Juventus Must Rebound

Juventus suffered a disappointing midweek loss to Atletico Madrid in their Champions League match up. While controlling most of the possession, Juventus looked lethargic and short of ideas in the final third. The 1-0 result marked the first competitive loss for Max Allegri and Juventus this season, as well as the first goal conceded by Gigi Buffon since April, 2014. However, attention must swiftly turn towards high flying Roma, who visit Turin this weekend. It is essential for Juventus to get a positive result against arguably their only rival in Serie A this season.

Keys to the game

1. Make the possession count: The loss against Atletico Madrid was the first time Juventus didn’t convert their possession into goals. I expect Juventus to have majority of the possession against Roma this weekend, therefore, it is important to convert them into meaningful attacks that ends up with the ball in the back of the net.

2. Avoid a slow start: What I fear most in this game is a slow start by Juventus and Roma getting an early goal. The Juventus defence is good but Roma also have a high octane offence. The only time Juventus fell behind in a game this season, they ended up losing it. Going behind to a side like Roma early might make it a difficult night for the players and fans alike.

3. Track the runs: Roma is all about pace. Players such as Gervinho and Iturbe use their pace to get behind the defence again and again. With quality midfielders like Pjanic distributing passes, it is essential for the Juventus backline to limit the runs by the Roma widemen. 100% focus will be required throughout the 90 mins to get a positive result this Sunday.

Juventus have been in somewhat of a similar position only a few years ago. Things started off with a bang under former boss Ciro Ferrera before his bubble got burst with a few draws and losses and Juventus struggled to 7th place in Serie A. While the quality of the squad is much more improved, so are the expectations. Many people expressed doubts when Max Allegri was appointed coach and he received criticism from many after the first loss. Can he silence those critics and prove that the loss was merely a bump in the road? Or will this unmask some of the tactical deficiencies of Allegri? Regardless, given the talent and experience this squad has, it is certain that anything below 1st place in the League and Last 8 in the CL will be considered a failure.

Why Juventus Must Keep Paul Pogba at All Costs

When Paul Pogba arrived at Juventus, no one expected much out of the 19 year old. Most people expected him to be part of the primavera or loaned/co-owned out to another serie a team. It was a surprise to many when the transfer window ended and Pogba was still in the first team. After all, the player himself had said that he had left Manchester because he wanted to play more but Juventus had one of the MVP midfield which many considered to be the best in the world. Surely the place to get playing time for a young midfielder wasn’t Juventus. Pogba stunned the world as he managed to make 27 appearances throughout the season. He even played in place of the suspended Vidal against the eventual European Champions, Bayern Munich, in the quarter finals. He was one of the few Juventus players who put in a fine display that night. After a successful season, Pogba captained the France U-20 team to the U-20 World Cup and was also named as the player of the tournament. Despite not receiving much rest over the summer, Pogba started the 13-14 season brightly. He came on in the 23rd minute for the injured Claudio Marchisio against Lazio in the Supercoppa and scored the opening goal of the game moments later. He also grabbed an assist as Juventus thrashed Lazio 4-0. Pogba’s run of form continued and he did the unthinkable. At the time of his arrival, no one thought that in a year Pogba would dethrone one of the MVP trio. Pogba’s abilities seemed to have no limit. He ran rampant against Real Madrid in the Champions League as he proved his qualities against the eventual champions. In December, Pogba was named the Golden Boy of 2013. He went on to finish the 13-14 season with a whopping 9 goals and 16 assists and was an important part of the French team that reached the quarter finals of the World Cup. This summer, Juventini were left devastated by the departure of Antonio Conte.There was speculation that Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba would leave. Pogba immediately ruled out the possibility of leaving this year but said that he can give no guarantees about the future.

When it comes to building for Champions League success, a team has two options: buy star players so you can win it now or buy and develop prospects so you can win it in the future. As we have seen this summer, Juventus are building a team for the future. Marotta & co have some of the most promising youngsters on their books including the likes of Morata, Berardi, Zaza, Gabbiadini, Coman, Sturaro, Rugani, and Leali. The plan at Juventus is to build a team that can continue to succeed in Europe instead of one like Inter that managed to win the treble and then burned out. The center of this project must be Pogba. He is undoubtedly one of the stars of not only today, but the future. He has improved all aspects of his game to become a complete player. He can outmuscle many midfielders and outthink the rest. His reading of the game, defending, passing, dribbling, and creativity definitely makes him one of the best box to box midfielders in the world. He is dedicated athlete and a dedicated player. When he was struggling with too much playing time and not enough rest, he hired a personal trainer to help him learn how to cope and adapt. After every game, he goes through the footage and looks at the mistakes he made so he can improve. He is a model for all youngsters around the world and would be the ideal leader of a young Juventus team looking to take its place alongside the giants of world football. However, the Juventus board has to make Pogba feel like they match his ambition. When asked about his goals for the season, he said he dreams of winning the Champions League. It’s an unlikely target for this season but the Juventus board have to make Pogba feel like they match his ambition. Knowing his agent is Mino Raiola, Juventus have to be ready for Raiola parading Pogba around Europe, hoping to fatten his own pocket. They also have to be ready to turn down any bid, no matter how tantalizing. If Juventus really do need to sell a star player for funds, they would be better off selling Vidal and keeping Pogba. Even though Vidal has been the player who has become the symbol of Juventus over the past few years and probably is the most complete player in the world, at the age of 27, he has already entered his prime. His non-stop running and physical style of play won’t be the same after a few years. On the other hand, Pogba has quite a few years ahead of him before he even enters his prime. If Juventus do choose to sell Pogba, they just might have to kiss their Champions League dream goodbye.

 

This blog was a guest post. Want to write for Juventus Matters? Contact @juvematter

Juventus Edge Chievo in Serie A Opener

Juventus emerged 1-0 winners away to Chievo Verona in the opening game of Serie A season 2014-2015 although the slim margin of victory does not even come close to justifying the dominant performance that Juventus put on display. The Old Lady hit the post 3 times, had the ball cleared off the line once and missed many more chances to extend their league but hung on for the three points. There was a scare later on when Chievo’s only real chance of the game fell to Maxi Lopez who forced Gigi Buffon into a spectacular point-blank save from close range. In the end, a Martin Caceres header off a Carlos Tevez corner was enough to start Juve’s season with a W (Serie A later awarded the goal to Chievo’s keeper as an own-goal). Some quick thoughts on the game below:

– Max Allegri’s teams are known for their slow start but Juventus looked lively from the get-go and played with great intensity throughout the game. Aside from a couple of early mishaps at the back (I’m looking at you, Bonucci), Juventus looked solid and composed in all departments. They seemed to kick into an additional gear while attacking, with Stephen Lichtsteiner finding space on the right flank again and again. New wonderkid Kingsley Coman and Tevez provided speed and flare when attacking Chievo’s defense, backed by Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal, who kept finding the room to make runs into the box repeatedly. Juventus had a dominant last season but, dare I say, they looked even better in today’s outing in Verona.

– Allegri also decided to stick with a 3-5-2, ditching his preferred 4-man defense for this game. Whether Allegri has decided that his squad is better suited to a 3-5-2 or whether injuries prevented him from fielding a 4-3-2-1 remains to be seen, but it is encouraging to see that he can mix up formations if needed.

– Arturo Vidal’s knee looks to be 100% fit as he was all over the pitch, sliding into tackles and creating opportunities upfront. Vidal had a shot cleared off the line and then hit the upright with a header from the resulting corner. Juventus fans are delighted to see King Arturo back in action with the black and white jersey.

– In Pirlo’s absence, Claudio Marchisio played the role of a deep lying midfielder while his comrades Pogba and Vidal found more freedom to venture forward with their attacking runs. Marchisio did a good job, repeatedly picking the ball up from inside his own half and distributing it efficiently with a pass completion of 90%. He also had a shot on goal early on that just fizzled over the bar.

Overall, Juventus will be pleased with how they kicked off their League campaign. Their performance will help calm down some of the fears of the Bianconeri fans that were highly critical of the hiring of Max Allegri. While Juve were a bit unlucky in front of goal today, they still need to learn to put away their chances before it comes back to haunt them in a crucial match. Once Juve recovers injured stars like Andrea Pirlo, Andrea Barzagli and Alvaro Morata, it will be interesting to see how high the ceiling is for this team.

 

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Coman Takes Serie A By Surprise

18 year old Frenchman, Kingsley Coman, made a sensational debut for Juventus in their 1-0 win over Chievo Verona in the first Serie A game of the season. Coman was a surprise starter ahead of Sebastian Giovinco in the line up but fully justified his selection by Coach Allegri with some deft touches, quick turns and exhibiting the confidence to take a shot at goal. Beppe Marotta has received some criticism for the transfer campaign thus far but him, and assistant Fabio Paratici, have yet again shown an eye for talent after the success of Paul Pogba. Better yet, just like Pogba, Coman also arrived on a free transfer to Turin.

Coman got involved into the game early, making runs into space and linking up well with Tevez in the middle and Lichtsteiner down the right flank. His constant movement caused problems for the Chievo defenders, which created space for other Juventus players coming forward. On three separate occasions, Coman came close to scoring a goal. For the first chance, he showed exquisite control by bringing down a looping Pogba pass over the middle, cutting right and taking the shot that was deflected just over the bar. For the second, he played a one-two with Tevez but faked a return pass to the Argentine, turned quickly onto his left and stung the goalkeeper’s hands with a powerful shot. Not only did he display his quickness and the ability to create his own shot, but Coman showed that he can hit the ball well with both feet. For the third chance, Coman created space when one on one with the defender and hit a powerful right-footed shot that just fizzled past the post.

These are encouraging signs for a Juventus team that failed to be effective up front in Europe last season. Coman exhibited a skill set that is different than the other strikers on the roster and above all, showed maturity that belied his young age. Now it is important that Juventus allow Coman to grow without putting too much pressure on him. That means rethinking their pursuit of Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, whose arrival will undoubtedly limit Coman’s time on the pitch. That also means not relegating Coman to the bench as soon as he has a bad game or two. Grooming and developing Coman now becomes a responsibility for Allegri and his staff, one that should not be taken lightly. His emergence can pay dividends this season and in the future for Juventus.

A Group of Champions

Italian champions Juventus were paired today with the champions of Spain, Atletico Madrid, the champions of Greece, Olympiacos and the champions of Sweden, Malmo in Group A of the 2014-2015 edition of UEFA Champions League. While Atletico Madrid were finalists last year and will be tough customers, Allegri will overall be pleased with the prospect of playing Olympiacos and Malmo. Juventus, and their fans, know that they ended up in a relatively easy group and expectations will be to qualify and even top the group.

Having said that, Juventus were in a relatively easy group with Real Madrid their main competition last year. However, as well all know, they failed to get past the group stages, crashing out to Galatasaray in the last game in Turkey. This time around, Juventus’ last game will be against Atletico Madrid at home and here’s hoping that Juventus will be looking to top the group in that game instead of looking to get out of the group. Below is Juventus’s CL schedule:

16/09 Malmo (H)

01/10 Atletico (A)

22/10 Olympacios (A)

4/11 Olympiakos (H)

26/11 Malmo (A)

9/12 Atletico (H)

 

It goes without saying that Juventus need maximum points from their 2 encounters each with Malmo and Olympiacos. Just like last year, anything below that can complicate matters for Juventus. Juve have won 3 Serie A titles in a row, but the Bianconeri fans are desperate for success in the CL. With latest reports suggesting that Vidal will stay at Vinovo, and Marotta’s transfer campaign to add decent depth across all departments, Juventus fans will be hoping for a deeper run in Europe this time around.

Do you think Juventus are good enough to make some noise in the Champions League this season? Vote and comment below!

Garage Sale

Over the past three years, Juventus have brought in many players, spending a significant amount of money in the process. This summer alone, Juventus have spent roughly €41m on incoming players. But how does Sporting Director Beppe Marotta fare when it comes to selling players surplus to requirements at Vinovo?

Juventus have raised €32.5m through a host of sales in this transfer market. Most of the cash came from the sales of Ciro Immobile for €8m, Simone Zaza for €7.5m (althought Juventus have a buy back option for €15m), Fredrico Peluso for €6.5m and Mirko Vucinic for €6m.

In summer of 2013, Juvnetus raised €26.75 million through the sales of Alessandro Matri for €11m, Felipe Melo for €3.75m, Emanuele Giaccherini for €7.5m and Luca Marrone in a co-ownership deal for €4.5m.

In summer of 2012, Juventus raised €20.55m when showing the door to 17 players and in the summer of 2011, they raised a mere  €20m while clearing a whopping 30 players of their roster.

So why am I throwing a bunch of numbers at you? Well, there’s a certain trend to be observed in all these four transfer markets under Beppe Marotta (I am ignoring his first one as he had little time and a big job to do). Marotta has shown an inability to effectively clear these players off Juve’s book on a permanent basis. And when he has been able to achieve that, they have been let go at huge discounts. Let’s look at a few examples:

Ciro Immboile was the top scorer in Serie A last year and moved to Brossuia Dortmund for €19m this summer. Since Juve only owned 50% of his contract, they made somewhere around €8m in profit. One has to wonder how a top scorer in Serie A can be let go of so cheaply, especially when you consider that David Luiz was bought by PSG for €50m…

Felipe Melo was a guy that Juventus payed a cool €25m to bring to Turin. Marotta loaned him to Galatasaray in 2011 with an option to buy at the end of the year. The Turkish club refused to make the move permanent but offered another loan-with-option-to-buy deal. Marotta, unable to find other suitors for Melo even after a decent season in Turkey, agreed to the deal. Well, at the end of the year Galatasaray yet again refused to meet the fee for the Brazilian. Eventually, they made the move permanent on a discounted price of only €3.75m.

Mirko Vucinic was sold to money-rich UAE club Al Jazira for €6m. Though he isn’t the same player as of two years ago, many were disappointed that Marotta was only able to fetch €6m from an Arabian outfit, who are generally known for their deep pockets. Could Marotta have gotten more for Vucinic? Certainly. Only 8 months ago, Juventus and Inter had agreed to a straight swap between Vucinic and Freddy Guarin. Zeint St. Petersburg just bid €12m for Guarin. Surely that means that Marotta could have worked for double the amount of what Juventus received for Vucinic.

Then there comes a line of players that Marotta was unable to offload and are either 1) still on Juve’s book or 2) were let go for free or on huge discounts on their original transfer fees. Paolo De Ceglie, Marco Motta (one has to wonder about the length of contract he signed with Juventus!), Amauri, Almiron, Iaquinta, Ziegler, Elia and Krasic are just some of the few names that Marotta had trouble shipping out of Turin.

Marotta has shown the ability to bring players to Turin and has built a squad that has won 3 Scudettos in a row. But there is no doubt that when it comes to selling players, he has shown a particular weakness, which can then translate into less € € € available in the transfer kitty. As the transfer market approaches an end for this summer, Marotta still has to find new homes for the likes of Pepe, De Ceglie, Motta, Ogbonna and Marrone that have been deemed surplus to requirements by Coach Allegri. Can he finish strong and find them permanent residence elsewhere? Or will Marco Motta be making a return from loan yet again in 2015…

Manning The Midfield

Juventus love to buy on the cheap. Bosmans, loan deals and paying low amounts for good to average players. This is the supposed strategy in times of a financial crunch that all Italian clubs currently find themselves in. But this same tactic can earn the club a lot of money, while minimizing the damage in the process. How? Let’s analyze the future of two certain midfielders…

Arturo Vidal has been the subject of one of the most speculative (and annoying if you are a Juventus fan) transfer stories this summer. Will he go or will he stay? No one is certain. The club has made it clear that it does not intend to sell Vidal. But rumors persist of an impending final (or first) bid from Manchester United in the excess of €50m. Not a lowly amount and a sum that Juventus will surely consider, despite the timing of the bid.

Now let’s catch a plane to Madrid. Sami Khedira has been linked with a Real Madrid exit since the World Cup, attracting bids from the Premier League. At certain times over the summer, it seemed that the German would sign with either Arsenal or Chelsea. But as things stand, he is still a Madrid player. However, his contract expires next year and he has rejected an extension at Madrid. What does that make him? A Bosman free transfer come next June. Beppe Marotta has already brought one high profile Bosman to Turin in Fernando Llorente. Can he get Khedira to Juventus? Why not? Sure, his move to the Premier League fell through due to his high wage demands. But if Juventus can make €50m or more from Vidal’s sale and get Khedira on a free, they can surely afford to pay him some big bucks.

Now the real question becomes…is Khedira as good of a midfielder as Vidal? No, he is not. Personally, I am one of those who believe that Vidal might just be the most complete midfielder in the sport today. But is Khedira a suitable replacement for Vidal? Yes, he is. He might not have as high of an impact on the team that Vidal currently has but let’s not forget: Khedira is fresh off of winning a Champions League and the World Cup. He is undoubtedly one of the top midfielders in the game and will be a good signing for Juventus.

What do you think of this strategy? Should Marotta sell Vidal and pursue Khedira next summer? Do comment and vote below!

Shaqiri Rumors Gather Pace

Xherdan Shaqiri’s proposed moved to Juventus seems to be picking up momentum as Sky Italia reported that Shaqiri has rejected advances from Atletico Madrid in order to force through a move to the Bianconeri.

The 22-year-old Swiss winger’s addition to Juventus will greatly enhance their ability upfront, with most pundits and armchair coaches agreeing that a fast wideman is one of the team’s dire needs. Shaqiri only arrived at Bayern Munich from FC Basel in 2012, costing the German side €11.6 m in the process. However, he has failed to establish himself in the star studded Bayern squad and is angling for a move away in order to be a more impactful player for his team. That he can certainly be at Juventus. I previously mentioned how Allegri’s preferred 4-3-2-1 seems to lack adequate width and will force Tevez to wander out wide, thus reducing his effectiveness. With Shaqiri, Juve will have someone who has a natural ability to receive the ball out wide and initiate plays from there.

Juventus fans have had their hopes dashed before (remember Aguero?), however this deal looks more realistic. The idea is to get Shaqiri on a loan with an option to buy. Bayern are looking for €23m for Shaqiri, but Juve are trying to negotiate the price down. Regardless, this is a signing that Marotta must make if he wants Juventus to be serious contenders in Europe next season.

King’s Debacle

As the transfer market comes to a close, rumors seem to be running wild. For Juventus, the most concerning ones surround the future of dynamic midfielder, Arturo Vidal. Latest rumors suggest that Manchester United are preparing one last bumper bid to take Vidal to Old Trafford. The money being mentioned seems to be in excess of €50m.

Personally, my opinion on Vidal’s sale has changed since the beginning of the market. Earlier I was fully against such a transaction but if Juventus receive a bid of €45m + a player of their choice, I will not be opposed to his sale, as long as that money is reinvested. Sure, Vidal has been one of our best, if not the best player, over the last couple of seasons. However, his non-committal attitude suggested that he himself would not have been opposed to such a move. In return, Juventus can acquire a striker (Chicarito) on a permanent basis while also having money to invest in this market or next.

I don’t expect Juventus to challenge for the CL this year and I think this squad has enough quality, even without Vidal, to win the Serie A yet again. Therefore, if there was ever a time to sell King Arturo, at 27 with a banged up knee and big money on offer, this would be it.

What do you make of this whole transfer saga? Should Juventus hold on to Vidal or make the most money off of him while they still can? Leave your opinion in the comments below!