Socrates

‘Angry’ Tudor defends Juventus trio: “Better than anyone else” Juventus manager Igor Tudor was upset with his team after squandering the lead against Villarreal in the dying minutes. Following the 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund on the opening day, the Bianconeri were very close to securing their first Champions League victory of the season, as they turned the result upside-down after the break, mostly thanks to Francisco Conceicao’s introduction. ............ After the encounter, Tudor admitted that the late goal was hard to swallow, while praising Conceicao for the great impact he made following his entry. “I’m angry about that goal, you can’t concede it like that at the end,” said the Croatian manager in his post-match interview. “We pushed hard in the second half. We’ll take a point and move on. “Conceicao made the difference; we did what we could. Even a few mistakes are understandable, which is a shame because there’s certainly regret. “We worked hard for two days. There were difficulties and too much frenzy, with a bit of nervousness. Too many simple mistakes.” ............ “In my opinion, the three defenders are doing better than anyone else. We’re lacking a bit of nastiness on the second balls. “The three at the back have held the fort every game: Kelly, Kalulu, and Gatti, who scored a great goal. I liked that. “When you concede a goal in the last minute, there’s always disappointment. We always build on that, we always work hard.” ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/angry-tudor-defends-juventus-trio-better-than-anyone-else/

Villarreal 2 - Juventus 2: Initial reaction and random observations There were days in which Juventus holding onto a slim but important lead was something that they would see out on a regular basis. It was stressful, sure, but it was also a trait in which they became such a successful club once again. The defense bent but rarely broke, giving us the kind of faith that leads were actually in safe hands when Juventus were trying to protect one. These current days are not like those previous ones. We saw it in important fixtures over the last couple of seasons. We saw it against provincial sides, too. The same script repeated itself — Juventus tried to defend their lead, only for the opposition to level things up on the doorstep of second-half stoppage time and level things up just when you thought they might actually see out the win. We can now add Villarreal to the list of clubs that Juventus have seen score with only stoppage time to go. And not only was it a former Juventus player in Renato Veiga — yeah, sure, he was in bianconero for less than six months, but he still wore those stripes — but also in a second half where Igor Tudor’s squad was the better side. Villarreal didn’t test Mattia Perin in goal the same way they did in the first half, but on what proved to be one of the final scoring chances of the night, Juventus’ zonal marking failed to keep track of their former teammate and arguably the biggest threat in the air on the field. ............ But the ifs can only go so far once again. This Juventus team has now only won one game — the Derby d’Italia thriller — since the September international break ended. At least when it comes to the results, it’s suddenly looking a lot like last season when it felt like all Juve did was record draw after draw. ............ It’s the kind of gut punch in which feels all too familiar in multiple ways. Juventus were playing well as they ventured out on their second-half comeback that saw Federico Gatti score an absolute beauty of an overhead kick out of nowhere and Francisco Conceição turn nothing into something with a little bit of individual magic to put his team ahead for the first time all night. Even as the second half went on, it wasn’t like Villarreal were incredibly threatening. Perin, the somewhat surprising starter in goal even with the rumors earlier in the day surfacing that he might get the call, wasn’t forced into any other major saves like he was on multiple shots in the first half. It felt, at least a little bit, like Juve were actually in control of things and were going to see this thing out. ............ With no Bremer out there, this defense is pretty much the same we saw during the second half of last season. And that is one that couldn’t hold onto leads and rarely recorded shutouts like they did the turn of the new year. The fact that Veiga was able to rise up like he did and wasn’t really challenged at all knowing that this was the 90th minute is just inexcusable. You can’t allow that to happen if you’re marking either him personally or the area in which he is taking up. And let’s face it, there sure were bodies around Veiga … not exactly challenging for the ball. So on and on it goes. ............ RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS Man, if only Jonathan David had scored one of those chances he had, huh? OK, so it’s not just something to pile on David, but a 3-1 lead sure would have been nice to have considering how the rest of that game played out. ............ Perin had a good night in goal. Those two first-half saves he made obviously were great because it kept things within touching distance and allowed Juve to actually go on the comeback that they did. But actually allowing the corner that led to Villarreal tying things up to actually happen is a blemish on his performance. You come out like that, at that time of the game, you have to prevent the corner from happening — and he missed. I love the Gatti story. I really do. But also, if he’s your best defender on the field when you’re trying to lock down three points in the Champions League, I just don’t know what that says about your defense as a whole. ............ The Conceição sub for Teun Koopmeiners at the beginning of the second half sure worked out well, didn’t it? Tudor took off a player that wasn’t doing much and instead put on a player who ended up doing a whole lot of everything. There were things to take issue with from what Tudor did against Villarreal, but bringing Conceição when he did certainly ain’t one of them. ............ Brutal turn of events for Cabal, who went from the thrill of his first goal with Juventus (and in Serie A) to having to be subbed off after 15 minutes due to injury. Guessing we don’t see him for a few weeks, if not longer, thanks to that hamstring injury that didn’t look good at all simply by his reaction to it. It was a rather subdued night for Kenan Yildiz, who took three shots but didn’t put any of them on frame. Who knows how much fatigue is playing into it, but his last couple of shot attempts weren’t even close to the Villarreal goal. ............ Maybe introducing a defender in Daniele Rugani who hasn’t played a single minute since Juve’s preseason slate in August with 10 minutes to go in a game you’re trying to lock down and win wasn’t the best idea. ............ Juventus were ninth in the UCL league phase live table right before Veiga’s goal hit the back of the net. They’re now sitting in 23rd. ............ Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/previews-reviews/32609/villarreal-juventus-2025-champions-league-league-phase-initial-reaction-random-observations

Player ratings: Villarreal 2-2 Juventus – Conceicao stars, Koop and Cabal underwhelm Juventus had to settle for a 2-2 draw away against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday evening: Despite a game-changing performance from Francisco Conceicao, the Bianconeri were pegged back in the final minute by former loanee Renato Veiga. ............ Villarreal 2-2 Juventus: Player ratings Juventus: Perin 6; Kalulu 5.5, Gatti 7, Kelly 6; Cambiaso 5 (Rugani n/a), McKennie 5.5, Locatelli 6.5, Cabal 4.5 (J.Mario 6); Koopmeiners 4.5 (Conceicao 7.5), Yildiz 6.5 (Adzic n/a); David 5 (Vlahovic n/a). Best Juventus player: Conceicao 7.5 – The Portugal international came on at the interval for Teun Koopmeiners, who had next to no impact during the first half, and completely changed the game. He won the throw-in that led to Federico Gatti’s bicycle kick, scored the goal that put Juventus into the lead, and should have had an assist to his name had Jonathan David been able to find the target from five yards out. Worst Juventus player: Cabal and Koopmeiners 4.5 – An evening to forget for the Colombian in Spain. Nicolas Pepe had his number from the off, beat him on pace numerous times, got the Juventus wing-back booked and almost won a penalty off him. Then, Cabal’s hamstring went 15 minutes in. The early booking meant that Igor Tudor might have brought him off early, anyway. Koopmeiners was also taken off at half-time after after having little to no impact in one of the attacking roles alongside Kenan Yildiz. Coach: Igor Tudor 6 – Until the final few minutes, this was a game of two halves. Juventus tried to press Villarreal in the first half, but the Yellow Submarine were often able to play around it. Juventus, particularly after the introduction of Conceicao, were a much improved side in the second half, but conceding from a corner in the last minute left the head coach raging during his post-match interview. Villarreal ratings Tenas 6; Mourino 6, Veiga 7, Marin 5, Pedraza 6.5; Gueye 6.5, Parejo 5.5, Comesana 6; Pepe 7, Mikautadze 7, Buchanan 6. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/player-ratings-villarreal-2-2-juventus/

Tudor reacts to Villarreal 2-2 Juventus: ‘Too many nerves and misplaced passes’ Igor Tudor believes that Juventus were too frantic, nervous and misplaced too many passes in their 2-2 draw away against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, but insists that his defenders are performing ‘better than anyone else’ despite suggestions that his side are conceding too many goals. ............ Tudor began his post-match interview with an apology for the Juventus supporters, and insisted that his side ‘can’t’ be conceding last minute goals from corners as they did in Spain. “I’m sorry, it’s part of the game. You can’t lose a game in the last seconds from a corner like that. We’ll take this point and move on. “We worked and prepared as best we could, but we did have some difficulties. There was too much of a frenzy and too many nerves. Too many simple passes we got wrong.” ............ “Chico came on and made the difference. We did what we could, even with some mistakes. Unfortunately they came in the last few minutes.” When asked if Juventus have an ‘issue’ with conceding, Tudor replied: “The three defenders are doing better than anyone else. We need to be winning more second balls. The three at the back held the fort for the whole game.” ............ “There’s always a feeling of regret when you concede a goal in the last minute. It would be nice to play 90 minutes at the highest possible level, but it’s not easy. We have our weaknesses, too,” Tudor concluded. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/tudor-reacts-to-villarreal-2-2-juventus/

Conceicao reacts to Gatti’s Juventus bicycle kick: ‘He tries that sometimes’ Francisco Conceicao believes that Juventus need to improve if they are to win in the Champions League, insists that his side’s improved second half performance against Villarreal was not solely down to him, and has revealed that Federico Gatti attempting a bicycle kick is nothing new: ‘He tries that sometimes’. ............ Conceicao was the player of the match for Juventus on the night, but insists that his teammates already knew that they had to improve, and where to improve, before his introduction at half-time. “I’m not saying that (the game changed) because I came on, but that the team understood what we needed to improve at the end of the first half,” the Portuguese said after full-time. And on where Juventus need to improve generally, Conceicao said: “We have to train a little better: We improved in the second half but couldn’t get the win. “We missed another goal, which we deserved, but it must be said that we played a strong team. We have to continue, be strong and think about the next big challenge in Serie A.” ............ And a final word on Gatti, who scored with a bicycle kick in the second half: “He tries it sometimes, it’s great he managed to do it today. We have to continue working hard if we want to win in the Champions League.” . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/conceicao-reacts-gattis-juventus-bicycle-kick/

Champions League | Villarreal 2-2 Juventus – Conceicao comeback spoiled by Veiga Juventus had to settle for a hard-fought draw away against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night, as a last-minute header from former Bianconero defender Renato Veiga meant that Federico Gatti’s bicycle kick and Francisco Conceicao’s individual effort counted for just one point. ............ The Yellow Submarine came out firing early on in the first half: Nicolas Pepe looking particularly bright. The former Arsenal man beat Juan Cabal for pace multiple times, got the Colombian booked, almost won a penalty, before the Bianconeri defender was taken off with a hamstring injury 15 minutes in. The deadlock was broken almost immediately afterwards. Andrea Cambiaso shuffled over to the left to replace Cabal after his withdrawal, but was unable to stop Pepe and Mikautadze as they burst into the area. The Ivorian laid off for the Georgian, who slotted away a tidy, first-time finish. ............ Conceicao came on for Koopmeiners at the interval, and his impact was immediate. The Portuguese put one on a plate for David almost immediately after kick-off, only for the Canadian to skew off target from five yards out. Then, he won the throw-in right next to the corner flag which led to Gatti’s wondergoal. McKennie’s long throw was flicked on by Locatelli, only for Gatti to pull off a bicycle kick in the middle of the area. Conceicao then intercepted Dani Parejo’s loose back pass, carried the ball the length of the half and slotted past Arnau Tenas with ease one-on-one to put the Old Lady ahead. ............ Conceicao’s hard work was undone right at the last, however, when former Juventus defender Renato Veiga headed home from a corner in the final minute of regular time. Wednesday’s result means that Juventus have now picked up two consecutive draws in the Champions League, and four in a row across all competitions. Villarreal 2-2 Juventus Mikautadze (V) 18’, Gatti (J) 49′, Conceicao (J) 56′, Veiga (V) 90′. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/champion-league-villarreal-2-2-juventus/

Tutti in difesa nel finale ......

Il gol dell'ex purtroppo

Molto bravo l'arbitro. Competente e carismatico. Non per niente ha arbitrato il 5-0 del PSG sui pentaperati.

Adzic nella posizione di Yildiz

David sfigato

Ora metterei Openda per il contropiede

FRANCISCO CONCEICAO 1-2

Un gol alla Luca Vialli

FEDERICO GATTI 1-1

Mannaggia David

Manuel forse l'unico positivo insieme a Perin

Alla fidanzata questo non interessa molto

Sicuramente da stasera Kenan

Perin devia sul palo

Gol di Kakakadze

Siamo sotto