Socrates

Pirlo back early for Juventus Dec 27, 2013 Andrea Pirlo has cut short his Christmas holidays in order to prove his fitness for the Juventus-Roma showdown. http://markting10.nl/ The Italian international has been out of action since picking up a knee problem at the start of this month against Udinese. According to Tuttosport, the former Milan playmaker will be at the Vinovo training centre on Friday – two days before the rest of his teammates are set to report back to Turin. http://markting10.nl/ Juventus, five points clear at the top of the table, will entertain the second-placed Giallorossi on January 5.

Tevez targets Europa League glory Dec 27, 2013 Carlos Tevez says his Juventus side won’t underestimate the Europa League after their Champions League disaster. AMAZONIAN The Old Lady were demoted to the old UEFA Cup after losing 1-0 to Galatasaray in their final European Cup tie earlier this month. “The Europa League is certainly an objective now,” the summer signing from Manchester City told the Corriere della Sera. AMAZONIAN “Going out of the Champions League was a hard blow for everyone. We didn’t play with the right mentality in the first few games.” Juventus, whose Juventus Stadium will host the Final in May, will play Trabzonspor in the last 32 ahead of a possible clash with Fiorentina.

Chiellini set for 300 mark Dec 27, 2013 Giorgio Chiellini will make his 300th appearance for Juventus should he feature in the game against Roma at the start of the New Year. http://markting10.nl/ The central defender, who was originally used as a left-back in Turin, has made 299 appearances for the Old Lady since making his debut in 2005. Chiellini has featured in 211 Serie A games [18 goals], 32 [3] in Serie B, 13 [1] in the Coppa Italia, one in the Super Cup, 31 [1] in the Champions League and 11 [2] in the UEFA CUP/Europa League. http://markting10.nl/ Juve signed Chiellini from Livorno in 2004 for around €6m, but he spent the 2004-05 campaign at Fiorentina.

Ronaldo deserves Ballon d’Or, says Asamoah The Ghana international feels the Portuguese star will triumph ahead of Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery and lift the prize for a second time. Dec 27, 2013 EXCLUSIVE By Kent Mensah & Edmund Okai Gyimah Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to win the 2013 Ballon d’Or. AMAZONIAN The Real Madrid forward has been named on a three-man shortlist to lift the prize, alongside Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery on the back of his efforts over the past 12 months. The 28-year-old has enjoyed a staggering year of personal success after scoring a record 69 times for los Blancos, making him the most prolific hitman in European club football in 2013, and Asamoah believes the Portuguese simply has to be awarded the trophy. “In my opinion it will be Ronaldo,” the ex-Udinese midfielder said upon receiving the Goal Ghana Player of the Year 2013 Award. AMAZONIAN “He did so well last season and this season he is continuing from where he left off and has been consistent, so he deserves it.” Asamoah, 25, came up against Ronaldo and Gareth Bale during the Bianconeri's clash with Madrid in the group stages of the Champions League and he discussed the difficulties in trying to keep the former Manchester United man under wraps. AMAZONIAN He added: “It wasn’t easy. That game was my first even playing at full-back. It wasn’t easy because these are players who have got speed and are very skilfull and know how to shoot. "The smallest chance you give them they’ll punish you. With them I have learnt something out of it because with these players the more you play with them the more you learn something out of it too."

Juventus: The story so far…almost all too easy Dec 24, 2013 On the whole 2013 has been a good year for Juventus. The club won a Scudetto, reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in their first campaign there since 2009, and made a number of smart moves during the summer mercato. http://markting10.nl/ The only negative events were two eliminations – the first from the 2013-2014 Champions League, and then Juve getting eliminated from the 2013 Coppa Italia by Lazio, in February. Aside from that, it’s been smooth-sailing for Juve, who easily rolled to their second consecutive Scudetto last season and are only facing slightly more resistance this season for their third. That said, let’s get this started. http://markting10.nl/ Tactical Shifts While the polarizing 3-5-2 of Antonio Conte has remained as the mainstay formation for Juventus, a few tactical changes have occurred. For starters, over the spring Conte flirted with a 3-5-1-1, but it seemed to only nullify Claudio Marchisio without really helping the rest of the side, so that was dropped. Then the arrival of Fernando Llorente provided Juventus (and Andrea Pirlo) with an old fashioned target man – but one who can do more than just hold up the ball. Additionally, Carlos Tevez has played as an embodiment of a “Conte striker” hustling all over the field and hassling opposing defenders when they have possession. Still, the main shift was the change to a 4-5-1 (but in practice a 4-3-3 of sorts) for the matches against Real Madrid. I must say the change was a successful one, as Juventus played Real Madrid very tightly and were arguably the better side in both matches. http://markting10.nl/ Star Performer: Arturo Vidal This is a very tough “award” to pick, as so many players on Juventus have had a stellar year. Still, I will go with Arturo Vidal, for the fact that he has excelled in both Serie A and the Champions League (his toughest opponent for the honor, Carlos Tevez, did not have the Champions League campaign that Vidal had) throughout 2013, while then capping the year off with a hat trick against FC Copenhagen and a new contract. While said contract gave Vidal a raise, he is still behind Tevez in terms of highest paid Vidal - JuventusJuve players, and the deal was a really good one for Juve. Regardless of the contract, Vidal merits this honor on his play alone. http://markting10.nl/ Worst Performer: Mauricio Isla There are not many good candidates for this job, Juventus have done too well. But of the handful of players who have perhaps been less than perfect for Juventus, I will have to go with one who has continued to struggle while coming back from an injury. This man is Mauricio Isla. Isla has had some good performances in 2013, but he almost always follows up these promising games with a stinker. Isla hasn’t necessarily been the worst, but he has been the most frustrating. http://markting10.nl/ Transfer of the Season: Fernando Llorente This one is easy – while Juventus only purchased a handful of players this summer they were important players. So, who is it? It’s Fernando Llorente. Yes, Tevez has more goals, but Llorente scores when he needs to, and he outscored Tevez in the Champions League. Plus, Tevez has been a starter all season for Juve, while Llorente has five fewer starts in total, and some of these starts came in the beginning of the season when Llorente was still not totally in sync with the rest of the Juventus squad. He scored two goals against Real Madrid (one in each match) and the game winner against Udinese, and I still don’t think we’ve seen him at his best. Tevez may have more goals, but Llorente cost 12 million euros less, and already has more Champions League goals than Tevez has scored since 2009 (his last goal in the Champions League was with Manchester United.) http://markting10.nl/ Milestone Moment Sadly, the milestone moment is not a happy one. The milestone moment for 2013 was the loss in Turkey, the one that eliminated the club from the Champions League. After a promising return in the 2012-2013 campaign, Juventus fell totally short of the mark in the fall of 2013. The initial draws against Copenhagen and Galatasaray were unacceptable results, and the club left itself with too much ground to make up in the final four matches. This loss will haunt Juventus until they can make it right next season (assuming they qualify, which is a safe assumption.) It’s a less of a milestone and more of a mile marker, and the marker reads “not yet in Europe’s elite.” http://markting10.nl/ What Needs to Happen in 2014? 2014 should be an exciting year for Juventus, if only for the novelty of the Europa League (I am tryGalatasaray v Juventusing to console myself) and the chance for Conte to further experiment with his tactics as he grows as a manager. I am not expecting many, if any, transfers in the first month of 2014, but the summer is a different story. La Stampa has reported that Juventus and PSG have agreed on terms for Jeremy Menez, and having him arrive in January would allow Conte to experiment with wider formations in preparation for next year’s Champions League. But more on that in the next club focus. http://markting10.nl/ For now, the club needs to win the Scudetto, they need to win the Coppa Italia, and they really need to go far in the Europa League. Unless at least two of these three (if not all) happen, then this season will be a disappointment for Juventus and her fans.

Franca sta per tornare .... Bentornata, ci sei mancata. @@

Serie A Team of the Season so far: Rossi, Tevez & Buffon in, as Milan fail to feature The very best in the Italian league have been brought together for our top XI of the campaign to this point, with some familiar names among them. Dec 25, 2013 The first 17 rounds of Serie A action in 2013-14 have provided some magnificent thrills and spills, and the Goal Team of the Season so far includes the players responsible for some of the most consistently brilliant passages of play. http://markting10.nl/ Notable by their absence are Milan, who have had a poor first half of the campiagn, and Verona, whose run to the top six has not quite been enough for any individual recognition. Instead though, there are four players supplied by league-leading Juventus and two each from unbeaten Roma and flair-driven Fiorentina. There have been stages during 2013 when Gianluigi Buffon's continued reign as the peninsula's number one goalkeeper has been questioned, but his response has been to end the calendar year with a magnificent run of clean sheets. Before conceding to Atalanta's Maxi Moralez at the weekend, Buffon had not been beaten for 744 minutes since Juve's only loss away to Fiorentina. He is protected in the back four by a familiar face in Juve's nine-match unbeaten run in the shape of Giorgio Chiellini, while a Roma side which boasts the best defence in Europe is represented by Mehdi Benatia and Leandro Castan, both of whom were key to the Giallorossi winning 10 successive games from the start of the season and conceding only one goal in the process. http://markting10.nl/ Torino's run into the top seven has been bolstered by the form of Alessio Cerci, who has netted nine goals and been the star man on several occasions during the Granata's campaign so far. Juventus have again been dominant across midfield in opening up a five-point lead, with Paul Pogba continuing his meteoric rise by scoring five times and having a hand in three more in out-performing even Arturo Vidal in the Bianconeri engine room. Esteban Cambiasso, meanwhile, has been an ever-present in the centre for Inter, taking to the responsibility of captaincy with relish and bagging himself four goals into the bargain. The final spot across the middle goes to the outstanding Borja Valero, who has fast become a cult hero at the Artemio Franchi with his artistic displays. His five league goals and six assists have also helped to endear him to Serie A fanatics. Carlos Tevez takes one of the spots up front having proved to be the goal-scoring solution for Juve. Having scored 11 goals in 17 appearances, the Argentine has already superceded the tallies of Arturo Vidal and Mirko Vucinic, who were joint-top scorers for the champions last term. Another man netting regularly is Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain, who has grabbed nine goals to date in leading the Partenopei to third place. Giuseppe Rossi has usurped both men though, sailing to the top of the Capocannoniere charts with 14 goals in 17 games, with that memorable hat-trick for Fiorentina against Juventus providing the pinnacle of his season thus far.

A Half-Term Report on Juventus Dec 24, 2013 Juventus enter the halfway point of the season in a mixed mood. http://markting10.nl/ The Bianconeri will ultimately be devastated to know that there will be no Champions League football in the second half of the season. With disappointing results in Copenhagen and at home to Galatasaray, the damage had been done before travelling to Istanbul for a Matchday 6 decider. The season thus far will be remembered most by the shambles that took place at the Turk Telekom Arena. http://markting10.nl/ The adverse weather conditions may have provided a screen for Antonio Conte to hide behind, but he must ultimately take the flak, considering the lack of diversity in the side's tactics in this season's competition—despite dabbling with a 4-3-3 in matches against Real Madrid. Too often did Conte fail to adjust to what he was witnessing on the pitch, and although the pressure can only mount so far after back-to-back scudetti, there is evidently work to be done to appease Juventini in what will surely not become an improved season upon the last one. In terms of the signings made this summer, a lot was put on the two strikers Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, with the Spaniard probably edging the Argentine out to be deemed the best acquisition, simply down to the goals he has scored in the big matches. http://markting10.nl/ El Apache has performed well in Serie A, but came up very small in Europe, which has ultimately defined the opening half of the season. Perhaps a failure to address other positions will eventually be deemed as the reason that this season was not a complete success. All is not lost, though, with Paul Pogba emerging as the best young footballer in Europe, the 20-year-old Frenchman picking up Tuttosport's coveted Golden Boy award after displacing Claudio Marchisio from the starting line-up. http://markting10.nl/ It is tough to argue against Pogba as the most improved player in the squad, although Arturo Vidal maintains his excellence in arguably becoming Europe's most complete midfielder. Disappointments have not been glaring from the playing staff, but Mauricio Isla's failure to capitalise upon Stephan Lichtsteiner's injury and continuing to struggle for form is certainly one of them. Kwadwo Asamoah has frustrated on the opposite flank, but considering it is not his preferred position, it is tough to be too critical of the Ghanaian. http://markting10.nl/ In terms of best performance of the season, it must be the 3-0 thrashing of Juve's closest challenger for the scudetto this season, Napoli, who were dispatched with ease at the Juventus Stadium. Andrea Pirlo's wonderful free-kick was stupendously trumped by a masterpiece from Pogba, who struck the goal of the season thus far. Worst performance of the season to this point must be the away fixture against Fiorentina, whereby the Old Lady crumbled in the space of 15 minutes, conceding four goals in their only league defeat of the season. http://markting10.nl/ One of the most innovative ideas of the season came from Juventus, who should be commended for allowing up to 12,000 children to enter the stadium during matches against Udinese—initially for poor behaviour from their fans in the Napoli match—and subsequently against Sassuolo. Earlier kick-off times were arranged and free tickets to kids in the region were released in one of the brightest and most generous ideas by a football club in Serie A this season. It is a season that still contains the potential to develop into a successful one, but the failure in Europe will likely tarnish it no matter what. http://markting10.nl/ A significant lead in the league will probably be enough to deliver a third successive title, but without the addition of a Coppa Italia title or the Europa League—which will have the final played at their own stadium in May—Juve's season will probably only be deemed a minor success. Conte has much work to do to convince the fans and the board that he has developed the side further this season, and no matter the lack of competition in the league, he will need to demonstrate this in the second half of the campaign to avoid increased pressure and criticism.

Juve are spectacular, says Tevez The Argentine, who has scored 12 goals since his arrival in Turin in the summer, says he is happy at the Scudetto holders and will relish the winter break. Dec 24, 2013 Carlos Tevez says he is enjoying life at "spectacular" Juventus after joining from Manchester City this summer. AMAZONIAN The Argentine, 29, has scored 12 goals in his 24 Bianconeri appearances this season and has been a constant starter in the XI. Despite the disappointment of being dumped out of the Champions League at the group stage, Antonio Conte's men have been flying in Serie A and Tevez is thrilled with life in Italy. "I am very happy in Turin," the striker told Corriere dello Sport. "Now the most important thing is to get some rest and prepare for the match against Roma. AMAZONIAN "We wanted to be ahead in Serie A this stage. We know that this Juventus are much a much stronger team than the ones that won the last two Scudettos. "I'm happy because this group of players is spectacular."

Final factor spurs on Juventus Dec 24, 2013 Juventus director general Beppe Marotta has admitted that winning the Europa League is now an objective. http://markting10.nl/ The Old Lady were demoted to the competition after losing their final Champions League game 1-0 at Galatasaray. “The fact that the Europa League Final will be played at the Juventus Stadium in Turin will push us to give the maximum,” he noted. “We are bitter with the way that we were knocked out of the Champions League, but we should never have got to the last game with it all to play for.” http://markting10.nl/ The Old Lady were shown the door by Galatasaray, who beat them 1-0 on a terrible pitch after the tie was originally abandoned because of snow. Juve will play Trabzonspor in the next round of the Europa League, while they could face Fiorentina in the last 16 if they both progress.

Juve hold on to Conte, Pirlo & Pogba Dec 24, 2013 Juventus President Andrea Agnelli doesn’t expect to lose Antonio Conte, Andrea Pirlo or Paul Pogba in the immediate future. http://markting10.nl/ Some reports are suggesting that this may be Conte’s last season in charge, while Pirlo’s contract expires in June and Pogba is wanted by a host of Europe’s top clubs. “I’m very happy with Conte and he is very happy with me and Juventus,” Agnelli told Tuttosport on Tuesday. “I don’t see a Juventus without Conte. “As for Pirlo, I’ve told him this is his home. I know that he has a meeting planned with director general Beppe Marotta in February-March to define everything. http://markting10.nl/ “Pirlo will stay with us for a little while longer. “Pogba? We don’t have the resources to go over certain figures. Who, in Italy, pays wages of €5m or €6m? “As Pogba is considered as potentially the best midfielder in the world then it would be hard for us to keep him [in the long term]. http://markting10.nl/ “An extension is possible though. I don’t think there are any problems with a renewal at this particular time.” Juventus have made a fine start to the season in Serie A, given that they have won 15 of their 17 games so far. And new boys Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez have performed well since their summer arrivals in Turin. http://markting10.nl/ “Llorente and Tevez were excellent swoops by Marotta, Fabio Paratici and Pavel Nedved, then Conte was exceptional in getting value from them. “Transfers next month? The January market is one for repairs and I don’t think there is the need for that. We’ll see in June.”

Buffon sixth in all-time list Dec 23, 2013 Only five goalkeepers have remained unbeaten in Serie A for longer than Gigi Buffon after the Juventus man finally conceded following 745 minutes. http://markting10.nl/ The custodian had kept eight clean sheets in a row until Maxi Moralez scored past him in Juventus’ 4-1 win at Atalanta. Another clean sheet in Bergamo would have seen him jump up to third in the all-time list, but he now joins Luca Marchegiani in sixth. http://markting10.nl/ 1. Rossi (Milan) 929 minutes 1993-94 2. Zoff (Juve) 903 minutes 1972-73 3. Da Pozzo (Genoa) 791 minutes 1963-64 4. Pelizzoli (Roma) 774 minutes 2003-2004 5. Pinato (Atalanta) 757 minutes 1996-97 6. Marchegiani (Lazio) 745 minutes 1997-98 6. Buffon (Juve) 745 minutes 2013-2014 8. De Sanctis (Roma) 744 minutes 2013-2014 9. Reginato (Cagliari) 712 minutes 1966-67 10. Handanovic (Udinese) 704 minutes 2010-2011

Llorente still improving at Juve Dec 23, 2013 Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente is satisfied with his first six months as a Juventus player. http://markting10.nl/ The forward joined the club in the summer from Athletic Bilbao on a Bosman free after his contract expired. “I’m improving and happy to play for a great team,” Llorente stated after he grabbed his fifth League goal of the campaign at Atalanta. “Everyone works for each other and helps out their teammates. http://markting10.nl/ “It was hard against Atalanta,” he continued. “That is because they are very strong, especially at home. “We stuck to the game plan throughout. Now we can enjoy our holidays in order to prepare as well as we can for Roma.”

Marchisio explains goal drought Dec 23, 2013 Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio admits that his personal goal drought is frustrating him. AMAZONIAN The Italian has regularly found the net over the previous two seasons, but he has yet to open his account after 17 games this term. “I do miss it a bit, because I’ve been used to getting them in recent years,” the 27-year-old commented. “Not much has changed on the field, and in fact Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal are scoring regularly, but it’s also true that Mirko Vucinic and Fernando Llorente are different. AMAZONIAN “The former provides a lot of assists, whereas the latter is more of a goal poacher who does his work in the box. “In any case, it’s the team rather than individuals which is important, and we’re five points ahead of Roma.” The Old Lady collected their ninth straight League win on Sunday when they beat Atalanta 4-1 in Bergamo. AMAZONIAN “The year could have been even better if we’d have got through in the Champions League,” added Marchisio. “But the important thing is that we’ve ended 2013 on a high and now we’ll make the most of the break to prepare ourselves for the match against Roma.”

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Serie A Wrap: Juve finish 2013 five points clear Juventus and Roma took full advantage of Napoli's failure to win on Saturday by putting four past their respective opponents on Sunday. Dec 23, 2013 Serie A leaders Juve were the far superior side as they brushed aside Atalanta 4-1 to maintain their five-point lead over second-placed Roma. http://markting10.nl/ The men from Turin broke the deadlock after just six minutes when Carlos Tevez scored his fourth goal in his last two league games. Atalanta soon levelled through Maximiliano Moralez, who became the first Serie A player to score against Gianluigi Buffon in 745 minutes of football. But Juventus stepped up a gear after the interval, with Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente and Arturo Vidal all finding the back of the net. Roma, meanwhile, stretched their unbeaten league run to 19 with a 4-0 thumping of basement club Catania. http://markting10.nl/ Mehdi Benatia set the ball rolling in the 18th minute before - like Juve - Roma found their stride in the second half. Mattia Destro and Gervinho added their names to the scoresheet either side of a second Benatia strike to make sure of three points that see Rudi Garcia's men go five clear of Napoli. At San Siro, Rodrigo Palacio scored a dramatic late winner to seal maximum points for Inter in a derby encounter that heaps further pressure on city rivals Milan. http://markting10.nl/ The Argentine's cheeky flicked finish four minutes from time was swiftly followed by a red card for Sulley Muntari after an altercation with Zdravko Kuzmanovic on another miserable night for Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. Defeat leaves them 27 points off leaders Roma and just five point clear of the relegation zone, while Inter leapfrog Verona into fifth. Fiorentina closed the gap on third place to just three points with a 1-0 victory over Sassuolo, while Verona kept pace with the chasing pack in a convincing 4-1 win against Lazio, who have just one triumph from their last eight league fixtures. http://markting10.nl/ With the goals flying in all over Italy, Torino made it five games unbeaten as they thrashed lowly Chievo 4-1 and Sampdoria held Parma to a 1-1 draw. At the other end of the table, Alessandro Diamanti scored the only goal as Bologna hauled themselves out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win against Genoa. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

Marchisio wants new Juventus contract The midfielder has confessed that he would like to spend the foreseeable future in Turin and admits he is enjoying his current role, filling in for the injured Andrea Pirlo. Dec 22, 2013 Claudio Marchisio has revealed that he wants to commit his long-term future to Juventus by signing a new contract with the club. AMAZONIAN The midfielder has been a Bianconeri player for his entire career, with a loan stint at Empoli representing his only spell away from Turin. The 27-year-old played the whole 90 minutes as Juve cemented their spot at the top of Serie A with a 4-1 win over Atalanta on Sunday and he made his desire to extend his current deal - which runs out in 2016 - clear after the full-time whistle. “We are winning so much so it is normal to want to stay,” Marchisio told Sky Sport Italia. AMAZONIAN “I hope to extend these [remaining] two years of the contract, because I want to wear this shirt as much as possible.” Antonio Conte’s men have recently had to cope without the influential Andrea Pirlo, who is not due back from injury until the New Year, but Marchisio has adapted well to filling the void left by the former Serie A Player of the Year. “It took a bit of practice [to get use to the playmaking role], but I am comfortable in any role in midfield," the Italy international explained. "But everyone has made a great sacrifice and that’s why we won today [sunday]. AMAZONIAN “The important thing is that the team is now in front of everyone else [in the league], has a five-point lead over [second-placed] Roma and in January we will try to increase this advantage. “For two and a half years we’ve done nothing but grow under our current coach, and it can be seen especially in these games. Last year we had a little bit of hard work to do, but we are now very relaxed.”

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Colantuono: Juventus were too strong Dec 22, 2013 Atalanta coach Stefano Colantuono thinks that Juventus were too strong to handle for his team in today’s match, where they suffered a 4-1 defeat at home. http://markting10.nl/ An even first half saw both teams score, Carlos Tevez and Maxi Moralez the goalscorers, but in the second half the Bianconeri dominated play and scored three times to bag the win. The second half goals were scored by Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente and Arturo Vidal. “Conte’s Juventus is a team that is too strong,” Colantuono said to Rai Sport after the match. http://markting10.nl/ “We were able to keep up with them in the first half, succeeding in balancing the score following Tevez’ opener, but in the second half – after Pogba’s goal – we saw the full strength of the Italian champions. “Juventus is a team that people know well. They have a certain system of playing, are strong and are used to winning.” http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Player Ratings Goal took in the action in Bergamo, where the Bianconeri romped to a ninth straight win in comprehensive fashion to enter the winter break in supreme form. Dec 22, 2013 ATALANTA Andrea Consigli - Though he saved well from Tevez, he could have done better for at least one of Juve's goals. Cristian Raimondi - Defended energetically, and had a few positive moments when he looked to overlap down the right hand side. Giulio Migliaccio - Tried his hardest to keep up with Tevez and for many spells during the game, he stifled the Argentine. However, the occasional slip ups were noticeable. Guglielmo Stendardo - Tracked many of the runs forward from the likes of Llorente, but in the end he could not stop the Juve machine. Cristiano Del Grosso - Did a decent job defensively, but never got forward in a convincing manner. Giacomo Bonaventura - Looked threatening from out wide in the early exchanges and put in a great cross for Moralez to score. Luca Cigarini - Responsible for most of the positive moments in attack for the home side after their goal, making a few dangerous runs from deep. However, it was not a consistent threat. Carlos Carmona - Pulled off a number of tackles as he managed to keep the likes of Vidal at bay for long stretches. However, fatigue began to catch up with him in the latter stages. Davide Brivio - Like many of his team-mates he started well, but could not sustain it for long. Nothing more than average out wide. Maximiliano Moralez - Pounced to score an early equaliser for the home side, but he could not build on that positivity, and ended the game on the periphery. Germán Denis - Starved for service, Atalanta's main man was hardly a factor throughout the game, but he still worked very hard to chase down lost causes and put pressure on the centre-backs. http://markting10.nl/ Substitutions Riccardo Cazzola - Did not make any impact on the game in his relatively short cameo. Marko Livaja - Could not supply or receive any good service, and as a result was stymied. http://markting10.nl/ JUVENTUS Gianluigi Buffon - Could not help Moralez's goal and handled his other routine tasks well. Andrea Barzagli - Like the rest of the defensive trio, he went about his business with minimal fuss. Leonardo Bonucci - Never looked like being beaten, as he took care of whatever came his way. Giorgio Chiellini - Blocked his fair share of shots and looked assured repelling the occasional bursts of pressure from the opposition. Stephan Lichtsteiner - Relatively timid in the first half, but began to showcase himself as more of an attacking outlet in the second period. Paul Pogba - Powerful as usual in the middle and got forward at just the right moment to slot Juve into a second half lead that they would never relinquish. Claudio Marchisio - Never quite found the time and space to get involved in attack in his usual manner. His runs were often checked and he did not attempt much more than safety first passes. Arturo Vidal - Was having a fairly quiet game by his standards up until the last 10 minutes, when he was in the right place at the right time to stab home a fourth goal. Kwadwo Asamoah - Successful in many of the overlapping runs that he attempted, and did not shirk from his defensive responsibilities for one second, making some key interceptions. Carlos Tévez - Opened the scoring with an opportunistic finish and occasionally provided some great link up play with Llorente around the box. Fernando Llorente - Muscled in an assist for Pogba's goal, before getting on the scoresheet himself with a deft move and finish to put Juve out of reach. http://markting10.nl/ Substitutions Simone Padoin - Came on with the game already on ice. Fabio Quagliarella - One or two nice touches in his short cameo appearance. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Initial reaction and random observations Dec 22, 2013 In a relatively interesting development, Juventus manager Antonio Conte rolled out of the dressing room sporting his favorite hat to protect himself from the elements. Turns out, Conte's hat turned into a makeshift rally cap for his team coming out of the halftime break. http://markting10.nl/ Second-half goals from Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente and Arturo Vidal sent Juventus into the winter break in style with a 4-1 thumping of Atalanta on Sunday in Bergamo. Four goals in back-to-back league games. Not a bad way to close out 2013, guys. And with the the win, Juve were able to keep their plus-5 advantage atop the Serie A table. Pretty good Sunday, I'd say. JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen Llorente: It was a really tough game because Atalanta are a strong side, especially at home. http://markting10.nl/ The lone blemish in what was an otherwise productive day: Maxi Moralez's 15th-minute goal put an end to Juve's long shutout streak, keeping Gigi Buffon from making even more history in his legendary career. But something tells me that Buffon will take the three points as a consolation gift a few days before Christmas. And after that goal, especially in the second half, Juve's defense put the clamp down on a Atalanta attack that was looking quite solid in the first 45 minutes on Sunday. OptaPaolo @OptaPaolo 745 - Gianluigi Buffon has conceded a goal in the league after being unbeaten for 745 mins - he's now 6th in the all-time Serie A. Moralez. http://markting10.nl/ Rinse and repeat. Nine straight wins in a row for Conte's squad and now it's all eyes focused solely on the game coming out of the holiday break. Methinks the first game of 2014 is a rather important one. Feel free to agree. Random thoughts and observations • The Carlos Tevez goal tally is now at 11 on the season after he recorded the opening goal on Sunday. If he was around last season, he'd officially finish as Juve's leading scorer. But since he obviously wasn't, we can only point out that Tevez has now scored one more goal than both of Juve's top scorers — Vidal and Mirko Vucinic — did a year ago. And there's still over half the season to go. Stay hot, Carlitos. http://markting10.nl/ • After a couple of relatively quiet games, Llorente was back to doing Llorente things. An assist on Pogba's eventual game-winner and then a wonderfully taken strike from inside the penalty area to put the game away at 3-1. He will almost always be involved in the build up play because that's what he does. But this was a game, even with some of the frustrations that came in the final third, that Llorente's contributions made a huge difference. • Giorgio Chiellini might very well be the most awkward player ever when he comes out of the defense and tries to contribute to the attack. And yet, despite all of that, he got an assist on Llorente's goal. This game is a funny thing sometimes — and so is watching Chiellini charge up the field when he tries to channel his inner left winger. • Claudio Marchisio slotted into the Andrea Pirlo-like regista role after Pogba began the game there. That marks the second time in less than a week that Il Principino has been deployed as the holding midfielder in the center of the park. As somebody once said to me, "Your thoughts?" http://markting10.nl/ • For all the good that came with Juventus scoring four goals, it wasn't exactly like they were firing at will for good portions of the match. There were a good number of shoulda-coulda-woulda moments, most notably Tevez's 1-on-1 with Atalanta keeper Andrea Consigli that somehow ended with no shot on goal. Juventus definitely should have finished with more than 16 total shots against Atalanta. But then again, when you score four goals and every shot on goal hits the back of the net, I guess it's okay to forgive them a little bit. • You see Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross on Vidal's goal? Juve need to do that more often. Dangerous. http://markting10.nl/ • You see Marchisio screaming at the top of his lungs at Pogba after Atalanta's goal? That was awesome. • Let the Roma talk officially begin. Jan. 5 — and the chance for 10 straight Serie A wins — can't get here soon enough http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Juve make it nine wins in a row, Marchisio slots into Pirlo role Dec 22, 2013 Conceding a goal after so many games made it exciting, at least temporarily, as it looked liked Juventus might be facing a challenge. Alas, Atalanta could barely control the superior talent of their opponents and the Bianconeri went on to score three more to finish the match 4-1. Another week and yet another victory for Antonio Conte's men, who look simply unstoppable in the league. http://markting10.nl/ On paper, this looked to be an uneven contest between the two sides. Whilst Juventus can't stop winning, Atalanta haven't won a match since early November. They are a team that struggle to create or score and going into the match, only Genoa had attempted fewer shots on goal then the Orobici. Defensively, they work well together and limit the spaces available to the opponent, even if they tend to concede a few too many shots. Nonetheless, coach Stefano Colantuono has created a good team ethic. His players play with determination and a certain rhythm that has seen them snatch points in big games. Their passing may not be the most accurate, but they take the chances afforded to them and honour the shirt they don. An easy challenge on paper, it took Juventus only five minutes to demonstrate it was an easy challenge in reality too. A beautiful shot from outside the box by Carlos Tevez gave the away side an excellent start to the game -- that was until Maxi Moralez dealt the Old Lady and their remarkable clean-sheet record a blow by scoring the equaliser only 10 minutes later. http://markting10.nl/ A Juventus fan as a child, Giacomo Bonaventura made a beautiful run in the box, evading all Bianconeri defenders in his way to deliver the ball for Maximiliano Moralez to shoot and score. The goal stunned the Old Lady, a team that had forgotten what it felt like to concede a goal in domestic fixtures and it took them some time to settle back to their dominating ways. However, the home side did well defensively, flooding their box with bodies to severely hinder Juve's intricate play in the final third. Sadly for the home fans, 45 minutes of good play was all Atalanta could muster as Juventus well and truly dominated, controlled and exhibited their superiority in the second half. Colantuono attempted to provoke a reaction from his side by throwing on more attacking players, but it's difficult to continue to believe in a win when faced with a side that has so many options going forward. Even Arturo Vidal and Fernando Llorente, who played below their usual level, managed a goal each. Interestingly, Conte opted to play Claudio Marchisio in the regista role, sitting deep and picking out passes. Many journalists, fans and even this blog have wondered who out of Juve's midfielders would be the best placed to take on that role in Andrea Pirlo's absence. Today, questions were answered. http://markting10.nl/ Once again Paul Pogba showed how important he can be to the side when played further forward. This is a man who delights in his ability to keep possession and dribble forward, turn and shoot. Moreover, his athletic stature allows him to get the better of defenders and reach the ball first to score, much like he did with Juve's second goal of the game. Played deep, Conte risks sacrificing the youngster's greatest qualities. Played further forward and the Frenchman excels in raising the team's level of attacking play. Meanwhile, Vidal with his consistent determination to win back possession high up the pitch, coupled with his non-stop scoring, means he should always be allowed to push forward. Playing him deeper means losing his defensive capabilities in that final third as well as the most prolific goalscorer under Conte's tutelage. Marchisio in that 'Pirlo' role just might be the perfect solution. The attributes of his teammates aside, Il Principino is one of the most tactically intelligent players within the Juve ranks and his ability to interpret different roles further demonstrates his importance to the side. Whether played out wide on the left, right, deep or just behind the striker, Marchisio can and does make it work to the best of his ability. Evidently this is not his best position and yet the Bianconero did well to break up play, keep his passing tidy and look forward. http://markting10.nl/ Unfortunately, this season he has struggled to find the back of the net despite his ability to expose and occupy gaps in the final third. Moreover, there seems to be a reluctance to pass him the ball when he does position himself well in the box. Thus playing him deeper not only makes the most of his tactical intelligence but also allows his more effective teammates the opportunity to express themselves in an attacking sense. Nine consecutive wins for the Old Lady and only one goal conceded. Regardless of what happens against Roma at the start of the new year, it's obvious Juve are Italy's best team and that is not simply based on results, but on the quality of their play. Few boast that kind of fluidity and the ability to maintain consistency, even when the squad is rotated. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Dominant second half secures comfortable win for the Bianconeri Dec 22, 2013 Juventus beat Atalanta 4-1 at the Stadio Atleti Azurri d’Italia on Sunday afternoon in the Serie A. http://markting10.nl/ An early goal from Carlos Tevez sent the Bianconeri in front before Maxi Moralez equalized for La Dea to make the halftime-score 1-1. Second half strikes from Paul Pogba, Fernando Llorente and Arturo Vidal secured the win for the away side. Juventus would find themselves in first-place in Serie A at Christmas, regardless of today’s result. They did though have the chance to move further away from third-placed Napoli, who had played out to a draw with Cagliari on Saturday. The home team, on the other hand, found themselves in mid-table before the match and were looking to increase the 4-point distance they had down to the relegation spots. In the latest round, Tevez nicked a hat trick against Sassuolo and after just six minutes of this game, Tevez was on the spot again. The Argentine sent a flat shot into the far side of the goal in a situation where Atalanta-keeper, Andrea Consigli, didn’t look too good. http://markting10.nl/ It did not take long, however, before home team had equalized. After 15 minutes, Giacomo Bonaventura sent a pass backwards in the penalty area to find Maxi Moralez, who put the ball past Gianluigi Buffon. On the half hour, Juventus came close once again when Pogba headed the ball down just in front of Consigli’s goal, but Tevez could’t quite arrive to put it in the net. The Argentine would get the chance again a few minutes before half-time when he found himself alone with Consigli who, however, did well to read Tevez’ intentions and knock the ball away. Just one minute had passed in the second half before Juventus were in front again. Llorente found Pogba in the box and the Frenchman didn’t have much trouble bagging his fifth goal of the season. It wasn’t enough for the Bianconeri who kept pressing for a third goal, while the home side had difficulty getting any offensive play going. http://markting10.nl/ Juventus’s domination would pay off after 75 minutes when Llorente put them up 3-1. Giorgio Chiellini drove the ball forward and found the Spaniard, who cheated Giulio Migliaccio with a nice move before putting the ball past Consigli. The away side would go 4-1 up as well when Stephan Lichtsteiner sent a ball into the small area where Vidal stood ready to put it in the net. As a sign of Juventus’s domination, Atalanta first real effort on goal in the second half didn’t come until the 84th minute when a German Denis header was saved by Buffon. Atalanta searched for a consolation goal in the final minutes, but result remained 4-1 for Juventus at full-time. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Juventus too strong for Atalanta Dec 22, 2013 Juventus have defeated Atalanta 4-1 at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia in Bergamo to stay five points clear at the top of Serie A. http://markting10.nl/ The Italian champions surged ahead with the very first meaningful chance of the game as Carlos Tevez fired home in the sixth minute. However, Atalanta pressed forward and scored the equaliser on 15 minutes. Paul Pogba and Kwadwo Asamoah both failed to contain Giacomo Bonaventura on the right and the midfielder set up Maximiliano Moralez to slam home from close range. Maximiliano Morales of Atalanta celebrates the equlising goal during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Juventus at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on December 22, 2013 http://markting10.nl/ Tevez and Fernando Llorente had chances in quick succession in the following minutes, but both failed to keep their respective attempts on target. Then on 20 minutes Pogba struck the Atalanta crossbar but the referee had already blown the whistle for a offside infringement. Carlos Carmona tried to hit back for the home side, but it was Juve who had the better chances as the first half progressed, with Tevez going close on a couple of occasions. http://markting10.nl/ Pogba redeemed himself for his part in the Atalanta goal in the first minute of the second half, as he shot home with his left foot after being released by Llorente. The Frenchman had another good chance just minutes later, but this time he dragged his shot wide of the target. http://markting10.nl/ Despite Atalanta's spirited performance, they failed to stop Llorente from scoring Juventus's third goal of the afternoon on 75 minutes as the Spanish striker latched onto Giorgio Chiellini's pass, turned past Giulio Migliaccio and shot home. Arturo Vidal added the icing on the cake four minutes later, turning in Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross from just yards out. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Juve stay five points clear Dec 22, 2013 Juventus maintained their five-point advantage at the top of Serie A with their ninth win in a row as they secured a 4-1 triumph at Atalanta. http://markting10.nl/ Carlos Tevez put the Bianconeri in front in the sixth minute but Maximiliano Moralez became the first player in over seven matches to beat Gianluigi Buffon to bring Atalanta level 10 minutes later. Paul Pogba restored Juve's lead early in the second half with Fernando Llorente and Arturo Vidal completing the win. Juve have been going - Champions League apart - like an express train recently, winning their last eight and not conceding in their last seven, and Bergamo was not a scheduled stop. http://markting10.nl/ It stood to reason, therefore, that Tevez put them in front with their first attack, netting his 11th goal of the season after only six minutes. Vidal's pass took a fortunate deflection to fall for the Argentinian, who held off his marker well and shot low from the edge of the area into the bottom left-hand corner. Their lead lasted less than 10 minutes, though, before Buffon conceded his first goal after 744 minutes. http://markting10.nl/ Giacomo Bonaventura took the ball to the goal-line and pulled it back for Moralez, whose shot towards the far corner took a slight deflection, striking the inside of the post on its way in. Ten minutes later, Carmona tried his luck from 35 yards, hoping somehow that Buffon could now be beaten from anywhere having finally conceded, yet he failed to hit the target. Juve ended the half stronger with Claudio Marchisio lifting an interesting ball to the far post to Pogba, who found no takers for his header across the face of goal. Tevez then tried a lob which cleared the bar from the edge of the penalty area. http://markting10.nl/ Less than a minute of the second half had been played when Pogba put Juve in front for the second time. Kwadwo Asamoah's cross was touched town by Llorente, and Pogba swept it into the far corner with his left foot. Atalanta collapsed as Juve finally gathered momentum, and a third goal was inevitable. http://markting10.nl/ Giorgio Chiellini was allowed to advance with the ball at his feet, deep into the Atalanta half, where he passed the responsibility to Llorente, who made it look easy inside the penalty area. Five minutes later, Vidal got his obligatory goal too, tucking the ball in at the far post from Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross to complete the rout. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

ATALANTA 1 - 4 JUVENTUS Carlos Tévez (6′) Maximiliano Moralez (15′) Paul Pogba (46′) Fernando Llorente (75′) Arturo Vidal (79′) December 22, 2013 - 3:00 PM Atleti azzurri d'Italia Stadium — Bergamo Referee: Domenico Celi Attendance:‬ 14000‎ Unstoppable Juventus! Juventus lost their clean sheet after 744 minutes of Serie A football, but still beat Atalanta for a ninth straight victory. Dec 22, 2013 The Bianconeri had won their last eight Serie A games without conceding and visited an Atalanta side who hadn’t won in four. However, the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia had also not been conquered in five games, taking points off the likes of Inter and Roma here. Andrea Pirlo and Mirko Vucinic were still sidelined, while the hosts missed Mario Yepes, Cristian Raimondi, Stefano Lucchini and Gianpaolo Bellini. http://markting10.nl/ Juve are unbeaten in this fixture since a 2-1 result in February 2001, earning seven victories and a draw, and have won their last six meetings with Atalanta, home and away. Atalanta wore a new red Christmas-themed shirt and the snow and rain in Bergamo added to the atmosphere. It took just six minutes for Juve to break the deadlock, as Carlos Tevez skipped away from defenders to shoot with his right foot from the edge of the box and Andrea Consigli got a hand to it, but not enough to keep the ball out of the bottom corner. http://markting10.nl/ Atalanta equalised with Maxi Moralez, the first goal the Bianconeri had conceded in 744 minutes of Serie A football. The little Argentine gathered the pull-back and his shot went in off the inside of the upright. Consigli intercepted a dangerous Kwadwo Asamoah cross that Fernando Llorente was about to tap in, while Paul Pogba hit the crossbar only after a push on Guglielmo Stendardo. A Carlos Carmona screamer was just wide, then Tevez got between defenders and Consigli had to flap the ball away in the six-yard box. http://markting10.nl/ Tevez sprung the offside trap to go clear on goal, but Consigli did just about enough to send him wide and the chance went begging. Juventus restored their advantage straight after the restart. Llorente knocked down an Asamoah cross for Pogba, who turned in from six yards. http://markting10.nl/ Claudio Marchisio blasted over the bar, but Llorente secured the victory when he gathered from Giorgio Chiellini and turned Migliaccio inside out to score. Arturo Vidal added his name to the scoresheet when meeting a Stephan Lichtsteiner ball across the six-yard box. http://markting10.nl/ ATALANTA: Consigli; Raimondi (Kone 87), Migliaccio, Stendardo, Del Grosso (Cazzola 68); Bonaventura (Livaja 68), Cigarini, Carmona, Brivio; Moralez, Denis JUVENTUS: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal (Padoin 81), Pogba (Peluso 82), Marchisio, Asamoah; Tevez (Quagliarella 81), Llorente Ref: Celi http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111