Socrates

Juventus lower their asking price for Manchester City target Manchester City have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Andrea Cambiaso with Juventus agreeing to lower their asking price. The 24-year-old has been one of the key players for Thiago Motta this season, but his performances have taken a hit following his return from an ankle injury. Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola and his collaborators have no doubt about the full-back’s quality, as they continue to chase his signature. ............ But while the Premier League giants are willing to splash the case, Juventus had been holding out for astronomical figures in the region of 80 million euros. Nevertheless, the Bianconceri directors have now adopted a more lenient stance. The Serie A giants have dropped their asking price. Therefore, Man City are expected to launch a bid between 60 and 65 million euros, and it could prove enough to break the Old Lady’s resistance. Juventus could use this sum to fund some of their transfer operations between January and June, or simply to balance the books, as the club’s finances remain far from reassuring. However, it should be noted that Cambiaso’s departure would leave a major gap in Thiago Motta’s squad. ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/report-juventus-lower-their-asking-price-for-manchester-city-target/

Marseille relaunch attempts to sign Juventus struggler Olympique Marseille are reportedly offering Nicolo Fagioli an escape route from his Juventus woes as they look to forge a deal before the closure of the market. The Ligue 1 side have been linked with the 23-year-old earlier in January, but never launched a concrete bid. ............ However, the source reveals that the formula of the operation remains the biggest knot to untie. While Marseille would like to sign Fagioli on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, Juventus must like to cash in on the player immediately as they look to raise funds for one or two remaining coups on the market. Hence, Juventus are pushing for a permanent sale, or at least a loan that includes an obligation to buy that would guarantee the club a capital gain in the summer. ............ Fagioli started his career on a decent note, making recurring appearances before suddenly falling behind in Thiago Motta’s pecking order. He has now been reduced to a benchwarmer, only making brief cameos in recent outings. ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/sky-marseille-relaunch-attempts-to-sign-juventus-struggler/

Today’s Papers: This is Conte, No Juventus growth ............ ......... Conte eats up Motta Kolo Muani benches Vlahovic and flies. Antonio overturns them and moves to +6 and attacks: ‘If you’re at Juve, you need to win right away’ To the rivals for the title: ‘We’re a squad, others are just nice for the media’ This is Conte Napoli ruthless, Juve crushed and Inter at -6 Six victories in a row: Motta’s unbeaten run is ended (2-1) Anguissa and Lukaku’s penalty cancel the advantage from Kolo Muani: Inzaghi at Lecce with two games in hand. Gasperini beats Como 2-1 ............ Motta: Zero growth Conte tears them apart with Napoli (2-1) and says: ‘You have to win at Juve’ After the 1-0 from Kolo Muani, the game collapses, in spirit and in the standings (-16): Goals from Anguissa and Lukaku. First loss in the league and other worrying signals. Thiago: ‘Inexplicable, but losing is part of the job’ ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/todays-papers-this-is-conte-no-juve-growth/

Second-half meltdown at Napoli spells Juventus’ first league defeat Much had been made of Juventus’ unbeaten start of the season. Yes, that had included far more draws than was desirable by this point in the year — and often it was brought up simply to discuss that fact — but Juve were going into their Saturday evening tilt with Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on the cusp of a 30-game unbeaten run domestically. It was always going to be hard to extend that run on Saturday. Juventus haven’t won in Naples since 2019, and Napoli were leading the league (barf) heading into the high-profile matchup. But after a relatively even first half that ended on the high note of new loan signing Randal Kolo Muani scoring on his debut, it looked like Juve had every chance of doing just that. Unfortunately, the Juventus side that came out of the locker room for the second half was not the same one that went in. Juventus were forced to defend deep immediately, and never recovered. In the first 10 minutes of the half, Napoli held 89 percent of the possession in the half. By the 69th minute, when Romelu Lukaku turned the game around with a penalty kick — given away via a horrific mistake by Manuel Locatelli — the number was still at 82.8. Juve were never able to muster up anything close to a response. ............ Ultimately, the 2-1 defeat was incredibly deserved. Juve simply choked the second half away. Now, it will remain to be seen how the team will react now that they finally do have a loss in Serie A play — whether it will be a rallying point for a strong finish or the beginning of another second-half-of-the-season meltdown. ............ But they were in their normal spots when a huge early chance came their way. Cambiaso’s interception sent González down the left side. He pushed the ball to Thuram who made a beautiful entry pass into the box. Kolo Muani threw a perfect dummy and the ball found a completely unmarked Yildiz. The teenage Turk stopped short to let Spinazzola slide past him before firing for goal, but Meret managed to recover and lunge to parry it away, with Koopmeiners shinning the rebound way high and wide. The long move started at the sideline near midfield, where McKennie deftly slipped the ball out of a double team to Koopmeiners. He pushed it forward to Yildiz, who in turn found Cambiaso running for the byline. The full-back missed a wide-open Kolo Muani with his cross, but Lobotka headed the ball right back to Yildiz in the box. He tried to square it for a shot for Koopmeiners, but a lunge from Anguissa deflected it back towards his own goal, where Kolo Muani tracked it over his shoulder and skipped a volley into the net with Meret completely stranded. Perhaps going straight into the locker room took that momentum and turned it into a crash. We’ll never really know what happened in those 15 minutes, but whatever it was, the 11 men who walked out were completely different from the ones who went in. Juventus were sealed into their own half from the first whistle. Unlike the second half, nothing they could do could help them escape. Napoli’s press completely suffocated Juve, preventing them from stringing any kind of passes together to break out of there. ............ It was Anguissa who was given another bite at the apple in the 57th minute. Well, really two bites, since it was his blocked shot that started the move. Politano recovered the ball and fed it in to Lukaku, who was forced away from goal by Kalulu and returned it to the winger, who got a step past Cambiaso to loft a ball to the back post, where Anguissa took advantage of a huge pocket of space between McKennie and Gatti and rose for a powerful header, this time one that Di Gregorio had no hope of reaching. ............ But there was no escaping the whistle when Locatelli made an incredibly rash slide into McTominay and drew a whistle almost immediately. Lukaku made no mistake, sending Di Gregorio to one side as he calmly slid the ball down the middle. As the 75th minute approached, marking the half-hour mark of the second half, the numbers were insane. Napoli had maintained 82 percent possession in close to 30 minutes of play, outshooting them 8-0 and gaining five corners to none for the Bianconeri. It was an astounding level of dominance, one that I don’t remember Juve having been on the receiving end of for a long time. ............ LE PAGELLE MICHELE DI GREGORIO - 6. The save he pulled on Lukaku was incredible, but he also had some shocking moments in distribution in the first half that could have gifted Napoli a major chance. WESTON McKENNIE - 5. Got toasted a few times by Neres and especially Spinazzola, and there was clearly some miscommunication about who was supposed to be marking Anguissa on the equalizer. PIERRE KALULU - 6. ............ FEDERICO GATTI - 5. Piled up the counting stats with seven clearances, but his marking on Lukaku on the play that led to Di Gregorio’s save was bad, leaving far too much space between him and his man. It’s also hard not to say he should’ve backed off and helped McKennie on Anguissa, because the runners in the middle looked covered. ANDREA CAMBIASO - 5. ............ MANUEL LOCATELLI - 4.5. Not quite the force he was against Milan in the first half, but still relatively successful in helping Juve to nearly 60 percent of possession in the opening period. But after the break was an entirely different matter. He allowed Napoli’s midfield to overwhelm himself and Thuram, and the slide in on McTominay is an inexcusable error born of recklessness. Loca is quite good at slide tackles, and sometimes it feels like he thinks that’ll make every one of them successful. KHEPHREN THURAM - 5.5. ............ KENAN YILDIZ - 5. Did a great job with that early chance except at the end. It was an excellent save by Meret, but he also could’ve placed it a little bit better. His defensive support was a little lacking today as compared to his usual standard. TEUN KOOPMEINERS - 4. Took two shots and ballooned both of them into the crowd, Dropped a little deeper to pick up the ball and work out of midfield but wasn’t able to get anything done. He needs to start turning things around. NICO GONZÁLEZ - 5.5. ............ RANDAL KOLO MUANI - 6. Scored with his sixth touch in a Juventus shirt, and it was an excellent finish, volleying on the turn past a helpless keeper. Unfortunately he was given nothing to do in the second half by a team that had completely gone flat. SUBS SAMUEL MBANGULA - 5.5. ............ NICOLÒ SAVONA - 5.5. ............ FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO - 5.5. ............ DOUGLAS LUIZ - 5. ............ DUSAN VLAHOVIC - NR. ............ MANAGER ANALYSIS This game’s tough to figure out. The first half was played quite well. They had 60 percent possession, outshot Napoli, and went in with the lead. They had all the momentum going into halftime. Obviously, credit must be given to Napoli for playing the way they did in the second half — likely Antonio Conte was flinging water bottles around the locker room during the break — but this collapse is kind of mind-boggling, especially considering that Motta told DAZN’s on-field reporters before the second half kickoff that what was needed was more of the same in the second half. Motta’s intention was clearly to continue to play on the front foot in the press. His comments both at halftime and after the game make that abundantly clear. He repeatedly brought up the fact that Napoli don’t have a European schedule to deal with this year as a factor in the second-half collapse, which I frankly didn’t like. Yes, this is a young team that still needs experience when it comes to playing two games a week, but it’s still smells of excuses, and there really aren’t any for this kind of showing. ............ LOOKING AHEAD Wednesday sees Benfica come to Turin. It will be the first meeting between the two historic clubs since the Portuguese giants won both games in the 2022-23 group stage, the second one in dominant fashion before a late comeback made the score far more respectable than it had any right to be. After that, Juve will get two very winnable league games in Empoli (home) and Como (away) before they welcome Inter to the Allianz for the second leg of the Derby d’Italia. . Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2025/1/26/24351907/napoli-juventus-2025-serie-a-matchday-22-final-score-result-match-recap-analysis-thiago-motta

“Seen many times now” Guardalá highlights ongoing Juventus issue after Napoli loss Juventus showed that old habits are hard to shake as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Napoli at the Maradona Stadium this evening, despite taking the lead. The loss highlighted recurring issues within the Bianconeri squad, with familiar flaws surfacing once again in a game that required a much sharper mentality. ............ Despite taking the lead, Juventus struggled to build on their advantage. Instead of pushing for a second goal to assert control, the men in black and white fell into a defensive posture, an all-too-familiar approach this season. Napoli took full advantage of this hesitation, growing in confidence as the game wore on. The hosts equalised and then turned the match around with a second goal following sustained pressure on the Juventus defence. ............ The defeat drew sharp criticism from Giovanni Guardalà, who reflected on Juve’s inability to hold onto a lead and adapt effectively in such high-stakes encounters. He commented: “This is something we’ve seen many times now. When Juventus takes the lead, they drop back, suffer, they don’t have the ability to defend inside the penalty area like in the past. They had one of the best first halves with courage, conviction—they were scoring right from the start with Yildiz, Meret was good, but they could have done more. They found the first goal at the end and the game didn’t seem to be on track, but Juventus could have managed it differently.” ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/seen-many-times-now-pundit-highlights-ongoing-juventus-issue-after-napoli-loss/

Juventus 1 - Napoli 2: Initial reaction and random observations As Juventus came out of the tunnel to begin the second half Saturday night, Thiago Motta was asked what his team needed to do to stay in front of the current league leaders. Having just taken the lead before the halftime break, Motta told the DAZN sideline reporter that Juve simply needed to continue what they had done in the first half — an opening 45 minutes that was certainly eventful even before his team went in front. One thing that didn’t take long to see: the Juventus of the second half was very much not like the one that went into the half. ............ The glow of Randal Kolo Muani giving Juventus the lead on his Juventus debut didn’t last long, as Napoli came out like absolute gangbusters and took full advantage of Motta’s squad very much not doing as their manager said they needed to do in the second half. It was the perfect storm of sorts — Napoli playing like a team absolutely possessed and Juventus basically being just the opposite of that as they tried to hold onto their lead. The result proved to be a 12-minute span where Napoli got goals from Frank Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku to flip the scoreline in their favor and hand Juventus a 2-1 loss at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It’s the first loss in Serie A for Thiago Motta as Juventus manager. Yes, even though a good amount of all those draws that Juve have racked up so far in Serie A this season have certainly felt like losses. When I say that Juventus saw barely any of the ball as Napoli were building toward tying the game through Zambo Anguissa, I ain’t kidding, my friends. Napoli had a stunning 90% possession through the first 10 minutes of the second half. ............ Oh, and one more second-half stat for good measure: Juventus didn’t record a single shot against Napoli in the second half. Not a single one. Hard to record any sort of xG when you don’t. ............ RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS Well, at least Kolo Muani scoring on his Juve debut was cool. Pretty much everything that happened after the goal that put Juventus in front wasn’t, but the goal was. I’m still shaking my head whenever the fact that Juventus didn’t have a single shot in the second half pops into my train of thought. Just a total mess. ............ At the top of that list might as well be Teun Koopmeiners, who again had a rough night despite the fact that he was very much playing deeper than he has been in recent weeks. At this point, it’s hard to say how much of it is him being used incorrectly, his confidence being shot or just about anything you can think of. There is not one singular reason for a player as talented as Koopmeiners is to be playing far from his best. At some point you have to believe it start to click again. The problem is, we just don’t know when that is. Zambo Anguissa shots against Juventus: 5. Juventus shots as a team: 5. No shots in the second half — really! Still shaking my head. ............ It’s interesting that 1) Dusan Vlahovic didn’t start in one of the biggest remaining domestic matchups of the season and 2) he didn’t come into the game until the 82nd minute when Juventus were very much in need of a goal. As much as Juventus will probably try not to make it out to be much of a thing, but it certainly seems like something is there. In the eight minutes Vlahovic played before stoppage time arrived, he touched the ball all of ... one time. If Kolo Muani touched the ball more than five times in the second half, I would be shocked. That’s just how much Juve were pinned back and didn’t have the ball. Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2025/1/25/24351724/juventus-napoli-2025-serie-a-matchday-22-final-score-result-initial-reaction-random-observations

Thiago Motta: ‘Juventus do not have same luxury as Napoli’ Thiago Motta blamed fatigue and a packed fixture list for the fact Juventus fumbled another lead for the defeat to Napoli. ‘We do not have the luxury’ of one game per week. The Bianconeri had gone into the half-time break with a 1-0 lead thanks to debutant Kolo Muani, who took just six touches in Italian football to get the goal on his debut. However, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa’s header and a Romelu Lukaku penalty turned it around, as Juventus have incredibly fumbled 17 points from leading situations in Serie A this season. ............ “I am disappointed with the defeat. We had a good first half, causing our opponents a lot of problems, a side that is not top of the table as a fluke, because they have a great coach and had the opportunity to prepare all week for this,” Thiago Motta said. “However, we did not have that luxury and it showed, because all the good work we did in the first half, we struggled to replicate in the second, and that is why we were unable to win.” ............ “We reacted well in many other situations, we just didn’t do it today. Juventus have not won here since 2019, it is important to point that out, it is the sixth consecutive defeat for the club here, so evidently that is a tough place for Juventus,” continued Motta. ............ “We showed strong character in the first half, played good football and caused our opponents problems by keeping possession, which is not easy here,” insisted Motta. “We limited an important player like Lobotka and the idea was to be very solid in the second half, because we were against the Serie A leaders who are in good physical shape and were well-rested, whereas we were coming off a tiring game in Bruges. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/thiago-motta-juventus-not-same-luxury-napoli/

Juventus player ratings v Napoli – Several low scores today Michele di Gregorio – 7.0 Made some outstanding saves to keep Juve in the game, but he could do little to stop either goal. Weston McKennie – 4.0 Struggled defensively as Napoli repeatedly targeted his side. Failed to handle Frank Anguissa for the equaliser, costing Juve dearly. Federico Gatti – 6.5 Despite facing constant pressure from Napoli’s attack, he stood out with his determination and made a crucial clearance after Di Gregorio’s goal-line save. Pierre Kalulu – 6.0 ............ Andrea Cambiaso – 5.5 ............ Khephren Thuram – 7.0 One of the better performers for Juve, particularly in the first half. His brilliant pass to Kenan Yildiz should have led to a goal. Manuel Locatelli – 4.0 A poor performance overall. Struggled in midfield and gave away the penalty that ultimately decided the game. Kenan Yildiz – 5.0 Missed a golden chance to open the scoring early on. His performances have dipped, and he may soon lose his spot to Samuel Mbangula. Teun Koopmeiners – 4.5 Failed to make an impact in this big game. Juve needed him to step up, but he was largely anonymous. Nicolas Gonzalez – 6.0 ............ Randal Kolo Muani – 6.5 Scored on his debut and showcased his pace and dribbling, offering more dynamism than Dusan Vlahovic. Substitutes Samuel Mbangula – 6.0 ............ Nicolo Savona – 5.0 ............ Douglas Luiz – 6.0 ............ Francisco Conceição – 5.0 Offered little impact after coming on. Might have made a difference if he had started the game. Dusan Vlahovic – N/A ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-player-ratings-v-napoli-several-low-scores-today/

Juventus lose unbeaten Serie A run with 2-1 loss to Napoli Napoli demonstrated their title credentials with a spirited comeback to end Juventus’ unbeaten run in Naples this evening. Juve started brightly, with Kenan Yildiz creating an excellent opportunity for himself, but Alex Meret produced an outstanding save to deny the youngster. ............ The match lived up to expectations, with both sides attacking with intent. However, it was Juventus who broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute, as Randal Kolo Muani scored with his first shot on target—a perfect way for the Bianconeri to head into half-time. Napoli emerged for the second half with renewed determination, and Politano again troubled the Juventus defence early on. The visitors’ resistance was tested further when Michele di Gregorio made a heroic goal-line save to preserve Juve’s lead. However, the pressure finally told seven minutes later, as Frank Anguissa equalised for Napoli following poor defending by Weston McKennie. The momentum stayed firmly with Napoli, who continued to dominate the game. Their efforts were rewarded when Romelu Lukaku converted from the penalty spot after Manuel Locatelli committed a foul in the box. Locatelli was immediately substituted, but Juventus struggled to find a way back into the match. ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-lose-unbeaten-serie-a-run-with-2-1-loss-to-napoli/

Thiago Motta: ‘Kolo Muani player Juventus were looking for’ Thiago Motta explains why he starts Randal Kolo Muani on his debut and drops Dusan Vlahovic as Juventus visit Napoli. ‘He is a player we had been looking for, Vlahovic reacted very well.’ ............ “Randal is a player we had been looking for, who can give us a lot of movement, not allow the opposition defenders any reference points,” Thiago Motta told DAZN. “When defending, he has important duties today to ensure Napoli cannot pass the ball around cleanly in areas that can cause us problems.” ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/thiago-motta-kolo-muani-juventus-looking-for/

Non se l'é sentita di far giocare insieme Vlahovic e Kolo Muani.

Rigore per il Napoli

Metterá Conceicao al posto di Nico

Puó esse

Escono Yildiz e Cambiaso

Che gli avrá detto Politano a Cambiaso?

Savona e Mbangula stanno entrando

1-1

Grande Digre

RANDAL KOLO MUANI 0-1

Certe occasioni bisogna sfruttarle. Non so se ce ne capiteranno altre.

Ciro Ferrara é piú bravo come commentatore di DAZN che come allenatore

In Olanda ci credono ancora

Napoli vs. Juventus match preview When Juventus faced former manager Antonio Conte for the first time as Napoli manager, it was very much a case of seeing a work in progress. Conte’s first Serie A game at Napoli ended with him comparing his team to snow melting in the sun during his media rounds, and made you think the job ahead of him was going to be a massive one for a club that was an absolute turnstile for managers the season before. That was in mid-September. Now we’re in late-January and, well, Juventus’ second matchup with Napoli comes under a very different kind of guise to it. ............ There is no doubt that Napoli will be a step up from a Milan that was both hampered by injuries and suspensions as well as still very much adjusting to life under a new manager. Napoli’s “new” manager has them thinking Scudetto again — which, as I would like to remind you, was not exactly something the club had done all that often for the previous three decades before winning the title two years ago. “We are ready to face this important challenge,” Motta declared during his pre-match press conference. We are going to find out soon enough — and on Napoli’s home turf, no less. If Juventus play like did the last time they lined up against Italian opposition, then you certainly have to believe that is the case. But if it’s like what we saw midweek against Club Brugge, then it might look a lot like what we’ve seen in the last couple of trips to Naples. TEAM NEWS The only three players out injured for the trip to Naples are the long-term absences: Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal and Arek Milik. At this point, it really is anybody’s guess — at least from those of us on the outside — when Milik will actually return to the field and make his season debut. New Juventus striker Randal Kolo Muani, whose move to Turin was officially announced Thursday, is in the squad. (We’ll probably be talking a little more about him in a minute.) Fellow January signing Alberto Costa is also in the squad that has made the trip south to Naples, but is not expected to start against the current league leaders. Another January loan signing, Chelsea defender Renato Veiga, is expected to arrive in Italy on Sunday with his medical exams to take place on Monday morning, according to reports. ............ What’s going to be a key, according to Motta, for Juventus against Napoli? He said the following: “We want to implement our style of play and attack them with balance in order to cause them problems.” ............ JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH There is a new striker finally in town. And if you believe those who try and predict the starting lineups, said new striker in town could very well get the starting nod all of a couple of days after officially signing with Juventus. ............ The arrival with Randal Kolo Muani has now coincided with the 26-year-old Frenchman jumping right into the starting lineup against the team that has been the best in Italy through the first 21 matchdays. Is that a surprise? Maybe. Is it a sign of how things are when it comes to Juventus’ attack right now? Yeah, probably. But even with the highest-paid player in Serie A, Dusan Vlahovic, now with a couple of appearances off the bench since coming back from a minor muscle injury, it looks as though it will be the new striker getting a starting spot against Napoli. ............ So what will Kolo Muani give Juventus that Vlahovic might not be able to replicate? Well, for one, it’s pace up front, which in turn should certainly make him a little more dangerous while trying to press Napoli’s backline when Juve don’t have the ball. (And we all know how Vlahovic feels about pressing compared to scoring goals). There’s certainly some curiosity when it comes to Kolo Muani and how he fits into this Juventus puzzle for the second half of the season. There are rumors that Motta could have more of a 4-3-3 look compared to his usual 4-2-3-1, which could be a positive shift in more ways than one. No matter what it ends up being, Kolo Muani leading the line seems like it has a pretty chance of happening. ............ MATCH INFO When: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Where: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy. Official kickoff time: 6 p.m. in Italy and the Central European time zone, 5 p.m. in the United Kingdom, 12 p.m. Eastern time, 9 a.m. Pacific time. ............ . Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2025/1/25/24350133/napoli-juventus-2025-serie-a-matchday-22-preview-team-news-schedule-how-to-watch