Bleacher Report - Serie A

Juventus Should Bench Diego To Rediscover Its Winning Ways

Adamo Digby — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:16:18 -0500

This week has seen Juventus overcome Udinese by a narrow 1-0 margin, then be thoroughly outplayed in the Champions League by Bordeaux. Adamo Digby takes a look at another turbulent seven days for la Vecchia Signora and asks if the major summer signing should take a seat on the bench.

For the first few weeks of the season, one name was on the lips of Juventus fans: Diego. The little Brazilian was setting the league ablaze, leading his new club to back-to-back victories in Rome against Roma and Lazio. Since those games, however, Mr. Ribas da Cunha has faltered.

The team has been moulded around him from Day One of the season. A new 4-3-1-2 formation seemed to be a perfect fit during those two victories in the Eternal City. Then Juve stuttered to a number of draws and it was time to start over.

So coach Ciro Ferrara tried again, this time putting Diego in the centre of a 4-2-3-1. Results picked up, but the man in question still floundered. Then the talk was of how the returning il Capitano, Alessandro Del Piero, would fit into the Bianconeri forward line. The new system of a lone-striker being supported by a trident made up of Diego, Sebastien Giovinco, and Mauro German Camoranesi meant someone had to miss out.

The obvious choice was Giovinco; the youngster had been in poor form in recent weeks, contributing little and often being replaced by the more defense-oriented Paolo De Ceglie during matches. During training sessions all week, Del Piero was deployed in the Atomic Ant's usual role.

Come game time on Sunday evening, however, Giovinco was there in his usual role. Juventus laboured to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Fabio Grosso goal after the four attacking players created few chances. Del Piero did make a substitute appearance, taking over from Giovinco down the left as expected.

Then it was Bordeaux on Wednesday night, who gave Turin's Old Lady a footballing lesson. Juve were never in the game and lost 2-0, a scoreline that hid the true tale of French dominance. Del Piero did start on the left this time, but the whole team struggled, none more than Diego

Ferrara clearly shoulders some of the blame here, struggling to find a system to bring out the best from his players. However, you have to look at the problems besieging the new coach. Injuries have ravaged the squad, while Diego and his compatriot, Felipe Melo, are both struggling for form.

He has spent this week defending himself from all angles. The fans, press, and even Diego have all had their say. Ferrara himself has kept his dignity, stating that his team is "neither unbeatable, nor a disaster," but he needs to find a solution quickly.

Tomorrow's game with Cagliari offers the team and coach a last chance to reorganise ahead of two games that may come to define their season. First, Inter in the league, currently enjoying a five-point gap—anything less than victory there will see Mourinho's machine bully its way to yet another Serie A title at a stroll. Then Munchen, with Juventus needing to avoid defeat to qualify for the knockout stage.

Here is where the coach has to make a few difficult decisions. First, I would say Christian Poulsen ought to start in Melo's place in central midfield. After baffling everyone for well over a season, the much-maligned Dane has found his form at last. He also has stated his determination to prove his worth, a quality seemingly lacking in other Bianconeri players.

Then comes the big one. Bench Diego.

Surely, with him so badly out of form and the side struggling in attack, something has to change. Shaking the belief of guaranteed places never does any harm, and the same goes for rewarding good form. Putting the trequartista out of the side would allow a return to 4-4-2, with Camoranesi and Giovinco continuing out wide, while Del Piero can add more of a goal threat alongside Amauri.

It seems almost sacrilegious to suggest, but I feel that it will benefit the team as a whole. Sissoko is a must, while Marchisio will also play his way back gradually from injury. Anyone believing Del Piero is past his best needs to remember he has been top scorer in the league for two of the past three years.

Bench the €25 million new star, rely on the 35-year-old club legend. Hardly original, but there it is, my solution to my team's woes. In Black and White.

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A Serie A Resurgence in the Champions League?

Ryan Popilchak — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:58:54 -0500

In the past few years, the Serie A has been relegated to a second-tier player in the UEFA Champions League. Back in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons of the tournament, the Serie A held three of the eight quarter-final spots and in both seasons had a team in the semifinals or finals.

In the previous three seasons, the clubs of calcio have been successful in navigating the group stages but have lost in the first knockout round all too often. The 2006-07 tournament proved to be the beginning of a downward spiral. Despite Milan winning it all, a promising Roma team was humiliated 7-1 in the second leg of the tie against Manchester United, after winning 2-1 in the first leg.

With the Premier League dominating the final four the last few years and La Liga producing a dominating champion, Barcelona, along with a newly built Madrid powerhouse, it didn’t look like a promising year for Serie A. It was especially dismal since two of the leagues best players, Kaka and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were sold to La Liga clubs in the summer transfer period.

With only one match left in the group stage, it appears to be time for some guarded optimism on the peninsula.

Fiorentina has already qualified for the knockout stages, with Inter, Juventus, and Milan all controlling their own destiny against lesser opponents. It is by no means a guarantee, given that Rubin Kazan is fully capable of giving Inter fits, Juventus must play a past champion in Bayern Munich and Milan lost to Zurich earlier in the competition.

That said, the Serie A clubs will be favored in all three matches.

Another reason the Italian teams could make a deep run into the Champions League is the change in level of competition. In the past few years, the Premier League clubs were clearly the strongest and with the most depth. With the exception of Chelsea, the rest of the Big Four appear to be having a down year.

Liverpool has already been knocked out, while both Manchester United and Arsenal have suffered from the loss of experienced talent in the transfer market. Either team could still make a run but aren’t as imposing as they were in years past.

So, if Serie A is to return to prominence, who will it be? For starters, I believe all four clubs have the talent and form to make it to the quarter-finals, which would be a success on its own.

The teams with the best combination of talent, depth and a secure position in the Serie A table are Inter and Juventus. They could reasonably sustain a prolonged Champions League run while still battling for top spot in the league.

Milan have a great Champions League history and a starting 11 capable of winning some close matchups, but the depth is not available along the backline or in the wide attacking positions. This could force key players like Nesta, Pato, and Ronaldinho to tire as the season goes on.

The Viola are the most intriguing squad of all in my mind. They have played stunningly in the Champions League and appear ready to unleash one of the world’s best young players in Stevan Jovetic. If you haven’t seen him play, watch this clip . He is capable of creating goals out of nothing and has the fire to compete on any level.

Cesare Prandelli has his team playing with great movement and organization, to the point that they are a nightmare match up for any team in the draw. They will be the underdog against any of the bigger clubs, but stand a puncher’s chance against anybody.

While it's hardly a foregone conclusion, the 2009-10 campaign could be remembered as the year the Seria A cam back into prominence.

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Captain Francesco Totti Returns To Ensure Roma Remains Best in the World

Barney — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:48:56 -0500

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC ) witnessed another defence yesterday as champions Roma took on Bari at the Stadio Olimpico.

Both teams would have been eager to hit the ground running after the international break and, although Roma were coming into this match on the back of an impressive draw with league leaders Inter Milan, they were by no means clear favourites.

Bari started the match three points better off than their opponents and, despite playing at a ground in which they had never won, manager Giampiero Ventura would have been hopeful of grabbing something from the game.

He didn't count on the returning Francesco Totti immediately hitting his best form, however, as the captain helped Roma cruise to a 3-1 win.

Totti had been missing for a number of weeks due to injury, and all eyes were on him to see whether he could jump straight back into the type of form that has made him a hero at the club.

He didn't disappoint.

But Mirko Vucinic almost stole the spotlight within the first two minutes. As Roma made their attacking intent clear from the first whistle, Vucinic took the ball past two defenders before curling a delicate shot towards the bottom right corner from the edge of the box, only to see it bounce back off the foot of the post.

Bari had a fantastic chance of their own a little over a minute later in a frantic opening to the match.

A lovely through ball found Barreto's run but the Brazilian striker shot straight at Julio Sergio.

Roma took full advantage of this let-off just minutes later after a mistake by Andrea Ranocchia.

The Bari defender was caught in possession by the ever-alert Vucinic who continued to burst into the box, only to be brought down by goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet, although replays suggested very little contact.

The stage was set for the returning hero to step up and, sure enough, Totti converted the spot-kick with typical aplomb after just six minutes.

Less than ten minutes later, Totti showed his quality once more from another set-piece. This time it was a free-kick just outside the box, which was laid off to him before the talismanic skipper hammered it past Gillet.

Despite Totti and Roma looking in ominous form, Bari weren't ready to throw the towel in just yet and, but for a magnificent piece of goalkeeping from Sergio, they would have been right back in it.

Antonio Langella got on the end of a cross at the back post, connecting perfectly with a volley only to see Sergio demonstrate unbelievable reflexes to claw the ball out from underneath the crossbar.

Sergio's opposite number was soon in action again, this time courtesy of Jeremy Menez's low strike, which Gillet turned round the post.

But no matter how many cameos either 'keeper, or indeed any other player, made, it was always going to be the Totti show, and Il Capitano capped the perfect return with another stunning goal before halftime.

After a moment of pinball inside the Bari penalty area, the ball fell to Totti who, from a tight angle, fired it home with deadly accuracy and power to complete a stunning hat-trick.

While the match had gone better than he could have dreamed of, he could, and perhaps should, have extended his tally.

After finding space on the right hand side, he shot powerfully, but this time Gillet was equal to it, beating the ball away.

Bari had a chance to salvage a glimmer of hope before halftime when Barreto brilliantly slipped in again, but, as with his earlier chance, he shot straight at Sergio.

With such an action-packed first half, it was a wonder the players had anything left for the second, but they did and it was Bari who came out fighting.

Vladimir Koman threatened on occasion, working Sergio, before the Roma 'keeper was well and truly beaten by Sergio Almiron. Fortunately for the home side, Almiron's thunderous effort from long range cannoned back off the crossbar and Roma escaped with their three-goal lead intact.

And they looked content to sit back and defend that lead, which inevitably handed the attacking initiative over to Bari.

Koman had another good chance after a momentary lack of concentration in the Roma defence as they all left a wayward back-pass from Nicholas Burdisso for each other, allowing the Hungarian Koman to steal in. Once again, however, Sergio was equal to the task.

Bari finally got the deserved breakthrough on the 75 minute mark when Roma's Marco Andreolli inadvertently headed in from a corner for an own goal.

Totti's brilliant hat-trick was only the third in UWCC history, following in the footsteps of Darren Bent and Steven Gerrard, and the first of this season, while the same applies for Marco Andreolli's own goal, with only Jamie Carragher and Kolo Toure having netted at the wrong end in a UWCC title match before.

Totti's penalty was also the 16th penalty in UWCC history, becoming the eighth different player to score from the spot.

For once, the majority of voters in the poll correctly predicted that Bari wouldn't be able to take the title off Roma, so well done to the 77.8 percent of you who got the right answer!

Roma's run

Roma 2-1 Fulham (Roma become new champions)

Inter Milan 1-1 Roma

Roma 3-1 Bari

( Click here to see the complete history of Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship)

Roma's next title defence comes next Sunday as they travel to face Atalanta. Can Atalanta become the best team in the world?!

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Juventus-Udinese: Ratings in Black and White

Adamo Digby — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:31:51 -0500

After the International break it was vital Juventus got back to winning ways immediately to keep up the pressure on Inter. Udinese were the visitors to Turin's Olympic Stadium on Sunday night and made Juventus work hard for the points.

In the end Fabio Grosso's goal was enough to seal the win. Adamo Digby rates the players as always.

Gianluigi Buffon: 6.5

Very little to do for Superman, but still made two vital blocks to help secure the points. Seemed aware he'd be redundant for long spells—wearing sweat pants instead of shorts to keep out the cold!

Biggest involvement came when he sent the Captains armband to Del Piero, only to have it returned due to a petty rule stating captain can only be changed if he is substituted.

Martin Caceres: 6.5

Started well defensively and looked solid throughout. His attacking contribution was poor in the first half, but improved drastically after the interval. Provided a number of good crosses, one of which set up Grosso's goal. Good to see him lose the mask, he is now clearly the first choice at right back.

Fabio Grosso: 8.5

Brilliant all-round performance from a player who seemed to be struggling for form before the international break. This was probably his best game for Juventus so far, giving away nothing in defence and pressed forward all night, providing the width Juve sometimes lack.

A great run into the box, and an even better finish, gave him his first goal in Bianconeri. After Del Piero's introduction he worked even harder to cover the ground behind il Capitano. PLAYER OF THE DAY

Giorgio Chiellini: 8

The break for Italy games has done nothing to break the consistency of Juve's best player so far this season. Another game, another great contribution from the clubs best defender. Some hard tackles, but always fair, not only shut out his own man but covered a number of times when Caceres and Cannavaro made mistakes. His partnership with the Italian captain becomes better every game.

Fabio Cannavaro: 6.5

A quiet night for the defender, Chiellini marked Udinese's lone striker and didn't need any help. Stopped a few attacks with his superb reading of the game. Always one step ahead tonight, which stopped the opposition exploiting his lack of speed.

Felipe Melo: 5.5

Seems unable to play at his best without Sissoko, tries to hard to make an impact instead of keeping it simple. His defensive work was as solid as ever but his passing was very poor, giving the ball away numerous times.

Was taken off early to give Sissoko a run out, hopefully the two will be reunited against Bordeaux. That should see the real Melo return.

Christian Poulsen: 7

Better than Melo, and one of his best games so far, he put in some good passes, one great one picking out Caceres in the build up to the goal. Provided good cover for the defence all night, and maintained a good level of performance throughout the match.

Diego: 6

Played well in spurts but simply not his night. Became frustrated at the number of fouls he suffered and got involved in a needless scrape with the Udinese goalkeeper after a silly foul of his own. Seemed to come to life in the short time he and Del Piero were on the field together. Needs to do more than this to command games like we know he can.

Mauro Camoranesi: 7

Played another good game, lots of creativity, lots of running. Helps Caceres defensively and always provides an option out wide in attack. The system is bringing the best out of him and he is consistently good in his new role.

Sebastian Giovinco: 5.5

Many were surprised to see him start tonight, as Del Piero was widely expected to play from the beginning. Had a good chance in the first half which was well saved, but then did very little. Needed a good performance to keep his place but came up short, and will probably be the one sacrificed for Del Piero.

Amauri: 7

Worked hard and probably deserved a goal for his efforts. Will need to be on form over the next month with Iaquinta and Trezeguet injured. Unlucky not to score when a great move down the left gave him a smart chance.

Substitutes

Del Piero 6.5

Great to see his return, his leadership greatly missed. Vital he contributes in the coming weeks.

Sissoko: 7.5

Came on for Melo and was everything the Brazilian wasn't. Another who's been sorely missed.

De Ceglie: NM

No time to have any influence on the game as he came on late.

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Juventus-Udinese: Fabio Grosso's Goal Sees Juve Stay Five Points Behind Inter

Danny Penza — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:43:08 -0500

As we have seen over the course of the season, when Juventus came out of the international break, they look like a completely different team compared to the one that entered it.

The trend continued on Sunday when a mediocre Juve side-grinded out a 1-0 win over Udinese on a cool and foggy night in Turin.

From the start, Juve established possession. Diego tried to catch Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic napping with a cross-shot less than a minute in. However, the effort was moving right as it got closer to the goal and only found side netting.

The Brazilian playmaker again came close to opening the scoring five minutes in, with a right-footed blast from the top of the box, stinging Handanovic's hands.

Juventus again had a chance from a tight angle to score, this time with Sebastian Giovinco on the left side of goal. The diminutive Italian playmaker shot from a tight angle, but Handanovic wasn't troubled at the near post and smothered Giovinco's shot.

But then after that, the game began to turn into slop with bad passes and clearances, poor field conditions, and not many scoring opportunities. It just showed the international break was taking its effect on both of the teams.

Juventus didn't get their next chance to score until the 37th minute. And what a glorious chance it was. After some slick combination play from Mauro Camoranesi, Diego, and Giovinco, Camoranesi sent in a great cross that found Amauri unmarked in the six-yard box. However, the big Brazilian striker couldn't get a foot on it and saw the ball hit off his knee and go right into Handanovic's hands.

It was a play that summed up Amauri's night, as he was one of the worst players on the field. Other than that one chance, he barely saw the ball.

The first half ended with some bad blood, after both Diego and Handanovic were booked after the Brazilian nicked the keeper in the head trying to chase down the ball. Diego was first shown a yellow but then Handanovic was also shown one after getting to his feet and letting the Juve playmaker know how he felt about the incident.

Juve broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half, when Fabio Grosso scored his first goal in a Juve uniform. Fellow fullback Martin Caceres, who was great in the second half, sent in a pinpoint cross to Grosso. The Italian international was not only unmarked in the six-yard box, but also had a wide open goal to shoot at; he burried it with authority.

The stoppage after the goal allowed Ciro Ferrara to introduce Captain Alessandro Del Piero back into action. The Juve idol had only played 10 minutes this season and, from what he was saying in the press leading up to the match, he was itching to get back on the field.

Del Piero's effect was felt almost immediately as Juve came close to doubling their lead. After a combination play from Del Piero and Diego resulted in a loose ball, Momo Sissoko grabbed a hold of one and sent it screaming just over the crossbar.

However, Udinese came right back with a chance of their own when Antonio Floro Flores sent a rocket in towards the Juventus goal. Gianluigi Buffon looked to have a little trouble reading the direction it was heading, but saved the shot by sticking out his back foot.

Juve again had a chance to double the lead with 15 minutes to go. Off a Del Piero corner, Camoranesi's header deflected off of Udinese defender Dusan Basta's head. An alert, Handanovic made a fine save to prevent an own goal as the ball was heading towards to back post.

Diego had a fine chance with 10 minutes to go, after shaking two defenders. However, once he finally got a shooting lane, there wasn't much on the attempt and it went right at Handanovic.

And much like a good portion of Juve's games, there was drama at the end. In stoppages, the Friulani came close to equalizing it after a mad scramble in the box. Juve supporters had their hearts in their throats thinking another possible three points was going to get away from them, but Buffon smothered the ball and prevented any shot on goal.

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