Socrates

Kwadwo Asamoah ready to play in any position for Juventus Nov 14, 2012 Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah says he is willing to play in any position for the club. The 23-year-old Asamoah, who joined from Udinese in the summer, marked his debut with a superb strike in Juve’s 4-2 Super Cup triumph over Napoli back in August. Asamoah was initially brought in to provide cover for the central midfield trio of Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, but the Ghana international has made his mark on the left side of midfield. It’s a position he feels more than comfortable in, although Asamoah is keen to stress that he will play wherever manager Antonio Conte and his assistant Angelo Alessio want him. “The manager liked what he saw in that game and from there we’ve gone on in the same way. I’m prepared to play in any position,” Asamoah said on the club’s website. Asamoah is quickly winning over fans of the current Serie A champions. His recent displays include a spectacular overhead kick in the 6-1 win over Pescara last Saturday. “It was a good result, but it hasn’t changed anything as far as the dressing room atmosphere is concerned,” he said. “We’ve begun well and taken many points from our start to the season, but there are still plenty of games to play and we need to hang in there, fighting all the way to the end.” Juve currently lead Serie A after 12 rounds with 31 points which is four better than rivals Inter Milan in second.

Buffon on verge of extending Nov 14, 2012 Gigi Buffon will sign a new contract with Juventus by the end of next week, reports Tuttosport on Wednesday. The Italian international is only tied to the Turin giants until June 2013, but talks regarding a renewal are almost complete. Buffon will apparently put pen to paper on a deal until June 2016 after the Chelsea tie. He will also reduce his salary from around €5.5m a year to €3.5m. However, there are some lucrative bonus terms which could see the former Parma custodian handsomely rewarded. A Scudetto win would see him net an extra €500,000, while a Scudetto and Champions League double would deliver €1.5m.

Verratti: Pirlo and I for Italy Nov 14, 2012 Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti says that he and Andrea Pirlo could co-exist in the same Italian national side. Verratti will start instead of the Juventus playmaker in this evening’s glamour friendly against France at Parma. However, the former Pescara revelation is confident that Cesare Prandelli could field both simultaneously. “Pirlo will soon return to the starting line-up, but I am convinced that we can co-exist,” commented the 20-year-old. “I can, after all, play as the attacking midfielder behind two strikers because that is a role I have covered in the past.” Verratti was transformed into a Pirlo-style deep playmaker by Zdenek Zeman at Pescara last season. He joined PSG for €12m in the summer.

Asamoah: Juventus must keep fighting to the end The Ghana international has voiced his opinion that the Bianconeri will have to keep on giving their all in order to challenge for the Scudetto. Nov 14, 2012 Kwadwo Asamoah has stressed that Juventus cannot afford to rest on their laurels if they are to be successful in the 2012-13 campaign. The reigning champions went four points clear of second-placed Inter this weekend following their 6-1 win over Pescara and their rivals' 3-2 loss against Atalanta, but Asamoah has insisted they have not achieved anything yet. "It was a good result against Pescara, but it hasn’t changed anything as far as the dressing room atmosphere is concerned," Asamoah stated at a Juventus Club Doc fan evening in Rivara. "We’ve begun well and taken many points from our start to the season, but there are still plenty of games to play. "We need to hang in there, fighting all the way to the end."

Serie A - 12^ Giornata - Andata - 10-11-2012 (ore 20:45) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Stadio Adriatico (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Arbitro: Luca Banti Spettatori: 14000 Serie A - Quagliarella show, goleada Juventus Tutto facile per la Juventus che resitituisce l'umiliazione subita nella stagione 93-94 dal Pescara (5-1). I bianconeri vincono 6-1 grazie alla tripletta, la prima in carriera e nell'era Conte, di Quagliarella. Di Vidal, Giovinco e Asamoah gli altri gol della Juve. Di Cascione l'unica marcatura del Pescara. Eurosport - Sabato, 10 novembre 2012 Tutto facile, tremendamente facile per la Juventus di Antonio Conte. Serviva una vittoria per riprendere il cammino in campionato dopo il brutto ko interno contro l’Inter di Stramaccioni. E una vittoria, e che vittoria, è arrivata. Con punteggio tennistico, 6-1, e con una tripletta, la prima della gestione Conte. È la serata di Quagliarella, affiancato a Giovinco in attacco e protagonista assoluto del match con tre gol importanti e che portano a dieci le realizzazioni bianconere in appena due partite. Un Quagliarella che nonostante le numerose panchine viaggia su una media di un gol ogni 57 minuti. Bianconeri travolgenti e avanti subito dopo appena otto minuti con Vidal, al quinto gol in campionato, pescato in maniera eccezionale da Giovinco. Difesa del Pescara ai limiti dell’imbarazzante e per i bianconeri è un gioco da ragazzi raddoppiare con Quagliarella, servito da Isla e bravo di battere Perin con un diagonale. Il Pescara si sveglia solo dopo il raddoppio juventino e gioca per dieci minuti, il tempo di colpire e accorciare le distanze con Cascione che in area anticipa tutti di testa e batte un non irresistibile Buffon, lento nella reazione in tuffo. Per un attimo si pensa addirittura all’incredibile rimonta ma la sfuriata abruzzese si spegne con la terza rete bianconera, una perla di Asamoah che insacca in rovesciata un pallone alzato da Quagliarella in area piccola. È il ko per il Pescara e gli uomini di Conte premono sull’acceleratore per chiudere definitivamente il conto. Marchisio salva una conclusione avversaria sulla linea di porta e a segnare il quinto gol in appena trenta minuti ci pensa uno dei migliori della serata, Sebastian Giovinco, che calcia al volo un pallone servito dal solito Quagliarella. Pescara allo sbando e proprio allo scadere del primo tempo arriva la doppietta di Quagliarella, bravo ad agganciare in area e segnare con un diagonale preciso. È una Juventus cinica ma davanti c’è un Pescara decisamente di categoria inferiore. Le accuse a mister Stroppa sono ingenerose visto il potenziale a disposizione e la posizione del club abruzzese mette sempre più in dubbio il futuro del tecnico. Non basta infatti il coraggio contro la prima della classe e la serata dell’Adriatico si trasforma in incubo. La Juventus riesce a restituire con gli interessi la tremenda umiliazione subita nella stagione 93-94 con quel 5-1 che macchia la storia juventina. Nella ripresa non cambia nulla. Mister Stroppa prova a giocarsi le ultime speranze schierando un 4-3-3 con l’ingresso di Caprarica ma in campo c’è solo una squadra: la Juventus. Passano sette minuti e Quagliarella segna il suo terzo gol. Sugli sviluppi di un calcio d’angolo battuto da Andrea Pirlo l’attaccante batte Perin con una magnifica rovesciata da distanza ravvicinata. Prima tripletta in carriera per Quagliarella e Juve che torna al successo nel migliore dei modi e a pochi giorni dall’altra goleada contro in Nordsjealland in Champions League. Per trovare una tripletta in casa Juve bisogna tornare al 20 aprile 2008 con i gol di Alex Del Piero nel successo per 4-0 contro l’Atalanta. Mister Alessio inserisce anche Padoin e Marrone al posto di Isla e Chiellini e concede minuti preziosi ma non certo sfruttati a Bendtner, sempre più oggetto del mistero in casa Juve. Non ci sono altri gol ma nel finale il Pescara protesta per un intervento al limite di Padoin in area. Proteste che portano all’espulsione di mister Stroppa. I bianconeri tirano il freno e portano a casa tre punti fondamentali, necessari per rispondere al primo ko dell’era Conte contro i rivali dell’Inter. Sconfitta dimenticata e testa al campionato per una squadra ritrovata e finalmente amica del gol, anche se il valore delle squadre affrontate non deve illudere la dirigenza juventina. Per il Pescara una sconfitta pesante ma che non può cancellare il lavoro comunque buono di Stroppa. Andrea Prete - Eurosport Pescara 1 - 6 Juventus

Marchisio: Juve can succeed in Europe Nov 13, 2012 Claudio Marchisio insists that his Juventus side have what is needed to become a major player on the European stage. The Old Lady won the Scudetto last season and they currently lead the standings again thanks to a four-point cushion after 12 games. However, things are a bit more difficult in the Champions League given that they need four points from their last two games against Chelsea at home and Shakhtar Donetsk away to reach the last 16. “We are not short of anything to become a big team in Europe as well,” stated the Italian international midfielder. “We just have to play with the same approach that we have shown in our last two games.” Juventus’ 49-game unbeaten run in Serie A was ended by Inter recently, but they reacted to that with a 4-0 win over Nordsjaelland and a 6-1 thrashing of Pescara. “We have what we need to get through the group stage of the Champions League,” he added. “We shouldn’t be scared of Chelsea and we didn’t fear them in the first game – not even after we went 2-0 down. “We respect the European champions, but we are well aware that we have matured a lot over this last year and we’ll give it a go.” Juventus will play Chelsea on Tuesday 20 November. Meanwhile, Marchisio would not be drawn on the transfer speculation suggesting that Juventus could be interested in Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli. “I love Mario and he is a great champion, but this is a question which you should put to the club directors…”

'Conte was right to leave me out' Nov 13, 2012 Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has admitted that his exclusion from the squad for the game against Pescara was 'a good lesson'. The 19-year-old was left out for the trip to the Adriatic coast because of late arrivals to two separate training sessions, but the teenager has conceded that it was right he was not involved. “It was just a misunderstanding,” he told L'Equipe. “The Coach decided not to involve me and it seemed right. “For me it was a good life lesson.” He also commented on his season so far, but claims he will not rest on his laurels. “So far everything is going well,” he said. “It is nice that I am playing, but I cannot settle for this. A career is not made on a couple of good games.”

Deschamps on Pogba Nov 13, 2012 France boss Didier Deschamps has explained why Paul Pogba is currently not part of his plans. “Calm is needed surrounding Pogba,” the former Juventus midfielder and Coach told the giornalaccio rosa dello Sport. “He’s young, he certainly has quality and he has really interesting potential,” he said of Juve’s 19-year-old. “I’m following him, but he has to play more games. And it is obvious that the competition for places in Turin is tough. “I still haven’t spoken with Juventus boss Antonio Conte, but playing 25 games for Juve counts for more than 40 with a smaller club. “Pogba, though, represents the future of France as Raphael Varane does at Real Madrid.”

Marchisio: Juventus have no need to fear Chelsea The Italy international is looking forward to next week's Champions League encounter, and feels the Turin side have what it takes to get a good result on home soil. Nov 13, 2012 Claudio Marchisio is confident that Juventus can get a positive result against Chelsea in order to secure progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League. The reigning Serie A champions currently sit third in Group E, trailing joint leaders Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea by one point with two more games to go, and Marchisio has insisted that the Bianconeri don't fear the current trophy holders. "If we take to the field as we have done in the last couple of last games, both in the Champions League and Serie A, then we certainly have no need to fear Chelsea," Marchisio told reporters. "We didn’t fear them in the first encounter, when we found ourselves 2-0 down and fought back to draw. "We’ll have great respect for the reigning European champions, but we’ll face them with the knowledge that we’ve grown considerably in the last year and have everything that’s needed to get through to the next round." Juventus host Chelsea in Turin on Tuesday November 20.

Serie A Team of the Week: Quagliarella, Denis & Dybala head goal-glut XI Goal.com chooses the best eleven players in the Serie A this weekend, which saw AC Milan and Inter defeated while the likes of Juventus and Napoli earned three points. Nov 12, 2012 There were goals galore in the latest round of Serie A, and Goal.com's Team of the Week has nine different goalscorers, accounting for 14 of the 34 netted over the weekend. Mariano Andujar was the man primarily responsbile for the first of two 0-0 draws in Round 12, with his efforts between the sticks ensuring Catania took a point from Cagliari. Gabriele Angella was a surprise goal hero for Udinese, as his double earned the Friulani a draw against Chievo at the Bentegodi, and Gonzalo Rodriguez saw off Alexandre Pato by half-time as Fiorentina took all three points from their trip to Milan. Danilo D'Ambrosio showed his knack for grabbing the odd surprise goal too when netting the winner for Torino against Bologna. Antonio Candreva tilted the Rome derby in Lazio's favour with a first-half free-kick which somehow beat Mauro Goicoechea in the Roma goal, and his all-round contribution helped to seal the victory in the second half. Arturo Vidal was once again the catalyst for Juventus, scoring the opening goal in the 6-1 rout of Pescara, while Borja Valero got in on the scoring act as Fiorentina continued their fine form with victory at San Siro. Marek Hamsik earned his customary place in our XI with a battling display and crucial late goal as Napoli took three points off Genoa. A hat-trick for Fabio Quagliarella was the highlight of Juventus' battering of poor Pescara, and German Denis became a Bianconeri hero for the day by scoring a couple of goals in Atalanta's victory over second-placed Inter. Meanwhile, Paulo Dybala marked a rare first-team start with a double which gave Palermo a vital 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Sampdoria. ANDUJAR (Catania) ANGELLA (Udinese) - RODRIGUEZ (Fiorentina) - D'AMBROSIO (Torino) CANDREVA (Lazio) - VIDAL (JUVENTUS) - BORJA VALERO (Fiorentina) - HAMSIK (Napoli) QUAGLIARELLA (JUVENTUS) - DENIS (Atalanta) - DYBALA (Palermo)

Pogba insists he will not be late for Juventus training again The Frenchman has offered his apologies for his tardiness and has vowed that he will not let it happen again in the future. Nov 12, 2012 Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has apologised for showing up late to training twice last week, and has insisted that he will not make the same mistake ever again. The Frenchman was left out of this weekend's Bianconeri Bianconeri squad for the side's Serie A match against Pescara following his tardiness, but the ex-Manchester United midfielder has stressed that he will learn from his errors. "I was wrong and I'm sorry for what happened. I apologise because I showed a lack of respect toward my team-mates and [heacd coach Antonio] Conte," the midfielder told Tuttosport. "I never had the intention to show up late. That I was late for training was down to some trivial things. I made a mistake. "I realise that I was wrong though, and I will do my utmost to make sure I do not make the same mistake again. I will not be late again in the future. The matter is closed now as far as I'm concerned." The 19-year-old has made eight appearances for Juventus this campaign, scoring twice in the process.

Buffon: Italy v France is like a derby match The Azzurri captain has shared his excitement about the upcoming fixture and claims there is a special buzz surrounding the two nations whenever they meet. Nov 12, 2012 Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has likened Italy's clash with France to a derby. The Azzurri captain is looking forward to the game and despite les Blues not having the best of success in recent years, the 34-year-old is expecting a tough examination from Didier Deschamps' side. "France remain a strong nation in European football, one that is always capable of playing at a high level," he told Le Parisien. "Playing against France is like playing a derby, there is a special taste that the fixture brings." Buffon also spoke about the impact of money on football, and claimed that no matter how much Paris Saint-Germain spend on transfer fees, they cannot buy the history and tradition of Europe's biggest clubs. “Paris Saint-Germain are a lucky club, they have a lot of money,” he stated. “However, in football, the richest do not always win. Some clubs have less money, but they spend it better than those who have more, and the history of a club also counts a lot towards their status. "Perhaps in 50 years they will talk about PSG more than Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, but not at the moment.”

Buffon: PSG need more than money Nov 12, 2012 Gigi Buffon has told Paris Saint-Germain that it doesn’t matter how much money you have – the key thing is how you spend it. The French club are one of the world’s strongest economical forces and spent around €100m in Italy this summer by signing Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marco Verratti. However, the Juventus and Italy custodian has told Le Parisien that money can’t buy you tradition in this game. “PSG are a lucky club, they have a lot of money,” he stated. “But, in football, the richest don’t always win. “Some clubs have less money, but they spend it better and the history of a club also counts. Perhaps in 50 years they will talk about PSG more than Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus – but not now.” PSG have a number of Italian internationals in their ranks, including former Pescara gem Verratti and ex-Palermo ‘keeper Salvatore Sirigu. “Marco is today a first team starter in a big club, that is in the Champions League, which is what they promised him in Paris. In Italy, nobody had the courage to offer him the same,” Buffon noted. “Sirigu? He’s a good kid, an explosive and reactive goalkeeper. Sirigu did well by going to France. “It’s a very delicate role in Italy where you can do well for six months, make two errors and then be replaced. Salvatore cut the umbilical cord with Italy and that is a good thing for his development.” Buffon is currently on international duty preparing for the game against France, a tie where he will come up against former Juventus boss Didier Deschamps. “It’s not a surprise to see him as the French manager. He was already a Coach on the pitch. His footballing philosophy isn’t Italian, it is European seeing as he played in four countries. He put the best of those experiences in his suitcase. “France? I like Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery to death, but they can do even better. For me, they have the qualities and the potential to reach the level of Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Pogba: I won’t be late again! Nov 12, 2012 Paul Pogba has apologised to everyone at Juventus after he was dropped for the Pescara game for disciplinary reasons. “I don’t plan on being late again.” The Frenchman was omitted from the squad that won 6-1 on Saturday night as punishment for arriving at training late on two separate occasions. “I was wrong and I’m very sorry,” he told Tuttosport. “And of course, I apologise because I know I have been disrespectful to boss Antonio Conte and my teammates. “It was not my intention to do so and my delays are related to issues that are very trivial, but they are mistakes. “I know that mistakes are also needed to mature and every experience is useful for the growth of each of us. I realised my mistake and I will do everything to make sure that it is not repeated in the future. “I think the matter is now closed. And I have no intention of re-opening it by being late again!” Pogba has been a revelation in Turin since he left Manchester United in the summer at the end of his contract. “This is a great club and there are not many differences compared to Manchester United, they are two of the most important clubs in the world,” he added. “The difference here is that I feel appreciated, the players believe in me, the Coach believes in me and I have the opportunity to play.” Pogba also revealed in the same interview that he almost gave up football in order to play table tennis! “I played football because of the Brazilian Ronaldo,” he added. “When I was nine I had to choose between table tennis and football because the lessons for both fell on a Saturday. “Then the 2002 World Cup arrived and Ronaldo bewitched me. That’s when I left table tennis for football. But I’m still quite handy with a bat…”

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Referee: Luca Banti Attendance: 14000 The Old Lady Goes To See The Sei Nov 11, 2012 A visit to Pescara gave Juventus the opportunity to restore their confidence and the aura of Champions so badly dented by Inter last weekend. With a run of five tough matches to come it would be the ideal time to continue the good form shown on Wednesday but nobody could have predicted the convincing manner in which she would do so. Such was the emphatic nature of this victory it took a real team effort here at JuventiKnows to review the game so what follows was brought to you by John, Marco, and Adam. Read on… MATCH ANALYSIS (by John Cascarano) After a weekend in which the Conte-era Juventus tasted defeat for the first time in Serie A – in a heartbreaking blowout to bitter rivals Inter in front of a home crowd, no less – much of the peninsula wondered and watched how Italy’s old lady would react. I’ve written and said it since, that the next week would be both telling and decisive. Much like a good closer in baseball needs a short memory, so do a stable of champions in football. The hallmark of a true championship squad is how they react in the wake of a setback. This week Juventus had a unique opportunity to twice show their worth. First, it was trying to break their recent European hoodoo and finally grab that elusive +3 from those Danes at home. Step one, complete. Yesterday in Abruzzo, they completed step two. All in all this week proved as resounding a bounce-back as anyone could hope for, and it was capped off against in smashing fashion against Pescara. Juventus lined up in a 3-5-2 formation (duh), and while the reports heading into the match were that Antonio Conte giving rest to some of his key players, someone should have told that to Angelo Alessio. The back-line remained the same, with my sympathy for Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leo Bonucci reaching an all-time high, while teen idol Paul Pogba was pulled from his planned start for showing up late to two training sessions, leaving the M-V-P midfield in tact. On the outside, Mauricio Isla got another start on the right, as he continues to gradually work his way into the lineup building upon his good performance during the UCL fixture midweek. Predictably, Kwadwo Asamoah lined up across from him, with a Quagliavinco tandem up top. Much like in last week’s match, things started off quickly (albeit not as quickly), with Giovinco, Marchisio and Asamoah making things uncomfortable for Pescara, all seemingly within one minute. This culminated with a nice goal from (former) top striker Arturo Vidal, following a well-played ball by the aforementioned pocket poacher. The waves of pressure continued, with Quagliarella almost scoring a vintage PlayStation-esque goal from the top of the box, that tailed just wide… Although this would mark a harbinger of things to come. Meanwhile, Marchisio looked particularly fired up on an exchange in the middle third involving a botched handball, while Barzagli provided a minor heart attack when he tried to get a bit too fancy, giving the ball away after a justly yet nervously called foul and yellow card against Jonathas. Pescara tried to counter per usual, but were left in the dust shortly after as in the 22nd minute, a low cross from Mauricio Isla found Quagliarella to put Juventus up 2-0. Although Quaglia notched the score, it was a nice look by Isla to find him in the crowd and deliver a perfect little pass. Pescara would remain in the game, however. Shortly thereafter, Juventus was lucky to not concede a goal off of a Juan Fernando Quintero free kick which smacked the woodwork and Buffon seemed to just get his fingertips on. There were appeals for a penalty from a handball against Vidal, but play continued and an Emmanuel Cascione header would similarly escape Buffon’s finger tips, hit the inside of the woodwork, but this time go in. Barzagli would lose his man and it would be 2-1. Two minutes later, again off of a corner kick, Matti Lund Nielsen was left wide open after a bad clearance and nearly leveled the score for Pescara. However, the cardiac arrest would end there. A few minutes later, Giovinco would continue his clever little play with a nice ball down the right hand side for Quagliarella, who was open and had space to run into, but would inexplicably let the ball roll. Perhaps he thought he was offside. He wasn’t. Sloppy play. You better make up for it, Quags… Quagliarella did make up for it, and from there on the floodgates would open. At the 30th, a neat little back flick pass from no. 27 reached Asamoah who drove it to the back of the net with an overhead volley. Golazzo! Seven minutes later, Giovinco would take a well-timed volley to the back of the net, and Quagliarella would add one more before the half was up, netting at the 45th. 5-1. Where were these goals last week? At some point in between, Andrea Pirlo would pick up a yellow card conceding a free kick in the zona di Pirlo, and Sant’Marchisio would acrobatically save a second goal from Pescara after Buffon got caught off his line following a corner. Both plays would be drowned out by the glut of goals pouring in. The second half began with yet another Quagliagol, this one as vintage as they come for him, and as spectacular of an overhead kick as Asamoah’s from earlier. Quagliagol! Ancora! Possiamo rivediamo? Tripletta!!! Sorry. I may have tourettes. Or maybe I just need to eat more whey protein. And that would be all she wrote. The rest of the game would be relatively uneventful, because nothing else really needed to happen. Kudos to Juventus for not simply taking their foot off the gas, as the pressure remained, albeit without the same level of desperation. Giovinco was unlucky to not bag a double off of a tight-angled left footed chip, which would have been easier if it stayed on the ground – similar to a goal he scored earlier in the year against Roma in a similar game which rained goals. And, at the end of the day, Luca Marrone looks surely to have been officially converted to a defender, coming in for Chiellini. Meanwhile, Simone Padoin and Nicklas Bendtner received a few pity minutes as well. LE PAGELLE (by Marco Pantanella ) Buffon 6.0 – Stretched as far as he could to get to Cascione’s header, but it was really well-placed. Didn’t have much to do the rest of the game except a few shots here and there which he opted to handle “safely” (i.e. parrying away). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barzagli 7.0 – Tight, near impeccable man-marking as usual. Bonucci 7.0 – It’s really great watching a Bonucci in full self-confidence mode. Elegant, calm, and poised, with some good ball control skills to boot. Chiellini 7.0 – Solid Giorgio. Need we say more? 65′ Marrone s.v. – Slotted into the center of the backline, as he has done so far. Some good anticipation movements, but it’s practically impossible to judge him given the match’s advanced scoreline when he came on, as well as Pescara’s insignificant offense. Isla 6.5 – Progressively coming back to his Udinese levels. Another assist for him tonight. 59′ Padoin s.v. – Dusted off in light of the high-scoring game. A few decent runs here and there, but he should have shot that last play of the game. Vidal 7.0 – Until Quagliarella’s hat-trick show, King Arturo had become Juve’s capocannoniere with yet another game-breaking goal. Back to his 2011-12 levels after a very short spell of mediocrity. Pirlo 6.5 – The maestro was not really needed tonight. This Pescara team could have been beaten by the Primavera. Yet it’s a darn shame he had to go pick up a booking that will take him out of the Lazio game. Then again, he’ll get some rest for Chelsea mid-week. Marchisio 6.5 – Typical Claudio production. Asamoah 7.0 – Rock-solid Asamoah. A wall in defense, a cause of constant concern for the opponent in offense, and a lovely bicycle kick goal to boot. Quagliarella 9.0 – Hold your horses! Cannot say “Quags is back”, because to judge his hat-trick tonight on Pescara’s merits would be incredibly naive. However he practically converted every chance that came his way, and given the Juve strikers’ recent moment of form that’s saying a lot! 68′ Bendtner s.v. – Some good one-touch plays, and once again displayed to possess some good vision with his distribution. But by the time he came on, the game had said all there was to say. Also, he’s till trying to get accustomed to Conte’s & his teammates’ playing style. Giovinco 7.0 – A lot of movement, some good touches, a good goal, and nearly another one he should have scored after dribbling the keeper. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conte/Alessio 7.0 – Once again: tough to judge the coach’s merits against an obviously inadequate/defensively embarassing Pescara team. Yet, starting from Pogba’s exclusion due to disciplinary reasons, all the way to deciding to field all the “titolari”, the coach(es) got everything right. This was a game Conte obviously wanted to win, and he did. And as an added bonus, with the win well in the bag he even got to dust off a few of the “reserves”. Buona domenica! ANALYSIS WRAP-UP (by Adam Digby) The Old Lady has often left us short of superlatives since the arrival of Conte last May but when considering this was the first time she had registered six goals in a Serie A match since an April 1997 thrashing of Milan. Having set a number of records this past week thanks to the end of two streaks and debut European goals for Marchisio and Giovinco, that trend continued with Quagliarella’s first ever hat-trick. The Delfini attempted to block Juve by mirroring their 3-5-2, a tactic which has often frustrated the Champions but here they simply were in no mood to allow anyone or anything to stand in their way. They dominated possession, claiming 62% of the ball, and out passed their opponents with 673 to just 263. Pirlo was given far too much space, dominating play and dictating the game at will but, whatever Pescara had done, the visitors were simply too powerful and to energised to be denied. Now comes a run that sees games against Lazio, Chelsea, Milan, Torino and Shakhtar Donetsk, a run that will serious test both the quality and depth of the squad. They will be boosted for the first of those matches by the return of Simone “The Lazio Killer” Pepe, scorer of three goals in as many games against the Roman side since his move two years ago. Make no mistake, Pescara – much like Nordsjaelland before them – are undoubtedly weaker opponents and nothing like the caliber of sides to come over the next month for the Bianconeri but you can only beat what is put in front of you and ten goals across the two games sends a clear message that the defeat to you-know-who was but a temporary blip. Andiamo ragazzi! http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Referee: Luca Banti Attendance: 14000 Juventus storm back to form Nov 11, 2012 Juventus returned to winning ways in the Serie A with an emphatic 6-1 thrashing of Pescara at Stadio Adriatico on Saturday. Antonio Conte's side were irresistible just a game after their undefeated league run ended at 49 games, with Fabio Quagliarella bagging a hat-trick in a scintillating team performance. Arturo Vidal broke the deadlock after nine minutes with a well-struck finish, before Quagliarella made it 2-0 with an equally clinical strike from inside the area on 22 minutes. Pescara threatened to make a game of it when Emmanuel Cascione halved the deficit with his head three minutes later, but an acrobatic overhead kick from Kwadwo Asamoah on the half-hour mark restored Juventus' two-goal advantage. Sebastian Giovinco volleyed home a fourth goal after combining superbly with Quaglierella, who then bagged his second with a deadly finish just before half-time. The rout did not end there, with Quagliarella firing home a magnificent volley from a corner on 53 minutes to cap off a fine individual display. The win moves Juventus four points clear at the top of the table from nearest challengers Inter Milan, who are in action on Sunday away to Atalanta having ended Juventus' streak last weekend. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Referee: Luca Banti Attendance: 14000 Bianconeri Seem Liberated and the 10 Things We Learned Nov 11, 2012 Perhaps losing to Inter wasn't such a bad thing after all. After crushing Danish side Nordsjaelland in the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture, Juventus took care of business against Pescara tonight, scoring five goals before the half. It was a stunning display by the Bianconeri, who have looked like a completely different team since seeing their unbeaten streak snapped. In this article, we'll take a look at what has changed and discuss what we learned from tonight's massacre. It sure looks that way. Mind you, we have to take into account that the two wins since that game came against inferior opponents. Nordsjaelland clearly aren't a European powerhouse and Pescara are a newly promoted team that lost most of its top players during the summer transfer window. Still, the performances of the Bianconeri have been astonishing. Juventus are playing the kind of free-flowing football we haven't seen since the win against AS Roma. The pressure seems to be gone, and instead the Bianconeri are letting the ball do the work. There is a creativity to the game of Juve we hadn't seen all season. Gone is the trademark "get the ball to the wing and fire in a cross." Instead, the team is choosing to attack defenses right up the middle, and with great success. They are slicing apart opposing teams with crisp passing and timely runs, and creating space for the wingers to actually deliver quality crosses. The result: 10 goals in two games. Before the game against Inter, Juve had looked slow. A slow, passing team that waits for the other team to make a mistake or for a ball to fall in the right place. Suddenly, they look fast. Like, really fast. Everyone seems to be open pretty much all the time, and defenses can't seem to figure out where the ball is going to go next. If this is the new Juventus, the rest of the Serie A is doomed. I've said this a thousand times before: Fabio Quagliarella is the best option the Bianconeri have when it comes to scoring goals. And with enough minutes and a renewed confidence, he seems to be finding his form again. It's not just about the three goals (more on one of those later.) He's looking sharp and his movement has been excellent in the last two games. He's using every inch of space defenses are giving him, and creating tons of space for himself and his teammates. On top of that, his finishing has been top notch. Juventus have been looking for one of their strikers to step up, and Quagliarella seems to be doing just that. Combined with the energiser bunny that is Sebastian Giovinco, the Bianconeri might have found the answer to their biggest question. How do you win a title without a striker that is capable of scoring 30+ goals in a season? Make sure everyone else on the pitch can score four or five. The scoring potential of this team is incredible. It seems like every single player on the field is more than capable of finishing any ball the team throws at him. Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Kwadwo Asamoah, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Paul Pogba: all these guys seem to have a composure in front of goal that is very rare. To have so many players capable of finding the net at any given moment in support of your strikers is a luxury not many teams have. In fact, I can't think of any at the moment. Speaking of Paul Pogba, fans might be wondering why he didn't make an appearance in this game. It's really simple: he didn't travel to Pescara with the team. He was punished by Antonio Conte for arriving at practise late. Twice. Goal.com reported he and his agent weren't too pleased with that. Let's hope that doesn't linger. The incident does point out how much of a premium Antonio Conte places on discipline and high character guys. In an age of whining divas and players pretending they're untouchable, it's refreshing to see a coach stamp down his authority. Who says people don't go to the stadiums anymore in Italy? Pescara's Stadio Adriatico was packed for this game, and the atmosphere was amazing. Never mind the beating their team took, the fans were just happy to get to watch a team of this calibre at their home ground. They applauded every Juventus goal and kept making noise. A fantastic display by these fans. If you're a regular reader of my articles, you know I've been really disapointed with Sebastian Giovinco so far this season. I'm usually a staunch critic of Giovinco, but tonight he was fantastic. Not because he scored, mind you. Even though it was a great goal. His runs and his passing are what stood out for me. He was very active and lively as always, but contrary to recent weeks, everything he did was actually useful. He wasn't just a handful for the defense because he claimed a lot of balls, but because he was dangerous every time he touched one. His runs opened up space for other players, which is exactly why Giovinco was brought into the team. His passing was sharp and one of the reasons Juve scored five times before the break. On top of that, he was confident in front of goal and could have scored three or four times. His hard work really shone today, for all the right reasons. Giovinco played his best game of the season, and if he can play up to these standards every week, he'll make a believer out of me real soon. Have you taken a look at the upcoming schedule already? If not, here it is: Lazio, Chelsea, AC Milan, Torino, Shakhtar Donetsk. Yeah, that's pretty heavy. The next few weeks will be crucial for Juventus, with the top position in the Serie A table and a ticket to the next round of the UEFA Champions League at stake. Juventus will need to be at their very best to be successful, but right now, that seems to be the case. The loss to Inter seems like a distant memory, and Juve is focused on the task at hand. So, Italians only play defense? The seven goals don't even tell the whole story. Pescara actually had three or four really good chances, with Juan Quintero (If Juventus are serious about buying this kid, they have my blessing) hitting the upright with a free kick and players like Vladimir Weiss and Matti Nielsen; showing they can play some really good football. Juventus could have scored 10 goals if they wanted. This was a great game to watch, whether you were a fan or not. We saw some beautiful football and amazing goals. I mean, two bicycle kicks in one game? Sure, Inter are playing some great football. Napoli have a good team. Roma can score with the best of them. Make no mistake, Juventus are still the clear favourites to repeat as champions. Top to bottom, no team has the same quality and depth as the Bianconeri. Gianluigi Buffon is still one of the top goalkeepers in the world, the defensive situation is as solid as can be, the midfield might just be the best in the world and the attack is starting to find its groove. The title is Juve's to lose, simple as that. I'm a huge fan of Stephan Lichtsteiner, and I can't envision a scenario where Mauricio Isla replaces him on the right wing. Nonetheless, you have to be impressed with the play of the Chilean. Isla is not perfect, but he brings the same hustle and energy to the table that we're used to seeing from Lichtsteiner. His defensive work is at a slightly lower level, but his crossing and penetration have been great in the past two games. As a coach, I'd be hard pressed to ignore Isla's great form in favour of the Swiss international who's play has been less than perfect so far this season. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod against Lazio. I don't think I could describe this goal by Fabio Quagliarella in any way and do it enough justice. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Referee: Luca Banti Attendance: 14000 Pescara won't sack Stroppa Nov 11, 2012 Pescara have again reiterated their faith in Coach Giovanni Stroppa despite the historic 6-1 home defeat to Juventus. The tactician had already rescued his job with a 2-0 win over Parma last week, but crumbled in spectacular fashion last night. “Stroppa is and remains the Coach of Pescara. How many more times do I have to say this?” President Daniele Sebastiani commented in La giornalaccio rosa dello Sport. “I prefer to lose like this than to watch a team that doesn’t create any scoring opportunities at all. “Stroppa is not at risk. If he loses against Siena? This is not a conversation to be having right now.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.) 1 - 6 Arturo Vidal (9′) Fabio Quagliarella (22′) Emmanuel Cascione (25′) Kwadwo Asamoah (30′) Sebastian Giovinco (38′) Fabio Quagliarella (45′) Fabio Quagliarella (53′) Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara Referee: Luca Banti Attendance: 14000 Perin reveals Buffon advice Nov 11, 2012 Pescara goalkeeper Mattia Perin admits conceding six goals made it “a horrible birthday,” but reveals what Gigi Buffon whispered in his ear. He had to pick the ball out of his net repeatedly on his 20th birthday, as Juventus ran out 6-1 winners at the Stadio Adriatico last night. “We knew that we were facing a great team, but I didn’t expect to concede so many goals. It has to act as motivation for us to fight against relegation and helps us to grow. “The squad is united and we are working to do what the Coach asks of us, as that’s the only way forward.” After the final whistle, Buffon embraced Perin and whispered advice into his ear. “Buffon told me not to give up, to stay carefree and keep going. It was a horrible birthday, but meeting Buffon was the only positive thing of the night.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/