Socrates

Serie A - Week 6 - 29-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Who will partner Vucinic? Sep 28, 2012 While Juventus boss Antonio Conte has doubts over Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Pirlo, he also has to decide who will partner Mirko Vucinic in the game against Roma. Bonucci may be ruled out of Saturday’s tie with injury, while reports suggest that Pirlo could be rested after some tired recent performances. Conte, however, also has a decision to make in attack. While Vucinic seems a certainty to start, he could be partnered by any of the four other forwards in the squad. Some reports are suggesting that Fabio Quagliarella is in pole position to get the nod, but the giornalaccio rosa dello Sport is arguing that Sebastian Giovinco, Alessandro Matri or Nicklas Bendtner could easily be handed a starting shirt alongside the Montenegro international. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 6 - 29-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Marrone may replace Bonucci Sep 28, 2012 Luca Marrone is on standby to face Roma should Juventus stopper Leonardo Bonucci be ruled out with injury. Bonucci trained away from the rest of the squad on Thursday because of a few fitness issues which will be assessed during this afternoon’s session. Should the Italian international not recover in time for Saturday’s big match, his place in the middle of the back three could be taken by Marrone. The Italian Under-21 international is primarily a central midfielder, but he’s been used as a centre-back on a few occasions this season. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 6 - 29-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Totti: 'Juve-Roma like a derby' Sep 27, 2012 Francesco Totti thanked everyone for the birthday greetings and confirmed Saturday’s Juventus-Roma “is second only to the derby.” The Giallorossi captain turned 36 today and last night scored his 216th Serie A goal, putting him joint third in the all-time Capocannoniere charts alongside legends Giuseppe Meazza and Jose Altafini. “It was emotional to score that goal, even though I would’ve preferred to win and bring back three points,” he told Roma Channel after the 1-1 draw with Sampdoria. With Alessandro Del Piero’s move to Sydney FC, Totti is the only remaining ‘bandiera’ of Italian clubs. “It is going to be a little strange to play Juventus-Roma without Del Piero. I would’ve liked to face him again so we could retire together. “Without doubt Del Piero will be missed by Italian football. The important thing is I’m still here!” joked Totti. “Of course there is rivalry with the Bianconeri and that’s only normal. After all, this is not a game like any other. I’d put it as the second most important fixture, right behind the derby. “We will try to face it with a carefree attitude so we can put in a great performance.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 6 - 29-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Osvaldo: 'Roma can beat Juve' Sep 27, 2012 Pablo Daniel Osvaldo is set for a comeback against Juventus, sends Francesco Totti a birthday message and insisted Roma “are going for the win.” The striker missed the last couple of games due to suspension and injury, but is training with the squad again and ready to play in Turin on Saturday night. “These are two great teams and the ones who play the best football in Serie A,” Osvaldo told Sky Sport Italia. “Obviously the Roma fans really want to beat Juve and at the end of the day the players also experience it like a fan. “I already scored in Turin with an overhead kick for Fiorentina, so I’m feeling good.” When asked which of the Bianconeri stars he would like to ‘steal’ from their team, he went for the attack. “I really like Fabio Quagliarella. Mirko Vucinic? He’s very strong, but has already played for Roma, so he’s had his turn! Did Juventus want me in the summer? I don’t know, I only read that in the papers. “We are going for the win against Juventus, as we have a great squad and we can get the victory. What can we achieve this season? I’m a dreamer, but I don’t know if we’re targeting the title.” Today is Totti’s 36th birthday and he marked the occasion last night by scoring his 216th Serie A goal, putting him joint third in the all-time charts. “Playing with Francesco makes everything easier, as he is a champion. I sent him a text message at midnight on the dot to wish him a happy birthday.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 6 - 29-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Nicola Rizzoli Carrera skips Press conference Sep 27, 2012 Massimo Carrera and Antonio Conte are keeping quiet ahead of Saturday’s Roma clash, so the Juventus goalkeeper Coach will speak in the Press conference. Carrera has been holding all the Press conferences and post-match interviews this season while Coach Conte fights his 10-month ban in the betting scandal. However, it has been confirmed that Carrera will not be answering questions from journalists in tomorrow’s Press conference. Instead, Claudio Filippi will hold court in the Press conference at 14.30 UK time. It is believed this move aims to lessen the tension ahead of such a high-profile match against Zdenek Zeman’s Roma. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Team of the Midweek: Five-star Cavani leads the way Goal.com looks at the star performers from the latest round of Italian league action, as Napoli, AC Milan and Inter secured good victories. Sep 28, 2012 What's not to love about a midweek round of Serie A action? There are twice the number of goals, twice the drama, twice the blunders (or maybe three times as many this week!) and, of course, twice as many opportunities to get your name in the Goal.com Team of the Week. There was one real stand-out during the first midweek round of 2012-13, but he is joined by 10 very able assistants. Julio Cesar may have gone from Inter, but he is slowly being forgotten thanks to the form of Samir Handanovic, who was brought in from Udinese during the summer to replace the Brazilian. The Slovenian's excellence behind a not entirely convincing Nerazzurri back three ensured that his side left the Bentegodi, beating Chievo 2-0, with a third straight away win and a third successive clean sheet on the road to boot. Handanovic gets good protection from our back three, with Fiorentina's Facundo Roncaglia earning a second call into our best XI for his superb display in the Viola's 0-0 draw with champions Juventus. Alongside him are a pair of goalscorers, as Alessandro Lucarelli and Nicolas Spolli capped off fine personal performances by each finding the net. Lucarelli's Parma were denied at the last by Genoa, but Spolli's equaliser helped Catania to a 2-1 win over Atalanta. Vladimir Weiss was the toast of Pescara after coming off the bench early in the second half and snatching the only goal of the game against Palermo to secure the Delfino's first win of the season. Meanwhile, every side needs a captain - somebody who will be in the line-up more often that not - and so it's about time we gave the Team of the Week captaincy to Marek Hamsik. The Slovakian makes his fourth appearance of the embryonic campaign thanks to his efforts in Napoli's 3-0 victory over Lazio. Kwadwo Asamoah isn't far behind, racking up a third appearance after putting in a great shift as Juventus were forced into a backs-to-the-wall effort in Florence. Pablo Barrientos gets the wider spot after grabbing the winner for Catania against Atalanta. Up top, we have three first-timers, high profile though they may be. Antonio Cassano makes the list for the first time as a Nerazzurro after coming on to clinch an away win for the second match running at Chievo. Stephan El Shaarawy gets the nod after his double for Milan ended Massimiliano Allegri's early-season hell, temporarily at least. But the star of the round was undoubtedly Edinson Cavani, whose hat-trick in the second versus third clash at San Paolo earned him five stars. Ok, so he missed a late penalty, but if he'd scored that he would have been worthy of a sixth star! HANDANOVIC (Inter) RONCAGLIA (Fiorentina) - LUCARELLI (Parma) - SPOLLI (Catania) WEISS (Pescara) - HAMSIK (Napoli) - ASAMOAH (Juventus) - BARRIENTOS (Catania) CASSANO (Inter) - CAVANI (Napoli) - EL SHAARAWY (Milan) http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Round 5 Results: Cavani sinks sorry Lazio, Stekelenburg howler gifts Sampdoria point Elsewhere over the course of the past three days in Italy, Pescara picked up their first victory of the season against Palermo, while Udinese were held to a stalemate at Torino. Sep 28, 2012 Serie A Round 5 Results League Table CATANIA 2 - 1 ATALANTA Catania survived a goalkeeping gaffe by coming back from behind to seal a 2-1 win over Atalanta at the Angelo Massimino on Tuesday. Mariano Andujar was last week's hero for the Elefanti, saving his team from a likely defeat to Lazio, but his stray pass, intended for Nicolas Spolli, was snapped up by Maxi Moralez, who opened the scoring with the goal at his mercy just two minutes after the restart. However, just moments later, a Francesco Lodi corner was headed through the legs of Andrea Consigli by Spolli, before a sweeping move down the left-hand side was coolly finished off by Pablo Barrientos on 64 minutes to complete the turnaround in fortunes. Catania find themselves in eighth following the victory, but Atalanta fall to 15th in the Serie A standings. CHIEVO 0 - 2 INTER Match Report - Player Ratings FIORENTINA 0 - 0 JUVENTUS Match Report - Player Ratings GENOA 1 - 1 PARMA Genoa missed one penalty but made no mistake about the second that was awarded to them at the death, as they rescued a 1-1 draw against Parma on Tuesday. The Gialloblu took the lead early on through Alessandro Lucarelli. Cristian Zaccardo saw his header from a corner parried away by Sebastien Frey, but the defender was on hand to fire home the rebound on the volley. However, the hosts got a reprieve on the edge of half-time as Daniele Galloppa handballed the ball in the box. Unfortunately for Marco Borriello, his penalty cannoned off the crossbar, leaving Antonio Mirante to pick up the pieces. Yet the opportunity soon arised for Borriello to make amends for his earlier miss. With just two minutes of normal time remaining, Lucarelli turned from hero to villain, bringing down the striker. Contentious or not, he stepped to bag his side a share of the spoils. Genoa move to ninth in the table, while Parma are stationed in 12th place. AC MILAN 2 - 0 CAGLIARI Match Report - Player Ratings NAPOLI 3 - 0 LAZIO Edinson Cavani was the star of the show at the San Paolo on Tuesday, as Napoli blitzed to a resounding 3-0 success over Lazio. The Biancocelesti did come out with some credit for their sportsmanship, however, after Miroslav Klose confessed to match officials that he used his hand to bundle a corner over the line, with the goal originally standing. The Uruguayan got the ball rolling early on for his side after letting fly from distance, albeit with the help of a deflection from Michael Ciani to divert the ball goalwards. On the half-hour mark, Paolo Cannavaro's raking pass was latched onto by Cavani, who sprang the offside trap and unleashed a stinging effort past Federico Marchetti. Napoli completed the rout midway through the second half from another counterattack, as Cavani, in his stride once more, rounded Marchetti and tapped the ball into an empty net. The striker could have made it four from the penalty spot but he could only send the ball high over the bar, sparing Ciani's blushes this time around. The hosts continue their unbeaten start to the season and remain second. Lazio, however, suffer a second straight league defeat and fall to fifth. PESCARA 1 - 0 PALERMO Pescara registered their first victory of the season Wednesday after edging out Palermo 1-0 at the Adriatico, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini still searching for his first win as Rosanero boss. The difference between the two teams was found with only four minutes of normal time remaining, as former Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss rifled the ball into the top left corner from 20 yards out, leaving Samir Ujkani helpless. They successfully make their way out of the relegation zone for the first time this season following a maiden win of the campaign, but Palermo remain rooted to the bottom of Serie A. ROMA 1 - 1 SAMPDORIA A landmark Francesco Totti goal was followed up by a howler from Maarten Stekelenburg, as Roma were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with 10-man Sampdoria at the Olimpico. The Giallorossi opened the scoring on 34 minutes as Mattia Destro's failed attempt to beat Sergio Romero was eventually made to count by Totti, who turned 36 on Wednesday and claimed third place in the all-time Capocannoniere charts in Serie A with his 216th league strike. However, on the hour mark, while he did well to parry away Eder's free kick, he was caught flapping for Gianluca Berardi's cross in quick succession, and Gianni Munari managed to touch the ball into the net to ensure his side's unbeaten start to the season continued. Roma find themselves in sixth place following their draw, but Sampdoria stay third in the standings. SIENA 1 - 0 BOLOGNA Bologna were forced to pay for their profligacy in front of goal on Thursday after eventually crashing to a 1-0 defeat at Siena, who have now won consecutive matches under Serse Cosmi. Gianluca Pegolo was not to be beaten in the Tuscans' net, denying the likes of Panagiotis Kone and Alberto Gilardino on more than one occasion, while full-backs Marco Motta and Archimede Morleo fired noteworthy efforts. But Emanuele Calaió was to be the match-winner midway through the second half and with a touch of fortune, as his speculative drive was deflected into the goal by Mikael Antonsson, with Federico Agliardi wrongfooted. Siena have now erased their six-point deduction and lie in 18th place, on two points, while Bologna are stranded in 15th. TORINO 0 - 0 UDINESE In the only other stalemate of the midweek fixtures, Torino and Udinese played out an exciting 0-0 draw on Wednesday. The new boys came closest via Migien Basha, Gianluca Sansone and Mario Santana, but the trio saw their respective attempts clip the upright, meaning a point was to be the order of the evening. However, Mehdi Benatia thought he had grabbed all three points for Udinese right at the death, but Jean-Francois Gillet was adjudged to have parried away the danger while standing in front of the goal line. Udinese are placed 13th in Serie A, but Torino are two berths higher in 11th. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - 5^ Giornata - Andata - 25-9-2012 (ore 20:45) 0 - 0 Stadio Artemio Franchi - Firenze Arbitro: Paolo Tagliavento Spettatori: 21000 Una super Fiorentina ferma la Juve: 0-0 La squadra di Montella gioca una partita perfetta imbrigliando per 90 minuti i bianconeri di Conte e costringendoli allo 0-0. Viola due volte clamorosamente vicino al gol con Jovetic (traversa) e Ljajic nel finale di primo tempo. Juve praticamente mai pericolosa. Eurosport - Martedí, 25 settembre 2012 Se il calcio fosse boxe e le vittorie andassero ai punti, questa sera, sarebbe la squadra vestita in viola ad uscire vincitrice. La Juventus prosegue infatti il suo cammino da imbattuta nella gestione Conte (44esimo risultato utile consecutivo in Serie A), ma tra tutti i pareggi dei bianconeri, questo 0-0 del Franchi, è sicuramente uno dei più dolci. La Fiorentina di Montella riesce ad imbrigliare come pochissime (forse nessuna) altra squadra la filosofia autoritaria della Juventus di Conte e costringe i campioni d'Italia a una partita di corsa e sofferenza. Non è un caso che alla fine nella Juventus il miglior in campo sia Asamoah, l'uomo con più fiato del gruppo, come non è un caso che al 90' il pubblico di Firenze dedichi una standing ovation ai suoi uomini, che rispetto al campionato scorso sembrano totalmente trasformati. Merito di una prova d'orgoglio necessaria dopo la batosta di sei mesi fa, ma anche di un Montella capace di mettere le catene al duo Pirlo-Vidal. Il tutto, infine, condito dalle due più grandi chance della gara - la traversa di Jovetic e il gol mangiato da Ljajic - che lasciano sì alla Fiorentina, questa sera, un retrogusto amaro in bocca ma, al contempo, riconsegnano al campionato italiano un realtà che era venuta a mancare. Per la Juventus invece, nonostante tutto, l'ennesima prova di forza: ancora una volta, come succede da più di un anno ormai, la classifica si è mossa. E in una serata del genere non è poco. LA PARTITA DELL'ANNO - Che per Firenze, questa, sia la parita dell'anno, è chiaro fin dai primi minuti. In un Franchi autentica bolgia, i viola di Montella fanno da subito capire alla Juventus che questa sera mantenere l'imbattibilità in campionato non sarà impresa facile. Conte, che all'ultimo rinuncia a Marchisio per fare posto a Giaccherini, non rinuncia però all'unico elemento sempre titolare della sua Juventus in questo inizio di stagione: Leonardo Bonucci. Nonostante un risentimento muscolare nella rifinitura, infatti, il tecnici juventini decidono di rischiare il centrale laziale. E questo sarà un fattore importante nel finale di tempo. VIOLA PERFETTI - Sì perché la Fiorentina, di fatto, imita - decisamente in meglio - il Genoa di 7 giorni fa e per l'intero primo tempo annichilisce l'ormai famosa gestione del gioco della Juventus. Il centrocampo è altissimo ed è un filtro perfetto, Roncaglia e Rodriguez non concedono a Giovinco e Quagliarella nemmeno la possibilità di allacciarsi le scarpe e Vidal, generalmente l'uomo in più della mediana bianconera, è annichilito da un intensità che non gli permette di trovare le consuete giocate. E' emblematico infatti come nell'unica volta che la Juventus riesce a saltare la prima linea di pressing dei viola, il cileno sbagli il passaggio in profondità proprio a Giovinco. L'EPISODIO - Se il tema tattico della Fiorentina è però perfetto in fase difensiva, per 35 minuti abbondanti i viola non si fanno mai realmente vedere dalle parti di Buffon e l'unica azione degna di nota è una protesta per un intervento di Bonucci su Pasqual in area che fa gridare il pubblico di Firenze al rigore. L'arbitro Tagliavento è vicino all'azione ma opta (giustamente) per far proseguire il gioco. TUTTO IN UN MINUTO - Gli uomini di Montella capiscono però che la Juventus è, per la prima volta in questa stagione, realmente in difficoltà e nel giro di 2 minuti legittimano un grandissimo primo tempo due clamorose palle gol. AL 41' da una punizione guadagnata da Pasqual sulla sinistra, Jovetic è bravissimo nel movimento sul primo palo a dare la frustata di testa: Buffon è battuto ma la traversa dice di no. Un minuto più tardi e sul passaggio in profondità dalle retrovie, Bonucci mette in mostra tutte le sue difficoltà fisiche facendosi bruciare in velocità da Ljajic ma, per sua fortuna, il serbo davanti a Buffon si scioglie e manda i suoi a riposo con un pareggio decisamente stretto. NESSUN CROLLO FISICO - Dopo un primo tempo del genere, la grande incognita legata intorno ai viola, è solo una: "riusciranno a mantenere quel ritmo?". Ma Pizarro e compagni, già dopo un paio di minuti, danno dei segnali positivi riprendendo da dove avevano lasciato: rincorrendo tutto e tutti e muovendosi perfettamente con i reparti. Roncaglia, al 53', prova a bissare la gioia di Parma scendendo palla al piede e provando a beffare Buffon con una conclusione di punta: fuori di pochissimo. Cuadrado, 20 minuti più tardi, lo imita cogliendone però identici risultati. Insomma, la Fiorentina c'è e si vede. JUVENTUS NON PERVENUTA - Quello che non si vede invece è una reazione della Juventus. Pirlo, sottotono, viene sostituito al 68' da Pogba; Vidal si fa vedere solo per un intervento che gli costa il giallo; Quagliarella è un eremita, Giovinco litiga coi più grandi uscendone praticamente sempre senza caramelle. Insomma, dalle parti di Viviano, la Juventus non ci arriva mai, e l'ingresso di Vucinic non cambia le cose. SEGNALE - Il vero merito di una Juventus del genere, però, è che di grosse chance in stile "finale primo tempo", ai viola non ne vengono più concesse. L'ultima, un colpo di testa in diagonale di Pasqual a 9 minuti dal termine, è un invenzione che regalerebbe al terzino una statua dorata sotto la Fiesole in stile Batistuta; ma il miracolo è solo sfiorato. Insomma, anche in una serata in cui la superiorità fisica, motivazionale e sotto certi punti di vista anche tecnica dell'avversario è evidente, la Juve strappa un punto che ha tutte le caratteristiche dell'ennesimo "segnale". Le inseguitrici, ancora una volta, sono avvisate. Simone Eterno - Eurosport Fiorentina - Juventus 0-0

Tacchinardi would rest Pirlo Sep 27, 2012 Alessio Tacchinardi believes that there is only one way in which former club Juventus can regenerate Andrea Pirlo. “He needs rest.” The classy playmaker has been criticised this term for failing to live up to the high standards he set in 2011-12. The former Milan man returned to the starting line-up against Fiorentina on Tuesday, but was replaced in the second half of the 0-0 draw, by Paul Pogba, after an ineffective performance. “I would let him rest up,” Tacchinardi, an ex-midfielder with the Turin giants, told the Corriere dello Sport. “It would be opportune for him to stop for a bit, to spend some time in the pits. Of course he is fundamental for Juventus, but he needs to be the player he was last term. “He perhaps should have been given more of a holiday.” Tacchinardi believes that the fact Pirlo played such a key role in the club’s title success – he missed just one League encounter – and Italy’s march to the Euro 2012 Final has taken its toll. “He’s paying for a season at the very highest levels,” he continued. “It was a campaign, that included the European Championship, which was played at a frenetic pace with his usual class. “But he also had a specific motivation – to demonstrate to Milan that he was still not finished. He hasn’t got that ferocious spirit today, even if he remains a player who gives it his all. “With so many games this term, he doesn’t have the time to recover. You can see out on the pitch that he’s running on low, also on a mental level too.” Reports today are suggesting that the 2011 Bosman free signing from the Diavolo could be left out of the starting XI for Saturday’s big clash against Roma.

Ghana and Juventus midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah in European All Star Team of the Week Sep 27, 2012 Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah is among the best eleven players in the five top leagues of Europe, a respected football statistics agency has reported. The Juventus playmaker is in the all star team of the week based on WhoScored ratings over Europe’s top 5 leagues from the weekend of the 21-24 September, 2012. Kwadwo was namend because of his outstanding performance for Juventus in the Italian Serie A over the weekend. Among some of the top players named in the all star team is PSG duo of Ibrahimovic and Nene. The Ghanaian has been in terrific shape since moving from Udinese to Juventus over the summer.

Juventus & Italy are in trouble without Pirlo, says Ancelotti The experienced coach has little doubt that the former Milan star still has a major role to play at both club and international level. Sep 27, 2012 Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident that Andrea Pirlo will soon return to his usual best and believes the playmaker is still a important player for Juventus and Italy. The 33-year-old midfielder has been struggling to find his best form in the opening weeks of the 2012-13 season, and Croatia legend Zvonimir Boban even suggested that it would be in his best interest to retire from international football. Nevertheless, Ancelotti, who coached Pirlo at AC Milan, feels it's only normal that the midfielder is going through a difficult period, and added his former pupil still has a role to play for Italy. "Pirlo remains a very important player. Juventus and Italy would be in trouble if he weren't around," Ancelotti was quoted as saying by Tuttosport. "It's only normal that Pirlo is going through a difficult period. Things like that happen with every player. I don't think this is the right moment to make drastic decisions and quit Italy. "Juventus don't have to worry and can remain calm. You'll see that Pirlo will soon return to his usual efficient best again." The former Chelsea manager then went on to discuss the similarities between Pirlo and PSG youngster Marco Verratti. He added: "They are quite similar in terms of personality and both have great vision. There are some differences on a technical level as well, though. "Marco is still very young and has been one of the surprises of the season so far. Things could have been more difficult for him in Italy. We tend to expect a lot from youngsters and raise expectations." Verratti has provided two assists in six Ligue 1 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain so far.

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 0 - 0 Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 21000 Fiorentina against Juve: How different 3-5-2s produced a 0-0 Sep 27, 2012 A fierce rivalry wrote another chapter in it’s history during a clash between two different 3-5-2 systems. Vincenzo Montella lined up his traditional starting XI featuring Romulo alongside Pizarro and Borja Valero in the middle. While Antonio Conte opted to rest Claudio Marchisio, going with Emanuele Giaccherini as interior midfielder with Fabio Quagliarella starting up top paired to Sebastien Giovinco. Fiorentina applied the same tactical principles obeserved in the game vs Napoli. In that game, Fiorentina scouting card was: - Good negative transition, they tried to press where the ball was lost but if it doesn’t work they collapse behind quickly; - Defending with 8 men behind the line of the ball; - Cuadrado and Pasqual give team width; - Two forwards without much defensive duties until the defenders goes to the middle of the field line; forwards let Napoli’s three defenders play the ball; - Three-men defense switch often to a four-men defense, specially thanks to Pasqual, a more defensive player then Cuadrado; - While Romulo connects midfilders to forwards, Pizarro and Borja Valero often change their position as deep-lying playmaker; - First idea is go for the verticality. If the opposite ware closed Fiorentina went for the flanks. Against Napoli, Jovetic stayed up on the left during the fast-break situations, in the way to attack Napoli’s three-men defense in their weak point, i.e. the zone behind the wing-back. Against Juventus, tactical game plan was the same. Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic had not defensive duties on the defenders until they were near or over the middle of the pitch’s line; by the way, Ljajic had the task to chase Andrea Pirlo, Juventus’ deep-lying playmaker. He made a good job, nullifying Juventus’ playmaker. When Juventus started his play with Giorgio Chiellini, on the left side, Romulo was able to press him while Fiorentina’s wing-back, Cuadrado, switched on Giaccherini while the central defenders were ready to slide laterally to cover Kwawdo Asamoah. On the other hand, Claudio Pizarro had more freedom than Pirlo because both Giovinco e Fabio Quagliarella didn’t chase him adequately. Also, Juventus’ forwards was well marked by Fiorentina’s central trio of Facundo Roncaglia, Gonzalo Rodriguez, and Nenad Tomovic so Conte’s team offense were far from perfect. Borja Valero showed good technical skills to play as box-to-box midfielder moving forward when it was needed with Romulo played as insider midfielder ready to join the attack on the offensive phase. Both midfields played in a tight area with the spaces closed. As said earlier, 3-5-2s was different: while Juventus attacked through the middle, favouring a more direct approach, Fiorentina displayed a short of Tiki-Taka version, as showed by 2 through balls they played against the 7 played by Conte’s side. In the second half, Conte replaced Quagliarella with Mirko Vucinic, leaving an inconsistent Giovinco into the game. Despite his superiority, Fiorentina lacked in the last third of the pitch. Montella brought on Luca Toni too late, after a second half in which home side clearly showed a lack of a pure forward in the box to receive crosses from the outside. That was clearly showed because Jovetic and Ljiajc both started to play more wide, too far from Juventus’ penalty area. Juventus underplayed, lacking of the classic strenght and aggressive attitude they showed from last season. Both Arturo Vidal and Giaccherini played to far from the goal, with defensive duties against the technical Fiorentina midfield. On the transition phase, Juventus were slow when they gained the ball, allowing Fiorentina to create a solid defensive wall in front of their keeper. On the flanks, Asamoah and Cuadrado, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Manuel Pascual nullified each other on their side. At the end, Fiorentina was near to score and clinch the victory. They was the better side but failed to create enough scoring chance to do it. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 0 - 0 Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 21000 Juve draw gives hope to rivals As Juventus stalled at a fiery Fiorentina, most of their title rivals got back to winning ways. Giancarlo Rinaldi wraps up the midweek round action. Sep 27, 2012 Good things do happen in Serie A. In the midst of all the skulduggery, mud-slinging and matches awarded without a ball being kicked it can be easy to lose sight of them. A midweek round of matches turned out to be like watching a video of your daughter’s first school show – it put a smile back on the face. The first uplifting experience was the often festering fixture between Fiorentina and Juventus. In years gone by the match has regularly been a more terrifying experience than being trapped in a lift with Facundo Roncaglia. This time around it proved as refreshing as an ice-cold spritzer on a searing hot summer’s day. Before the Juventini out there start sharpening their keyboards, it wasn’t just about the result. Being held to a draw – and occasionally outplayed – did throw open the championship once again which will have been welcomed by every neutral and, of course, the Bianconeri’s main rivals. But much more pleasing were some of the side-orders served up with the match. A packed Stadio Artemio Franchi provided the kind of backdrop to an Italian League match which has become rarer than a week without injury for Alexandre Pato. The choreography before kick-off was spectacular and the atmosphere throughout the clash intense but never nasty. Even after such a test of their resolve, it seemed the Juve players had relished the battle. “The Florentine public backed their team with their usual passion and our fans turned out too, as they always do,” said Gianluigi Buffon. “There was no trouble. These rivalries have been around for years, but they give extra spice to these matches as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.” The beneficiaries of Juve’s brief comfort break on a journey they still hope will take them to the Scudetto were Napoli. Yet their resounding triumph at a mercifully sand-free San Paolo might not have happened but for another pleasing moment. The honesty of Miroslav Klose paved the way for their triumph. In truth, the German striker seemed to take a leaf out of the Buffon guidebook to dealing with such incidents. He looked happy enough to celebrate his handball goal which appeared to have given Lazio the lead early in the match. However, when questioned by the referee he did the decent thing and admitted the strike should not stand. After that the Roman side switched off and Edinson Cavani took centre stage. He grabbed a hat-trick, although the penalty he missed to make it four may well still be spotted in orbit over the Gulf of Naples. And in Rome, too, there were beaming smiles for the 36 today Francesco Totti. His strike against Sampdoria took him to 216 goals in Serie A alongside a legend like Jose Altafini on the all time list. His only regret will have been that, for a Giallorosso side which still seems to like to self-harm, it was not enough to win the match. The more malign might say Roma’s best result so far has been the one where they never set foot on the pitch. There was even reason to be happy on the two slow-starting sides of Milan with victories for both the Rossoneri and Nerazzurri. The boys in red and black may no longer have Zlatan Ibrahimovic to resolve matches, but they now have Stephen El Shaarawy. That might not please all their supporters, but his neat double to down Cagliari was good news for Max Allegri and, undoubtedly, Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli. “It was difficult for us to play well with such a lot of tension,” admitted Milan assistant Coach Mauro Tassotti. “Stephan is getting more confident and he is playing well. He does a good job for us and works hard. He is helping us out a lot, even though he is very young.” Inter enjoyed the same scoreline in Verona in another match where the result was more important than the performance. Alvaro Pereira looked marginally offside when he put the visitors in front at the Bentegodi, but it certainly eased the nerves of a side still struggling to find its identity. It also convinced Andrea Stramaccioni that his new 3-5-1-1 formation is the way ahead. “It was important for us to get back to winning after the dramatic defeat at the weekend,” he said. “This is the best way to use the players I have got just now. It allows us to cover the pitch and gets the best out of my team.” Some things, of course, will never change. In Genoa, Marco Borriello won and converted the softest of penalties to deny Parma all the points. Maybe one day Serie A won’t see referees point to the spot for the most minimal of contact – we can but dream. However, overall we should enjoy all the bright spots the latest matches provided. After all, Zeman’s Roma face Juventus this weekend – so we know all the good feelings will never last. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/