Juventus: Serie A's Only Hope

Last year was the worst season for Serie A in Europe in a long time. Spain and England had all four teams advance through the group stage, while Serie A had three.

In the round of sixteen, all three Italian sides came up short against their English opponents. Roma should have beaten Arsenal, but in football as in life, things don’t always go the way they are supposed to.

Inter could only finish second with two wins in a group composed with the second tier teams of Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, and Anorthosis Famagusta. Not that I am saying Panathinaikos or Werder Bremen are bad teams, but this is Inter Milan. They won the Italian league two years in a row.

At least Juve and Roma won their groups and had to face Real Madrid and Chelsea, respectively. After Inter’s poor group form, they couldn’t score once against Manchester United. Juventus didn’t show any hunger in London, but really brought it to Chelsea in Torino. If Chiellini never gets that red card, things could have ended differently

As poor as this past Champions League was for Italy, Juventus showed they can still compete with the best. They played very well against Chelsea and with some luck, could have advanced.

In the last two years since Calciopoli, only three of their summer signings have proven to be effective. Sissoko came through a lot of adversity and now holds down the middle of the field. Amauri was everything he was cracked up to be, scoring fourteen goals in all competitions. Iaquinta hasn’t been given many opportunities to shine but when he plays he comes through. He was able to find the back of the net sixteen times. So even with aging players, poor signings, and a shaky coach, Juventus made some noise last year.

Juventus still finished second in the league while playing the entire first half without the number one goalkeeper. They never lost to Milan, Roma or Fiorentina. In addition the one loss against Inter was from a goal that Manninger watched role by him as he petitioned for an offsides. Juve always plays well against the better opponents. However they lacked some tiny pieces to win trophies.

I expect next year will be a great year for Juventus. Buffon will still be Buffon. He will be available all year and his shot stopping ability is still the best. Cannavaro is not what he used to be, but his leadership and  big game experience will be much needed in that unreliable Juve backline. He can control the defense especially in the Champions league.

In addition, his abilities will help develop Chiellini into the world’s best defender. If Chiellini can play as smart as Cannavaro he will make fewer mistakes, especially against teams like Chelsea and will be hard for any team, Europe or Italy, to get by.

Sissoko will come back healthy and be just as effective. His knowledge of the premeirship was needed in that second game against Chelsea. That will prove vital in the Champions league, especially against EPL teams.

Camoranesi still has some gas left in the tank. Amauri, Iaquinta, and Trezeguet are all great strikers, regardless which ones actually end up playing next year. Amauri can break down any Serie A defense. Diego brings in that much needed creativity to the midfield as well as 21 goals last season. He is a very talented player capable of making some big plays this upcoming season.

Alessandro Del Piero can never be counted as washed up. He has the hunger to win and the skill to do so. He still led the team with 22 goals in all competitions. De Ceglie is young and has tons of time to grow. He could mature into a big time player.

Finally we come to Giovinco. Sebastian Giovinco has everything needed to be great. He is fast, can shake players, and has a great shot. He made some moves against Chelsea and came close to putting Juve up by two, which would have changed the momentum of the game. Once he gets more constant playing time, there will be nothing that can stop him.

Next year Juve will have some good players that will make a great team. They have a team that can make people want to watch serie A. Expect them to be big time competitors for both the league and Europe.