Socrates

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Juve top Livorno to regain eight-point Serie A lead Apr 7, 2014 One need only look at the manner in which Juventus General Director Beppe Marotta, club President Andrea Agnelli and former Juve star Pavel Nedved celebrated Juve's first goal to understand how important a win at home to Livorno is for a side chasing their third consecutive league title. Seemingly tired and up against sides desperate to produce a miracle, the Bianconeri continue to push forward, managing a 2-0 victory to safeguard their position at the top of the table. Tactically, Livorno were worryingly poor. It was clear that when facing opponents boasting such superior technical quality, their game plan would consist of defending then counter-attacking. However, the manner in which their strategy was executed caused concern and further demonstrated why the club find themselves fighting a relegation battle. The first half was bizarre, to say the least. While the away side played a diligent game initially, the back line soon ceded space and began to fall apart tactically, gifting their opponents the opportunity to mount consistent attacks. If Livorno's game is based around defending before countering, then they must learn how to remain concentrated to close down space to play a compact game. Not one of Domenico Di Carlo's men was capable of holding his position or shutting down the avenues to goal effectively to minimise the vertical runs forward their opponents consistently made. Easily dragged out of position, the Amaranto back-line would shift towards one Juve attacker and leave plenty of gaps and open space for his teammates to exploit. This was especially obvious when Stephan Lichtsteiner cut inside and dragged six defenders towards him to create a cluster in the middle allowing the likes of Paul Pogba plenty of room to operate and strike behind Lichtsteiner. The first goal, was to a lesser extent, another example of this. Claudio Marchisio delivered a ball to Carlos Tevez on the left and the Argentine's cut inside dragged three defenders towards him, leaving Fernando Llorente with one player to contend with -- one player who was unable to effectively position himself to stop the Spaniard from turning to strike the ball. 1-0 and it should have been more at that point. An entire flank was left void of supervision which meant only one accurate cross or two quick passes would allow Juventus to switch play and penetrate with ease. More infuriating for the Livorno coach however was his players' reluctance to mark the creative outlets within Juve manager Antonio Conte's side. Andrea Pirlo was granted all the time and space in the world to operate and pick out perfect passes while Leonardo Bonucci behind him regularly pushed ahead, almost reaching the box before he was stopped and a tackle was even attempted. Incidentally, it was the defender's run across which dragged defenders away to allow Llorente a free header to score Juve's second from a corner. Not one Livorno player thought to concentrate on the tall man -- the player most likely to score in that situation. The strategy of defending deep and then leaving the forward(s) up front works only when executed effectively with players of quality, i.e. Manchester United vs Bayern Munich. This particular tactic is meant to stretch the opposition and force the opposing midfielders to play a more cautious game. If they venture too far forward, they risk an imbalance and we saw that happen in the first few minutes of the game when the Old Lady hadn't yet settled into her stride. However, for a side like Livorno, the gaps were essentially too wide and left the Bianconeri with plenty of room to roam in-between while the likes of Marchisio revelled in the ability to intercept passes and initiate his own attacking passages of play. While the relegation battlers' overall poor grasp of defensive tactics is the reason behind their loss, at least they boast the capability of nicking a goal. Alfred Duncan and Innocent Emeghara are easily their best players on the pitch -- men blessed with pace and physicality and the belief they can take on whomever lies ahead of them. Wonder shots and excellent movements called goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon into action and Conte was furious. He certainly did not want his men to suffer the same fate as Inter last week. Dramatic and entertaining, the first half was filled with opportunities for goals. The second was somewhat more composed with both sides attempting to minimise the errors. Juventus were more balanced while Di Carlo's men covered the pitch in a more effective manner. However, both teams seemingly accepted the result making for a quieter and perhaps less thrilling end to the game. The focus shifts back to the Europa League and Juve will hope Lyon will provide them with another opportunity to celebrate at home this week. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Initial reaction and random observations Apr 7, 2014 Apparently all Fernando Llorente needed to do to get back to his awesome goal-scoring ways was shave his beard, add some grease to his hair and comb it off to the side. It definitely worked for one day, at least. The Llorente of earlier this season was back in full force in front of the home crowd at Juventus Stadium on Monday night. Two goals from Llorente in a matter of just three minutes was the difference against Livorno, one of Serie A's relegation battlers. The first coming on a beautiful turn and left-footed blast into the roof of the goal, the second with a little help from Francesco Bardi. Something tells me Mr. Llorente likes playing against Livorno. I don't know what it is. And something else told me over the course of 90 minutes that this was the kind of thumping we were hoping Juventus would put on a side trying not to get relegated like Livorno currently is. Maybe it's the fact Juve had almost three times the amount of possession than Livorno. Or maybe it was because Juventus barely let Livorno out of their own half of the field in the first 45 minutes. Yeah, something like that. It was certainly nice to not have that pull-all-your-hair-out feeling from the opening kickoff to the final whistle like what has been present the last couple of weeks. For the first time in many a game, Juventus' performance was miles ahead of their competition. Ah, yes. Juventus wins with relative ease and Fernando Llorente scored a couple of goals. All is right in the world again. Here's a pretty nice little fact: Juventus need 10 points in their last six matches to clinch a third straight Scudetto. Looking at the remaining schedule, I would like to think that's going to be pretty achievable in short order. Random thoughts and observations • Fernando Llorente good. • Livorno bad. • Gianluigi Buffon's save on Alfred Duncan's attempt from long distance? Really, really good. • Livorno's attempt to not let Andrea Pirlo run the show and take complete control of the midfield? Pretty bad. • Remember when I said Juventus should maybe turn to Mirko Vucinic because Llorente wasn't playing well? Fernando knows how to shut me up. That had to be a big-time confidence-building game for El Rey Leon because it hasn't come easy for him since his last goal in early March. • That was the exact kind of game you want to have against a team like Livorno that is fighting for their Seire A lives. Get the goals early, put it away early and then just kinda sit on cruise control in the second half. Maybe a scare here and there — which Buffon helped save us all a little stress with the save on Duncan — but it was pretty smooth sailing after Llorente's second goal. • Juventus' midfield trio — Paul Pogba, Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio — were all involved early and often. All three had very good games. Then again, it wasn't like any of the players in Juventus' starting lineup had a bad game on Monday. • If Sebastian Giovinco wanted to build off his strong showing off the bench last Thursday against Lyon, he will probably want to press the restart button. Both him and Vucinic were relatively quite in their appearances against Livorno. Although, to be fair to Vucinic, he basically came on at the same time that Livorno started warming up their bus. • Not a bad way for Martin Caceres to celebrate his birthday, eh? Other than one slip-up in the first half, it was yet another solid game for Mr. High Socks. Happy 27th to you, Martin, and keep up the good work. • Back to plus-8 over Roma. Sorry, but we're not sorry. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Chiellini can see the finish line Apr 7, 2014 Giorgio Chiellini saw Juventus sweep Livorno aside 2-0 and pointed out “the finish line is getting closer and closer.” Tonight’s victory followed last week’s surprise 2-0 defeat to Napoli, which threw the title race open again. “We have been sending messages to the rest of the League for a long time, as we are extraordinarily consistent,” the defender told Sky Sport Italia. This result restored their eight-point cushion ahead of Roma at the top of Serie A and their 100 per cent home record. “A single slip-up was physiologically likely, but we reacted well to that. We put in a good performance, there’s still a way to go yet, but the finish line is getting closer and closer. “In the last month and a half I went from being injured to playing every three days, so that was not easy, but the individual is helped by the collective. “We are ready to go all the way both in Serie A and Europe. We’re getting closer to the finish line and that fires us up.” http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Llorente double crowns Bianconeri win Apr 7, 2014 Juventus coasted to a 2-0 victory against Livorno at the Juventus Stadium on Monday night in Serie A action. Fernando Llorente struck twice in the space of two minutes in the first half to ensure the Bianconeri bounced back after their blip in Naples last Sunday. The game kicked off at a frantic pace and the home side were almost caught napping, Innocent Emeghara bursting forward and striking from range, but Gianluigi Buffon was equal to the task saving down to his left. After a sloppy opening five minutes the Serie A leaders soon found their feet, Carlos Tevez wriggling into the box after being served by Llorente, but the Argentinian fired his shot straight at Francesco Bardi. Juve soon established control of the game, Giorgio Chiellini culpable of blasting a guilt-edged chance over the bar after Paul Pogba had found the defender unmarked just inside the area. Stephan Lichtsteiner was next to squander a presentable chance, the Swiss international failing to administer the contact required to guide Kwadwo Asamoah’s cross goal-wards. Just after the half-hour mark Livorno’s resistance was emphatically broken by Llorente, Tevez slipping a pass to his strike partner and after turning his defender with an adroit touch, the Spanish forward rifled his left-footed strike into the roof of the net. Before the Labronici could gather their wits they soon found themselves 2-0 behind courtesy of the Spanish Lion King once again. Andrea Pirlo’s corner was met at the near post by the 29-year-old whose downward header squirmed past Bardi, who will feel he should have done better. The Bianconeri’s pressure became relentless however just before the interval the Amaranto’s brightest spark, Emeghara, embarked on a virtuoso run nutmegging Martin Caceres, but just failing to get his shot off as Leonardo Bonucci closed him down. The second-half got underway with both sides unchanged and the Bianconeri soon re-asserted their dominance, Llorente receiving a precise Pogba pass and after shrugging off Nahuel Valentini, the side-netting denied the former Athletic Bilbao man his hatrick. On the 60-minute mark the away side came desperately close to pulling a goal back after Alfred Duncan’s 25-yard drive looked bound for the top-corner only for the Italian number one to claw the shot aside. As the Tuscan’s probed for a way back into the game, Domenico Di Carlo brought Ishak Belfodil into the fray while Antonio Conte replaced Tevez with Sebastian Giovinco, undoubtedly with an eye on Juve’s Europa League tie against Lyon on Thursday. Pirlo then produced an inch perfect pass for Pogba, however with ample time the Frenchman rushed his effort sending it well over the bar. At the other end Marco Benassi could only muster a tame effort which was comfortably gathered by Buffon as hope appeared to ebb out of the Labronici. The final 10-minutes of the game meandered by with little incident as the Bianconeri closed out a professional performance in front of a vociferous home crowd. The win maintains the Vecchia Signora’s 100 percent win record at home and opens up an eight point gap at the summit of Serie A. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Llorente double sinks Livorno A quick-fire Fernando Llorente double allowed Juventus to beat Livorno 2-0 and restore their eight-point lead over Roma. Apr 7, 2014 The gap at the top of the table had temporarily been closed to five points with Roma’s victory in Cagliari yesterday, so the pressure was on Juve. Arturo Vidal was suspended and Andrea Barzagli injured, but Carlos Tevez started despite a muscular problem ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final with Lyon. The Amaranto were in the drop zone and desperate, especially as Emerson, Ibrahima Mbaye and Andrea Luci were sidelined. Paulinho was rested, as he is on a booking and couldn’t be risked for next week’s relegation dogfight with Chievo. Innocent Emeghara scored in last week’s 2-2 draw with Inter and his confidence was still high, as within two minutes he had forced Gigi Buffon to beat away a snapshot. The Swiss striker threatened again, running at Leonardo Bonucci to set up a Luca Siligardi effort wide. Tevez responded, testing Francesco Bardi at the near post after good work from Fernando Llorente. Giorgio Chiellini wasted a great opportunity, blasting over from just inside the penalty area against his former club from a Paul Pogba assist. Stephan Lichtsteiner prodded off target too and Ceccherini performed a crucial sliding tackle on Kwadwo Asamoah in the box. The pressure finally paid off on 32 minutes when Llorente gathered from Tevez with his back to goal, spun round his marker and smashed it into the near top corner. Pogba’s screamer was charged down and from the resulting Andrea Pirlo corner Llorente was allowed a free header, which Bardi did not deal with at all well. It appeared to be straight at him and the goalkeeper fumbled it over the line. It was the Spaniard’s seventh headed goal of the season, more than any other Serie A player. Lichtsteiner ran on to a slide-rule pass down the right and tried to roll across for Tevez, crucially intercepted by Bardi. Just before the break, Emeghara caused a scare when he skipped past two players down the left and hesitated, allowing the block for a corner. Moments later, Juve went on the counter-attack and Tevez curled just off target. After the restart, Llorente turned Valentini to hit the side-netting from a tight angle. Livorno came back from 2-0 down to hold Inter last week and gave Buffon a scare with an Alfred Duncan blockbuster from distance, but the veteran goalkeeper flew for a one-handed save at the near top corner. The second half was entirely comfortable for the Bianconeri, who controlled their two-goal lead and allowed Livorno precious few opportunities. With the final kick of the game, Claudio Marchisio went down just inside the box, but the referee whistled for full time. Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Pogba (Padoin 84), Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Tevez (Giovinco 65), Llorente (Vucinic 77) Livorno: Bardi; Ceccherini (Piccini 59), Valentini, Coda, Castellini; Benassi, Biagianti (Mosquera 74), Duncan, Mesbah; Emeghara (Belfodil 64), Siligardi Ref: Gervasoni http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 LIVORNO Fernando Llorente (32′) Fernando Llorente (35′) April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Attendance:‬ 38000‎ Llorente double fires champions to victory The Bianconeri eased to victory to restore their eight point lead at the top of Serie A through the Spaniard's first half goals. Apr 7, 2014 Fernando Llorente was Juventus' hero as he scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Livorno that cements a top-two finish in Serie A. With third-placed Napoli losing to Parma on Sunday, Juve coach Antonio Conte knew three points against their relegation-threatened visitors on Monday would seal Champions League football next season. And the reigning champions, who are now eight points clear of Roma in second and 20 in front of Napoli with just six games remaining, put in an assured display with Llorente, who sat out the midweek Europa League win at Lyon, striking twice in three minutes in the first half. The Spaniard's first was an emphatic finish from inside the six-yard box, and he then saw a near-post header creep under Francesco Bardi to ensure Juve bounced back from just their second league defeat of the season at Napoli last week by maintaining their perfect home record in Serie A this term. The second half lacked the intensity of the first, with neither side really coming close to scoring, as Juve seemed content to control proceedings by dominating possession. Livorno, meanwhile, stay two points adrift of safety in 18th place. After threatening through Innocent Emeghara in the opening minute, the visitors struggled to contain Conte's side and their goal led a charmed life. Giorgio Chiellini and Stephan Lichtsteiner wasted early chances for the hosts, but Juve’s pressure eventually paid dividends with Llorente’s quickfire double just after the half-hour mark. Carlos Tevez was the architect for the opener, as he played a neat pass into Llorente, before the Spaniard spun away from his marker and lashed the ball into the top corner. The 29-year-old then doubled his tally with a close-range header. Andrea Pirlo delivered a corner to the near post and Llorente's header somehow squirmed under Bardi. Paul Pogba and Tevez both had opportunities to extend the Bianconeri's lead further in the closing minutes of the half, but their long-range efforts were just wide of goal. The start of the second half mirrored the first as Livorno came out very quickly, but their inability to test Gianluigi Buffon meant the hosts were able to keep them at bay. The reigning Italian champions were far from their best after the break and looked to hit their opponents on the counter-attack, although chances were at a premium. Llorente's search for a hat-trick saw his first sight of goal in the second half hit the side-netting, while Pogba scuffed an opportunity wide from inside the area. Livorno's Alfred Duncan finally called Buffon into action just before the hour, and the Italy keeper was equal to his long-range effort with a one-handed save. With Thursday's Europe League quarter-final second leg with Lyon on the horizon, Conte was able to rest Pogba, Llorente and Tevez in the final 20 minutes of the match as Juve took another step towards their third consecutive Scudetto. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

É un'amichevole secondo l'arbitro.

Llorente si soffia il naso con la mano e con la stessa mano dá il cinque a Vucinic.

Entra Vucinic

Alla Francia in Brasile.

Dopo la sconfitta contro il Napoli.

Esce Tevez entra Giovinco.

É stato sospeso ma tornerá a breve.

Prova con il vino!

Bravo Gigi!

É cominciato presto il torello.

Quagliarella picchiava Giovinco.

JUVENTUS - LIVORNO April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni HT 2-0: Llorente double stuns Livorno Apr 7, 2014 A quick-fire brace from Fernando Llorente has given Juventus the 2-0 half-time lead over plucky Livorno. The gap at the top of the table had temporarily been closed to five points, so the pressure was on Juve to win and restore the eight-point cushion. Arturo Vidal was suspended and Andrea Barzagli injured, but Carlos Tevez started despite a muscular problem ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final with Lyon. The Amaranto were in the drop zone and desperate, especially as Emerson, Ibrahima Mbaye and Andrea Luci were sidelined. Paulinho was rested, as he is on a booking and couldn’t be risked for next week’s relegation dogfight with Chievo. Innocent Emeghara scored in last week’s 2-2 draw with Inter and his confidence was still high, as within two minutes he had forced Gigi Buffon to beat away a snapshot. The Swiss striker threatened again, running at Leonardo Bonucci to set up a Luca Siligardi effort wide. Tevez responded, testing Francesco Bardi at the near post after good work from Fernando Llorente. Giorgio Chiellini wasted a great opportunity, blasting over from just inside the penalty area against his former club from a Paul Pogba assist. Stephan Lichtsteiner prodded off target too and Ceccherini performed a crucial sliding tackle on Kwadwo Asamoah in the box. The pressure finally paid off on 32 minutes when Llorente gathered from Tevez with his back to goal, spun round his marker and smashed it into the near top corner. Pogba’s screamer was charged down and from the resulting Andrea Pirlo corner Llorente was allowed a free header, which Bardi did not deal with at all well. It appeared to be straight at him and the goalkeeper fumbled it over the line. It was the Spaniard’s seventh headed goal of the season, more than any other Serie A player. Lichtsteiner ran on to a slide-rule pass down the right and tried to roll across for Tevez, crucially intercepted by Bardi. Just before the break, Emeghara caused a scare when he skipped past two players down the left and hesitated, allowing the block for a corner. Moments later, Juve went on the counter-attack and Tevez curled just off target. Juventus 2-0 Livorno (Half-Time) Scorers: Llorente 32, 35 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Tevez, Llorente Livorno: Bardi; Ceccherini, Valentini, Coda, Castellini; Benassi, Biagianti, Duncan, Mesbah; Emeghara, Siligardi Ref: Gervasoni http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - LIVORNO April 7, 2014 - 7:00 PM Juventus Stadium — Turin Referee: Andrea Gervasoni Marotta: 'Juve used to pressure' Apr 7, 2014 Juventus “are accustomed to being under pressure,” said director Beppe Marotta ahead of the match with Livorno. “Every weekend we have to pass a new test,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia after Roma temporarily closed the gap at the top of the Serie A table to five points. “It’s a difficult test this time, as Livorno have a lot to lose and we must have the maximum concentration. “This season the gap had seemed to be more consistent than in previous years, but we are accustomed to being under pressure. It is in the DNA of the club, Coach and directors.” Carlos Tevez is starting this evening despite a muscular problem, though there were reports he’d be rested ahead of the Europa League quarter-final with Lyon on Thursday. “If Tevez said he is available, then it’s because he feels good physically. The strapping is just a preventative measure, otherwise Antonio Conte wouldn’t have picked him.” Marotta caused controversy last week when complaining Napoli celebrated “like a provincial team” after beating Juventus, to which the son of President Aurelio De Laurentiis replied by calling him “ignorant.” “Ignorant? I’ll take that...” shrugged Marotta. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

Zwaar bewolkt hier.

Sta per arrivare anche da noi, lo so.

Gran tiro di Tevez di poco fuori. Peccato.

Li mortacci di Emeghara.

Io abito vicino ad Arnhem e qui non piove.