ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - Juventus FC - Old Lady waves goodbye to last hope of silverware

Old Lady waves goodbye to last hope of silverware

Posted by Sumeet Paul on 01/28/2011

Elimination from the Europa League at the first hurdle, defeat at the hands of Roma in Turin on Thursday night in the Coppa Italia quarter-final, and about as much chance of winning the Scudetto as me admitting I love Inter. Looks like another season without a trophy for the Bianconeri.

Once again Juventini have been led down a road of promise and optimism, only to receive a hypothetical slap in the face with the harsh reality that we are still a fair distance behind our rivals. A disappointing campaign in Europe which ended before the turn of the year has been joined by an equally disappointing run in the Coppa Italia.

Now some will agree, others will disagree but while I’ve sat and watched events unfold this month in the transfer market – I see Antonio Cassano, Mark van Bommel and Urby Emanuelson arrive at Milanello, Giampaolo Pazzini (a long-term Juve target) soon to join Andrea Ranocchia at the Nerazzurri, and a resurgent Roma show that new faces aren’t always needed. Add to this Napoli and Lazio who just keep going. Meanwhile at Vinovo, we have seen two arrivals, one of whom is sat in the treatment room which is rumoured to be the location for filming for the next series of Grey’s Anatomy. Andrea Barzagli is a smart-buy in my opinion but this still doesn’t address the issue that the squad as a whole is not good enough. Granted a lot of money was spent in the summer, but have we really solved any of our problems?

Being nine points behind the leaders isn’t the end of the world, as shown last season Serie A is becoming highly competitive. However, while most look up the table – it is worth taking a peek at what’s behind, and it’s not a pretty sight. Palermo and Udinese are a solitary point, and two points behind Juve respectively. Juve face a very real challenge to finish in the top 7 this season and thus face the possibility of no European football next year.

Who knows, Del Neri & Co. might prove me wrong and mount a serious title challenge, but they need to return to the form of the beginning of the season. Sunday’s game against Udinese represents a huge test for the Bianconeri, one I hope they will pass with flying colours and one that marks the second wind in Del Neri’s first year in charge.

For those of you who missed the game - here are the highlights:

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Comments

Posted by iwc24 on 01/28/2011

honestly, i know many people say this about other teams but juve NEED a forward. Somebody that can score when things are not going well. Right now, they dont have that. Even with Toni back, he's not what they need. Add to that amauri and ianquita's horrible record, krasic not being a good finisher (he's more of a creator) and del piero can't carry the team anymore, no wonder juve is strugling. Your defense is not too bad esp with chiellini and bonucci in the middle. You also need a left winger/mid cuz everything dangerous either comes from krasic, aquilani or del piero(when he plays) so that becomes very easy to target for other teams. Also getting a player in the middle who can pass the ball other than aquilani would be a good idea. Leave the fullbacks for later. You should be good with grygera and motta for now

Posted by juventus10 on 01/29/2011

I agree with iwc24. We need a forward! As soon as I heard Quagliarella was injured, I knew that the rest of the season would be a struggle. Look at our forwards now! Iaquinta is one of the worst forwards I have seen. I never figured out why people like the guy! Then we have Amauri, who should be executed. He is the definition of useless. Now we have Toni. Toni! I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to describe how useless he is. At least we have Del Piero who is a beast, but is to old to do what he used to do. We have a solid midfield (as long we have Aquilani and Melo playing, Sissoko makes me depressed). The defense needs to be fixed up a little. Bonucci loses focus and makes stupid mistakes sometimes. But overall we have a solid base. Why do you think we did so well in the beginning? Its not liked we switched out all the players. It is still the same team. We just need a few guys that can put the ball in the goal! Our forwards now cant do it. Use some of the younger people!

Posted by Jose on 01/29/2011

@juventus10
this wouldn't be juve if we used younger people. we are in the habit of purchasing old players, shadows of their former selves. it's tradition :)

Posted by Bogz on 01/30/2011

Good article.
I just want to get your opinions on what Marrotta is doing. Much like Sumeet said:
Linked with Cassano, gone to Milan.
Linked with Pazzini, gone to Inter.
Linked with Adebayor, gone to Real.
Linked with Dzeko, gone to Man City.
Has Marrotta actually missed out on all three of these big name strikers which we need or does he have something else in the works?
Don't think there will be many better than that going around any time soon!

Posted by cheech on 01/30/2011

juventus10 that is a very good description of our striking department. amauri is a joke, you can no longer consider yourself a striker when own goals scores more than you have in the calender year

Posted by Juvefan10 on 02/01/2011

Now with Amauri out and Matri in,it seems that Juve have at least made one positive signing up top. It would have been nice to have on more striker, because Iaquinta and Toni are garbage and Del Piero can't put the team on his back every game. However things have become critical. The goal now is for Champions League qualification. They cannot continue to drop points. This next game against Palermo will be a challenge, going into Sicily and winning is no easy task especially when Palermo is sitting one point back. It is a must win.

Posted by James on 02/03/2011

After watching Juves' defeat by Palermo I wonder about the future of the squad. I have seen worse games played but also better. Although Matri didnt take full advantage of his ball possessions he showed above average promise and pretty good ball awareness. With Krasic as a creator and Matri playing center Juve could have a chance of putting points up. Matri just needs a little time to practice with the team and the team needs a little time to see what Matri is capable of in practice and on the pitch. I am also in agreement that Amauri and Iaquinta are not a good fit for Juve. The manager should take a minute and think about the future of the squad because from the look of it there will be no champions or europa league in the next couple of years.

Posted by Franco on 02/05/2011

The performance of Juve has been heart breaking.
Firstly,we need to stop conceding goals,i have never believed in big names,what i value is discipline,and thats exactly what we need.The approach of the club should focus on a tight disciplned defence to stop the team lossing and reinforce confidence.A 1 on 1 defence strategy will be ideal,better to draw a game than lose 3 valuable points...it totally kills confidence and mural,this is a persistent problem in the team at present.Secondly,we need a very creative mid-fielder, someone whom has joy in creating chances for the forwards.With this approach,the more chances created,the better the scoring opportunities its all about improving your probability.All these roles do not need a new buy all we need is to train our assets for these roles.
Finally we need optimum fitness to be able to achieve these targets,harsh as it may sound i recommend more fitness training to compensate for defensive frialties.Formation(5-4-1 Defence,4-3-3 Attack)

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