enough experience at the international level. As such, Pirlo, De Rossi and Marchisio will be accompanied by Gattuso, Camoranesi, Pepe and one of Montolivo or Palombo.
The attacking list has become much clearer considering those excluded such as Cassano, Balotelli, Miccoli and Amauri. Many of the Azzurri fans will be relieved&nbsp;after hearing about&nbsp;Amauri’s absence from the list due to his lack of form this season. Those headed to South Africa 2010 will be Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino while those still competing for the remaining two spots include Totti, Marco Borriello, Giuseppe Rossi and Giampaolo Pazzini. Totti will get the nod if he is healthy and if Lippi can maintain unity within the squad by choosing the Roma skipper. On form Pazzini deserves the call up which means Rossi and Borriello will miss out but Rossi’s chances will depend on Totti’s situation.
The most interesting aspect is the fact the Bianconeri have nine players called up despite having a dismal season in Europe and Serie A with the club set to miss on the Champions League next season. This has raised doubts in the minds of many as to whether the Azzurri can compete and retain their World Cup title.
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Marcello Lippi Picks Initial Azzurri Squad for South Africa 2010

Marcello Lippi Picks Initial Azzurri Squad for South Africa 2010 - World Soccer Talk

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Will Juventus qualify for the Champions League?

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Marcello Lippi Picks Initial Azzurri Squad for South Africa 2010