Socrates

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Fiorentina - Juventus Preview: The Old Lady face stern test against a revitalised Viola The Bianconeri face-off against Vincenzo Montella's rejuvenated side, looking to extend their 43-match unbeaten run. Sep 25, 2012 PROBABLE LINE-UPS FIORENTINA Viviano Cassani, Roncaglia, Rodriguez, Tomovic Pizarro, Cuadrado, Valero Fernandez, Jovetic Toni JUVENTUS Buffon Lucio, Bonucci, Chiellini Lichsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah Vucinic, Quagliarella Juventus will look to make it five wins from five as they travel to Stadio Artemio Franchi to face a resplendent Fiorentina side. After resting a number of key players for the match against Chievo last weekend, Antonio Conte could welcome back Andrea Pirlo, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Arturo Vidal to the starting XI. Elsewhere, Lucio is set to keep his place at centre-back alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, whilst Fabio Quagliarella will remain up top after his goalscoring exploits against the Flying Donkeys. Fiorentina meanwhile, are expected to name a relatively unchanged side from the one that drew with Parma on Saturday. Vincenzo Montella will stay with Facundo Roncaglia at centre-back, partnering Gonzalo Rodriguez, whilst David Pizarro and Borja Valero will look to battle and create in the centre of midfield. One change the Viola could make, will be to name Luca Toni instead of Haris Seferovic up front. DID YOU KNOW? • In the last meeting between the teams, Juventus hammered the Viola 5-0. • Juventus are the highest scoring team in Serie A so far this season, with 11 goals in four games. • At the other end of the pitch, their defence has conceded just 2 goals. • Conversely, Fiorentina have scored six and let in four goals so far in this campaign. • Vincenzo Montella could give Luca Toni his first start on Tuesday since re-joining the club in August. The last time he played in Florence, the 35-year-old bagged 31 goals in the 05-06 season. • Fiorentina have won two Serie A title in their history, the last coming in 1968-69; Head to Head Serie A ‎- Mar 17, 2012 - Fiorentina 0 - Juventus 5 Serie A ‎- Oct 25, 2011 - Juventus 2 - Fiorentina 1 Serie A ‎- Apr 17, 2011 - Fiorentina 0 - Juventus 0 Serie A ‎- Nov 27, 2010 - Juventus 1 - Fiorentina 1 Serie A ‎- Mar 6, 2010 - Fiorentina 1 - Juventus 2 Last Five Matches Fiorentina Sep 22, 2012 - Parma 1 - Fiorentina 1 - Serie A Sep 16, 2012 - Fiorentina 2 - Catania 0 - Serie A Sep 2, 2012 - SSC Napoli 2 - Fiorentina 1 - Serie A Aug 25, 2012 - Fiorentina 2 - Udinese 1 - Serie A May 13, 2012 - Fiorentina 0 - Cagliari 0 - Serie A Juventus Sep 22, 2012 - Juventus 2 - Chievo 0 - Serie A Sep 19, 2012 - Chelsea FC 2 - Juventus 2 - CL Sep 16, 2012 - Genoa 1 - Juventus 3 - Serie A Sep 2, 2012 - Udinese 1 - Juventus 4 - Serie A Aug 25, 2012 - Juventus 2 - Parma 0 - Serie A Players to Watch Borja Valero Iglesias The Spaniard, although only a recent signing, has already proved to be the creative heart of the Fiorentina midfield. His intelligent running and pin-point passes, have seen the likes of Stevan Jovetic and Matias Fernandez thrive this season, and expect him to produce the same skill and class again on Tuesday. Fabio Quagliarella Quagliarella has been on superb form this season, scoring an equaliser against Chelsea in the Champions League, and then follwing that up with a brace against Chievo. Up against Cassani and Rodriguez, I can see the former Udinese man producing a performance to match those of recent weeks. Prediction Last season, the same fixture ended Fiorentina 0-5 Juventus. Don't expect the same one-sidedness this time, but do expect the Bianconeri to dominate the Viola. With Pirlo, Vidal and Lichtsteiner to return to the starting XI, the Old Lady will have enough to oversee the hosts' talented, but less dynamic midfield. Editor's Prediction Fiorentina 1 - 3 Juventus http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Away Juventus eye win eight Sep 25, 2012 Juventus will look to increase their club record of consecutive away wins when they take on Fiorentina this evening. The Old Lady have triumphed in their last seven on the road, five from the 2011-12 campaign and two from the present term. Juventus’ current hot-streak outside of Turin actually started at Fiorentina on March 17 when they won 5-0 against their great rivals. Their previous best on the road was six in a row which they achieved on five occasions in the past. However, the Turin are still a few games short of Milan’s nine which came from the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. Roberto Mancini’s Inter hold the Serie A record after they collected 11 wins on the trot outside of San Siro during the 2006-07 campaign. Juventus are also defending their unbeaten League run which now stands at 43. La Signora last lost in the Italian top flight on May 15, 2011, when Gigi Del Neri’s side were defeated 1-0 at Parma. Juventus haven’t been beaten by Fiorentina in Serie A in Florence for 10 games. Juve have won four and drawn six of those encounters. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Lazio & Napoli can challenge Juventus for Scudetto, says Reja The 66-year-old trainer believes that his two former clubs are the reigning champions' biggest rivals in the race for the Serie A title. Sep 25, 2012 Edy Reja believes that Lazio and Napoli have the quality to fight for the Italian league title this season. Reja, who coached the Biancocelesti from 2010 until 2012, and the Partenopei from 2005 until 2009, sees Juventus as heavy favourites to win the Scudetto, but feels his two former teams could take advantage if the Turin giants slip up. "Lazio and Napoli got disappointing results at the weekend, but I believe that both teams have what it takes to challenge for the Scudetto," Reja was quoted as saying by La giornalaccio rosa dello Sport. "Juventus are superior to any other team, but they also play Champions League football and that could affect them in Serie A. "Lazio and Napoli are the two first teams to possibly take advantage of it if Juventus slip up. "AC Milan are going through a transitional year. Fiorentina are a team that could surprise this season. They are a good team with a great trainer, who has all my respect." Napoli currently sit second in Serie A, while Lazio occupy third spot. Both sides lock horns on Wednesday in their fifth league game of the season. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Bonucci: Fiorentina will be Juventus' biggest challenge so far The Italy international has warned his team-mates not to underestimate the Viola as they will prove to be a difficult opponent. Sep 25, 2012 Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci is eagerly anticipating Tuesday evening's Serie A match away against Fiorentina. The centre-back believes the Viola will be Juve's toughest opponent up till date, and has stressed that the reigning champions will have to be on top of their game if they want to continue their 43-game unbeaten run. "In my opinion, Tuesday's game will be the most difficult match of the season so far," Bonucci was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "The match in Florence will be difficult for a thousand and one reasons. They lost 5-0 against us last term, so it will be the game of the season for them. A difficult challenge awaits us. "We are completely focused on Fiorentina. We will have to show them respect of we could be in trouble on Tuesday." The match at the Artemio Franchi is scheduled to kick off at 20:45CET. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Carrera coy over Conte attendance against Fiorentina Speculation that the suspended boss could sit in the stands at the Artemio Franchi on Tuesday has gathered momentum, but the caretaker coach is refusing to be drawn on the matter. Sep 24, 2012 Massimo Carrera has played down the signficance of Antonio Conte potentially attending Juventus' Serie A fixture against Fiorentina on Tuesday. The Scudetto-winning boss incurred a 10-month touchline ban prior to the start of the season after being found guilty of involvement in the Scommessopoli betting scandal, but sections of the Italian media claim that he could be a spectator at the Artemio Franchi. However, speaking at a press conference in Vinovo ahead of the league meeting with Vincenzo Montella's men, the caretaker boss insists he shares the same line of thinking with Conte, and for that reason does not believe his presence could make an impact on the side's fortunes. "Antonio and I are on the same wavelength, that's for sure," Carrera remarked. "He might not even come to Florence to watch the game, because for the past month and a half, we have worked this way. "We have refined a method of telepathy, so we will carry on thinking the same way. We work during the week and we know what we must do in any case. "We think the same way, we see football in the same way, we played together, we know what we want from the team and I think this is the most important thing." Juventus and Fiorentina have developed a fierce rivalry in recent times following an incident on the last day of the 1981-82 Serie A campaign, when a fortuitous penalty saw the Old Lady pip the Viola to the title, but Carrera is confident that both sets of fans will be on their best behaviour. "I hope that nothing happens between the fans, and ends with banter, as it should be in football," he added. "There is a rivalry, but I hope everything is sorted in the best way possible. Certainly we are aware of our strengths. We have improved our squad and we know what we have to do. More importantly, we know our aims and that we need to work hard in order to improve. "We are only on the fourth matchday, and surely the other teams will begin to pick up form. We know that the road is still long." Moving on to their opposition, Carrera expects to face a Fiorentina side who will employ a similar style of possession football to that of his own team, but concedes their 43-match-long unbeaten run in the league will act as extra motivation for other domestic clubs. "It will be a difficult game because we know every team wants to beat us. We will find a team that will almost certainly mirror our style of play." http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Pradé: No Juve explanation Sep 24, 2012 Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Pradé has questioned Juventus' part in the Dimitar Berbatov affair before tomorrow's grudge match. The Bulgarian forward was on the brink of joining the Viola over the summer, but before a deal could be struck - and with the player en route to Florence - the Old Lady intervened. Ultimately neither side completed the purchase, former Manchester United man Berbatov deciding to sign for Fulham instead, but Fiorentina remain unhappy with how the situation unfolded. “A certain behaviour has to be maintained,” Pradé told ANSA. “We have to set an example for young people and all the fans that are watching. There was no explanation and no phone call.” The Gigliati offficial refused to comment on whether the club would refuse to do any more deals with the Turin giants, but did remark on the League meeting between the two sides. “It is a frightening Juve team,” he said. “They have some very strong players who can make a difference. Experienced players who know how to win. “However, we are on the right track. We want to be a competitive team with its own identity. In football, no team is unbeatable.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Bonucci: Biggest challenge yet Sep 24, 2012 Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has claimed tomorrow's game away at Fiorentina is the most difficult of the season so far. The 25-year-old centre-back describes Vincenzo Montella's hosts as 'a real challenge' ahead of the Bianconeri's visit to the Artemio Franchi. “We are facing the most difficult challenge of this early season,” Bonucci told Juventus.com. “Playing in Florence is difficult for a thousand and one reasons. Last year, they lost to us 5-0, so for them this is the game of the year. This is a real challenge for us.” Antonio Conte's side go in search of their fifth win in five Serie A games this season in Florence tomorrow night, with kick off at 20.45. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Montella: Juve match virtually a derby Sep 24, 2012 He might be new in Florence but Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella is well aware how big tomorrow's match against Juventus is. “This game is virtually a derby in Florence,” the former Catania Coach told a press conference this afternoon. “We must try and understand the importance of the game to the fans, and capture the mood of the city in our performance.” The fixture ended 5-0 in Juve's favour last season, but Montella isn't interested in trying to contain the Bianconeri this time around. “We can't take the field and look to just not be beaten. Juventus have a competitiveness out of the ordinary, and a solid group that believes in what it does, but we have try and win the game like any other.” Montella’s side came away with just a point on Saturday in Parma, after conceding a last minute penalty. “Against Parma we made some small mistakes, but the players know what they did wrong. We have been low on confidence recently, and that is a mindset that needs to be changed.” The former Roma hero concluded by remarking on star-striker Stevan Jovetic, and the rumours Juventus are interested in the 22-year-old. “Players of his level are accustomed to these things,” he said. “Fans still expect him to do his best anyway.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Viviano hungry to beat Juventus Sep 24, 2012 Emiliano Viviano has promised to take the Fiorentina squad out for a meal should his beloved Viola beat Juventus on Tuesday. The Fiorentina ‘keeper is a massive fan of the club and is well aware of what it would mean to beat their Bianconeri arch-rivals. “I’m going into this game as I do all of the others, but all of the Viola fans who I meet tell me this isn’t just another game and I know it,” he stated to La Nazione. “On my way to training I met two fans, they were about 70, and they urged me to beat Juventus. If we do then I’ll take all of the squad out for dinner and I’ll pay the bill.” Despite being hungry for the three points, the Italian international is well aware of what they’ll be up against in the champions and the current League leaders. “It won’t be easy,” Viviano continued. “We’ll have to keep up with their rhythm and score a goal. We’ll give it a go, even if we are up against the best team in the Division.” Viviano returned to Fiorentina this summer after spells at Brescia, Bologna, Inter and Palermo. “This was the right time to come back,” he explained. “The club offered me this opportunity and I did all that I could to take advantage of it. It is a dream come true – although it wasn’t easy.” Viviano also spoke of his admiration for Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon. “Francesco Toldo was my idol, but I quickly understood that if you wanted to be a goalkeeper then Buffon had to be your reference point.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - Week 5 - 25-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Florence Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Carrera: Conte can stay at home Sep 24, 2012 Juventus match-day boss Massimo Carrera has a solution to the problem of where Antonio Conte will sit at Fiorentina on Tuesday. “He doesn’t even have to be there…” Conte is currently serving a 10-month ban for failing to report an alleged attempt to fix a Siena game while he was in charge of the Tuscan minnows. The tactician can still train the Old Lady during the week, but he has to watch games from the stands – and that could be a problem at the Stadio Franchi given the hostility between the two sets of fans. “To be honest, Conte could even decide to stay away and not watch the game,” Carrera stated on Monday afternoon. “We’ve been working like this for a month now and we have refined our telepathy. We work hard in the week and we know what to do in whatever circumstances. “We’re on the same wavelength. We see football in the same way, we know what we want and that is important.” The ‘loss’ of Conte doesn’t seem to have affected the champions too much given that they are the only team in Serie A with a 100 per cent record. “We are only four games into the campaign and the other teams will certainly pick themselves up,” the former stopper stated. “There is a long way to go and we must continue to work. We have some big margins for improvement and we’ll look to make as few mistakes as possible. “There is time to grow. We are just focusing on ourselves. We certainly have more belief in our strength this term, but we also know what we need to keep working on.” Tomorrow night’s game is one of the most eagerly anticipated on the fixture list and one that Fiorentina fans are always eager to win. “I’m not concerned about what is said about the game from the outside. It is a match like the others, for myself and for the players. It’s just a normal rivalry and everybody wants to beat us. “It will be hard against a side who play in the same shape as we do. We’ll have to go there with a provincial mentality which is needed to get a result. “Squad rotation? Those decisions will be taken after today’s training session. We’ll look to pick a team which offers us the most guarantees. “Our physical condition is excellent and our opponents have to run a lot to keep up with us. We'll go to Florence looking to do all we can to clinch all three points.” Stevan Jovetic and Fabio Quagliarella will be under the spotlight on Tuesday – especially given the claims that the two clubs were considering a swap deal for the pair this summer. “We, as the technical staff, have never discussed Jovetic – also because we had a competitive attack last term,” Carrera noted. “A swap with Quagliarella? I’m happy with the players I have. We've strengthened the squad and have strikers who have shown themselves to be top players.” Quagliarella has scored three goals in his last two appearances for the Turin giants. Jovetic, meanwhile, is Serie A’s top scorer. http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A - 4^ Giornata - Andata - 22-9-2012 (ore 20:45) 2 - 0 Fabio Quagliarella (64′) Fabio Quagliarella (68′) Juventus Stadium - Torino Arbitro: Carmine Russo Spettatori: 38369‎ Quagliarella show: la Juve vince e convince Una doppietta nel giro di 4 minuti - 64' e 68' - dell'attaccante napoletano della Juventus stende un Chievo impotente. Bianconeri in vetta alla classifica a punteggio pieno e in condizione fisica strabordante. Eurosport - Sabato, 22 settembre 2012 Un avvio di stagione strabiliante, una condizione fisica perfetta, un turnover funzionante e un bomber improvvisamente ritrovato. Sono queste le novità, se così possiamo definirle, che Juventus-Chievo, anticipo serale della quarta giornata di Serie A, ci regala. La Juve continua la sua marcia che la vede inarrestabile in campionato ormai da più di un anno e lo fa annichilendo un Chievo troppo inferiore agli uomini del duo Carrera/Conte. Di Carlo infatti si presenta a Torino con l’unica soluzione plausibile – provare a difendersi con ordine – ma regge solamente poco più di un tempo. L’impatto fisico della Juventus e la ritrovata vena di Fabio Quagliarella, mandano ko i clivensi nella ripresa nel giro di quattro minuti regalando così ai bianconeri la vetta della classifica a punteggio pieno. Buon esordio di Pogba (in campo 90 minuti), e qualche minuto nel finale anche per Bendtner. TEMA TATTICO - Che il Chievo dovesse giocare un determinato tipo di partita – attento a chiudere gli spazi e a fare fortino davanti a Sorrentino – è chiaro fin dall’ingresso in campo. I veronesi si presentano a Torino con una divisa “old style”, quasi medievale, che fa da subito intuire come la squadra di Di Carlo intorno all’area di rigore tenterà di costruire una sorta di fossato che impedisca agli uomini di Carrerra/Conte di trovare facile ingressi alla via maestra del gol. E IL TURNOVER? - L’impresa del Chievo riesce (in parte), ma al termine dei primi 45 minuti porta i suoi frutti. Il turnover della Juventus trova, almeno inizialmente, un po’ di timidezza nei suoi nuovi uomini. Lucio cerca di limitarsi nelle sue proverbiali discese, Isla è un po’ impacciato e Pogba, bravissimo in fase di non possesso palla, pecca in quella di costruzione del gioco e pur avendo l’attenuante di essere cercato decisamente mento rispetto a Pirlo costringe la Juve ad inventarsi soluzione alternative. SORRENTINO SHOW - Una di queste vorrebbe essere cercare di allargare il gioco in maniera più ampia possibile, in modo tale da impedire ai clivensi la costruzione di quel fortino cui accennavamo ma il piano riesce solo in parte. La Juve crea infatti 3 o 4 situazioni importanti ma quando si trova al momento di concludere, o è poco lucida o sbatte sulla mani dell’ultimo baluardo veronese: Stefano Sorrentino. Il portierone del Chievo si conferma elemento di assoluta sicurezza e prima al 9’ sul diagonale incrociato di Quagliarella, poi al 29’ sul tocco ravvicinato di Giaccherini, si conferma un gatto nonostante i trentatre anni. Insomma, se a questo ci si somma un gol di Vucinic annullato giustamente per un’evidente posizione di fuorigioco, la Juventus va a riposo con zero pericoli corsi nella propria area, ma anche nessun gol all’attivo. BUM-BUM QUAGLIARELLA - Che il tema tattico di Di Carlo non possa reggere però appare evidente sin dal finale di primo tempo. Il Chievo, col fiato corto, di minuto in minuto si abbassa sempre di più permettendo alla Juventus di allargare le maglie della sua difesa e indebolendo visibilmente l’ormai noto fortino che, al 64’, cade. Sorrentino, miracoloso un minuto prima su un colpo di testa da “zero metri” di Chiellini, non può nulla sulla splendida girata aerea di Quagliarella su cui il portiere dei veneti riesce solo a mettere una mano. Passano 4 minuti e Pogba – nel frattempo rinvigoritosi a livello caratteriale dopo l’intervallo– trova un bel buco per servire ancora Quagliarella che, fatto fuori Dainelli con un controllo strepitoso, infila il 2-0 e chiude la pratica nonostante i 20 minuti restanti sul cronometro. CANNIBALISMO - Sì perché la Juventus, anziché affievolirsi, continua a mostrare il suo spirito combattivo di minuto in minuto e la pressione, per la squadra di Di Carlo, è costante fino alla fine. Pellisier gioca una partita da eremita, Moscardelli – entrato al posto di Thereau -, fa vedere le sue qualità tecniche con un doppio tunnel prima a Chiellini poi a Giaccherini ma, trovatosi poi solo, è costretto a provarci dai 35 metri. Nel frattempo la Juve cambia interpreti – fuori un Isla ancora decisamente lontano dalla sua forma migliore, Marchisio, Quagliarella, e dentro Lichtsieriner, Vidal e Bentner – ma non cambia la sostanza: al 92’ infatti il cileno ruba palla al limite dell’area e serve Vucinic che non trova per questione di centimetri il 3-0, rammaricandosi poi come se avesse sprecato il match point. Probabilmente l’immagine migliore per descrivere una Juventus che, al caso, non vuole lasciare proprio nulla. La Fiorentina è avvisata. Simone Eterno - Eurosport Juventus - Chievo 2-0

Juventus aware of hidden dangers Sep 24, 2012 Juventus director general Beppe Marotta has dismissed the notion that his club will have no rivals in the Scudetto race this season. The Old Lady are now clear at the top of the table after winning all four League games so far, but Marotta is remaining cautious. “We are proud of the way we have begun the campaign,” the official told RAI. “But there are dangers around every corner in football. “The championship is still very long and to make any predictions now would be hazardous.” The Turin giants seem to be favoured in the title race by the difficulties being encountered by historical rivals – Milan and Inter. “This represents a clear sign of Italian football’s involution,” the former Sampdoria man continued. “In 2003, Italian football was top of the European rankings – we are now fourth. “This fall in standard doesn’t include us at Juventus, but we are not happy about it.” The Turin giants had two tough seasons of their own before winning the title again in 2011-12. “We have renewed a lot of things at the club and in the squad over the years. “We created a structure with well defined roles. Then we realised a dream last season by winning the championship – a clear sign that our revolution worked.” Marotta was also inevitably asked about his club’s market moves once the January transfer window re-opens. “A top player? We continue to monitor everything with great attention. But our fans should remain optimistic with the Juventus model under the presidency of Andrea Agnelli.”

Serie A Team of the Week: Quagliarella's goals and Sorrentino's saves earn the honours Goal.com looks at the star performers from the latest round of Italian league action at the weekend. Sep 24, 2012 There may have been fewer goals scored in Serie A this weekend, but there were still plenty of performances to catch the eye as Italy's provincial outfits continue to stand toe-to-toe with some of the bigger names in the land. As a result, Goal.com's top players of the round come from another diverse spread of clubs. It took Juventus over an hour to break the deadlock against Chievo thanks largely to the efforts of Stefano Sorrentino in the Flying Donkeys' goal. The shot-stopper was eventually beaten by a quick-fire double by Fabio Quagliarella, but it took a howitzer of a strike to break the 33-year-old's resistance. AC Milan's woes continued with defeat at Udinese, with the ever-reliable Mehdi Benatia starring for the Friulani, while Massimo Paci successfully managed to keep a close eye on Diego Milito as Siena beat Inter for the first time ever in a league fixture. Lucio rounds off our back three thanks to his performance on debut as Juve beat Chievo 2-0. Cristian Raimondi was the unlikely goalscoring hero as Atalanta handed Gian Piero Gasperini a bad start to his Palermo tenure at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, and he slots in alongside Juan Quintero, who also got on the scoresheet as Pescara earned their first Serie A point with a 1-1 draw at Bologna. Juraj Kucka's all-action midfield display in Genoa's backs-to-the-wall win at Lazio sees him make our XI, and Kwadwo Asamoah also gets recognition for another performance of power and panache for Juventus. In the forward line, the relative lack of goals is reflected by the inclusion of two wide attackers. Alejandro Gomez helped Catania to overcome the second-minute dismissal of Pablo Alvarez to earn a share of the spoils with Napoli, and Alessio Cerci marked his first start for Torino with a key role in their 1-1 draw at Sampdoria. But the big name in the lineup is Fabio Quagliarella, with his magnificent volleyed opener and his match-clinching second against Chievo capping of an excellent week for both club and player. SORRENTINO (Chievo) BENATIA (Udinese) - PACI (Siena) - LUCIO (Juventus) RAIMONDI (Atalanta) - QUINTERO (Pescara) - KUCKA (Genoa) - ASAMOAH (Juventus) CERCI (Torino) - QUAGLIARELLA (Juventus) - GOMEZ (Catania)

Juventus are on another planet to crisis-ridden AC Milan and Inter The Milanese duo suffered embarrassing defeats on Sunday, leaving the Bianconeri sitting pretty after four rounds in Serie A. Sep 24, 2012 COMMENT By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Writer San Siro is often described as the perfect place to go for your first ever taste of calcio. The majestic stadium, awe-inspiring as it is, remains only part of the attraction, with the fans of AC Milan and Inter helping to make it an atmosphere to remember. But these days, there is something of a hollow feeling about the place. There are no moped horns tooting triumphantly as you head to the Metro after the match. Gone is the eager anticipation to find out the results of the other Serie A games in order to plot the title bid ahead. There is even a lack of queues at the city's banks this morning as tickets go on general sale for the forthcoming derby. It's all because, right now, Milanese football is in crisis. While over in Turin, Juventus blaze a trail with their exciting brand of winning football and begin to turn heads across the continent in the Champions League, the two champion sides of the seasons immediately before the Bianconeri's 2012 success are trailing well behind the early leaders thanks to some dreadful form so far. Put simply, there is very little reason for optimism at either club. Juve’s 2-0 victory over Chievo with a team showing five changes from that which dominated against Chelsea in midweek served only to remind the Milanese pair of just how much they have to do to get back to the top, but by 5pm on Sunday they both looked as far away from Antonio Conte’s side as they have in a long, long time. Milan’s well-documented problems seem only to increase, with a third defeat in four being added to a couple of unwelcomed suspensions for Cristian Zapata and Kevin-Prince Boateng after both were sent off at Udinese. The red cards were just the start of the signs of indiscipline within the group, as an inability to pull together sufficiently helped the Rossoneri to turn in another under-par performance. At a time when they needed to put on a brave face to the world in light of the mounting pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri, they turned in the footballing equivalent of pointing and laughing at somebody in trouble. If the coach has the faith of the players, they have a funny way of showing it. Stephan El Shaarawy’s belting equaliser momentarily raised hopes, but they proved to be as false as the smiles at Friday’s hastily-arranged interview involving Allegri and Filippo Inzaghi. The Diavolo’s result was almost forgotten by some though, as Inter also continued their underwhelming start to the season with a 2-0 defeat at home to Siena which stretches the run of home team failures at San Siro to nine games since the new part-synthetic turf was laid in the summer. While there is talk of a hoodoo dubbed ‘San Zero’, the Nerazzurri’s loss was borne not out of a couple of bad bounces on a meddlesome surface, but rather of the sheer inability to fashion clear opportunities against Serie A’s bottom club. Part of that came down to another lop-sided performance, with Inter’s over-reliance on the left side of their formation allowing the Robur to concentrate much of their efforts on stopping Antonio Cassano, Wesley Sneijder et al down one flank. But even when play was spread further afield, the home side simply had nothing to throw at their visitors. Fredy Guarin turned in another performance devoid of real direction on the right side of the midfield three, too. The Colombian arrived at Appiano Gentile in January to much pomp and circumstance, but he has yet to add anything of significance since overcoming the injury which stopped him making his debut for the club for two months. Yesterday was another typical Guarin display in the black and blue shirt, with no sign of composure, positional awareness, nor decent decision-making skills. Too often he played bad passes which were easily intercepted when there were better options available, while he showed a poor brain for knowing how to make the right challenge at the right time. Those issues combined continue to make him look as though he is aimlessly running around in circles for stretches of the game. Meanwhile, Cassano and Walter Gargano’s teething problems continue. ‘Fantantonio’ looks a long way short of fitness still, bringing him to make decisions in the final third that he might not make in normal circumstances. On the other hand, Gargano’s troubles could be a little more deep-rooted. Having gone from a club which played with lots of width and supplied willing runners ahead of him in the centre, he has now been asked to play in a side lacking anything near the same energy, meaning his play can look laboured at times. There can be nothing more frustrating for fans than to see the opposition sitting deep and inviting an attack, only for one of your central midfielders dropping 20 yards to pick the ball up from a centre-back and then playing a simple pass to a static team-mate that the defender could have made. It is not Gargano’s fault that he finds himself in this position, but he must now help Andrea Stramaccioni to find a solution to the problem. Stramaccioni is not without things to fix. His side is already six points behind a Juve side they looked reasonably placed to challenge little over three weeks ago, and it would appear that getting the Nerazzurri back on their feet and securing Champions League football is about the extent of what he can achieve this season. Even that, though, will take a much greater gameplan than that which is currently in place. Laughable though it may seem that two years be described as the ‘long haul’, that is what the young coach was brought in for, and so he should be given that leeway. But current performances on either side of the Milan divide suggest that Juve could win the next couple of titles at an absolute canter if the pair of once-proud giants don’t get their acts together. ELSEWHERE… • The farcical set of circumstances which led to the postponement of Cagliari's clash against Roma on Sunday must never be repeated. The FIGC were well within their rights to force the Isolani to play behind closed doors once more - as they did against Atalanta - after the failure to secure a safety certificate in time for the fixture, so for president Massimo Cellino to openly invite fans to attend the game was downright preposterous. No game should ever go ahead without the correct safety clearance, and recent revelations over the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in England - which have shown that the ground was not fit to host such a big crowd - seem to have been very quickly forgotten by supposedly responsible people within football. • Lazio hammered Genoa as they have hammered no other team in some time at the Stadio Olimpico in Sunday's posticipo, yet Marco Borriello's goal against the run of play 12 minutes from time was enough for Luigi De Canio's men to take all three points. The Aquile couldn't find the net even once from 22 shots at goal, with Libor Kozak and Mauro Zarate unable to lead Vladimir Petkovic's men to a new club record winning run to start the campaign. Juventus may have ably backed up their first team on Saturday night, but Lazio seem a different proposition in front of goal when Miroslav Klose does not start. • Napoli were another side to lose their 100 per cent record as Rolando Maran's Catania side held on for over 88 minutes with 10 men after Pablo Alvarez was sent off before the fans had got comfortable at the Massimino. Not even 63 per cent of possession was enough for Walter Mazzarri's men to break down their stubborn hosts as the Elefanti once again proved their innate ability to make a trip to eastern Sicily one of the tougher propositions of the Serie A season. • Stevan Jovetic was given his first black mark of the season on Saturday as his penalty miss came back to bite Fiorentina. Jaime Valdes had already failed from the spot for Parma before the Montenegrin stepped up in the 88th minute at the Tardini, but he too was made to pay for a weak effort. But it got worse for Jovetic, as veteran Luca Toni gave away another spot-kick in injury time, allowing Valdes to make up for his earlier error and deny the Viola three points that they would surely have taken back to Tuscany had they gone two up five minutes earlier.

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 2 - 0 Fabio Quagliarella (64′) Fabio Quagliarella (68′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Carmine Russo Attendance: 38369‎ Quagliarella Shoots Down the Flying Donkeys Sep 23, 2012 Juventus hosted their second game of the season against Chievo. The Flying Donkeys have been a tough opponent as of late. Last time Juventus hosted Chievo, the bianconeri had a very hard time penetrating their defense. And once they finally did, Chievo found a way to tie the game. That was the second tie of four consecutive ones that put Juventus five points behind league leaders AC Milan. How things have changed since then! Juventus faced Chievo with a rotated squad always looking to take the initiative. They dominated possession and controlled the match. However, for the first 60 minutes, it looked like Chievo may once again walk out with a point from Turin. But Fabio Quagliarella had a different idea. In five minutes, Eta Beta scored two goals, allowing Juventus to record their 14th consecutive victory in the last 15 Serie A matches. Review after the break. Against Chievo, Conte showed that he is not afraid to rotate his regular starters and that he believes in almost every single member of the squad at his disposal. Lucio, Pogba, Isla, and Quagliarella were given their first starts in official matches. Although there was an evident, albeit expected, lack of understanding from some players, Juventus dominated the match from beginning to end. The bianconeri recorded 27 shots (9 on target) compared to Chievo's 6 (2 on target). Moreover, by the end of the match, Juventus had 62% posession and twice as many corner kicks. However, although the score and statistics suggest this was an easy game for Juventus, the reality is far from that. One of the main criticisms of the last Juventus-Chievo match was the bianconeri obsessive passing. It looked like no one wanted to kick the ball from outside the 18-yard box. This time it was a different story, Juventus recorded 7 shots from far away forcing Sorrentino to display his A-game. That is not to say that Juventus didn't try to pass the ball to more promising positions. Giaccherini and Vucinic enjoyed the two best chances of the first 45 minutes. At the other end, Chievo took 3 shots that were off-target or easily saved by Buffon. Juventus came into the second half with the same determination, however, Chievo also came out equally organized. The game was one of those that needed a moment of magic to turn things around. Enter Fabio Quagliarella, the hero of two years ago. From a corner kick, Eta Beta gifted us one of his classic Playstation goals. From there things became a lot easier for Juventus. Chievo had to move further up the pitch, leaving holes that our midfielders and attackers could exploit. Five minutes after his first goal, Quagliarella doubled his tally with a goal similar to the one he scored against Petr Cech last Wednesday. From then on, Juventus dominated the match, and Chievo decided to save their energy for their midweek encounter. Pagelle Buffon 6.5 His score is low not because he played poorly but because he had so little to do. His positioning was impeccable and had no troubles organizing his defense. Lucio 6.5 Played a decent game using his physicality to protect the ball from the Chievo players. Although he is slow, he showed he is more than capable to play against teams that want to sit back and defend. Bonucci 7.0 In the absence of PIrlo, Bonucci was tasked with playing the ball from the back. He was adventurous with his passing finding his target most times. Chiellini 7.0 King Giorgio did not try hard passes but was instrumental in building up play from the back. He had 101 touches on the ball by the end of the match and a few strong tackles that showed the Chievo players who is boss on the left side of defense. Isla 5.5 Mauricio clearly needs more playing time. He lost the ball many times and seemed lost in Conte's setup. Most of his lack of understanding comes from him being injured during the summer. With this being said, he had a couple moments that showed how promising he can be for Juventus in the future. Marchisio 7.5 He ran, he created, he passed, he broke-up play. In a midfield full of substitutes, he showed why he is a regular starter Pogba 6.0 He tried to get involved, but it seemed his teammates do not trust him with playing PIrlo's role yet. Slowly grew into the game. He is a promising player, but has a world of growing to do yet. Giaccherini 6.5 The little goblin showed his technical ability all throughout the game. He could have scored once but Sorrentino was having one of those games he always has against Juventus. His versatility was evident when he switched from midfielder to winger back to midfielder in a matter of minutes. Asamoah 6.5 A little more subdued than in other performances. He did everything he had to, but was not a game changer this time (not for lack of trying). Vucinic 7.0 Created plenty of chances and could have scored a goal or two. Quagliarella 8.0 Without the brace, his ranking probably would have been 6.5. But after his two goals, it is hard to argue that he was the MOTM. Vidal 7.0 Appears to be fully recovered from his Chelsea injury. Came in and showed how big of a presence he can be in the center of the park. Conte/Carrera 7.5 Saw the potential of Quagliarella when a few of us had given up on him. Also, managed to rest some key players ahead of the Fiorentina and Roma matches. Things I think I think: - Can you imagine being Chievo's right back? If you are lucky enough to get past Asamoah, you look up and see Giorgio Chiellini? It would be so demoralizing. - Was it just me or did Juventus players avoid passing the ball to Pogba? - Quagliarella's three goals in the last two matches are going to give Conte a selection headache. I love it when our coach has a hard time picking up his starting eleven because his options are all good. - The next two Serie A matches are going to be important in the scudetto race. Fiorentina already dropped points today, Inter and Roma have dropped points already. Napoli also tied. An it is hard to believe that any of the other contenders are going to win the first 6 games. Creating a cushion at the top, without Conte on the sideline would be quite an accomplishment for this team. Conclusion Juventus won their fourth game in a row this season. Quagliarella is back. Pirlo finally got some rest. We went to bed as only leaders in Serie A this season. Need I say more? http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

Serie A Round 4 Results: Borriello ends Lazio winning streak, Napoli frustrated by 10-man Catania The scorelines may be low but that did not stop the action from simmering, as Atalanta ruined Gian Piero Gasperini's Palermo debut, while Parma struck late to draw with Fiorentina. Sep 23, 2012 Serie A Round 4 Results League Table PARMA 1 - 1 FIORENTINA An injury-time equaliser salvaged Parma a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in the weekend's first Serie A offering, as two missed penalties were also witnessed at the Tardini on Saturday. The Viola took the lead inside 20 minutes through new Argentine defender Facundo Roncaglia, who collected the ball deep in his opponents' half and fired home a stinging drive past Antonio Mirante. However, the stopper temporarily turned from hero to villain, as he brought down Dorlan Pabon in the box shortly after the break. A penalty was awarded, but Jaime Valdes could only reach Emiliano Viviano's glove. It appeared Fiorentina would go on to win the fixture following Aleandro Rosi's red card, after the right-back felled Mattia Cassani in the area, but Stevan Jovetic surprisingly failed to find the back of the net from six yards out. Their profligacy was soon punished in the most dramatic of circumstances when Luca Toni's penalty-box handball gifted Jaime Valdes the chance to redeem himself from the spot, and Parma an arguably undeserved point. Parma move to 11th in Serie A, while Fiorentina keep fifth place. JUVENTUS 2 - 0 CHIEVO Match Report - Player Ratings SAMPDORIA 1 - 1 TORINO It was also a tale of two penalties at the Marassi on Sunday, as Sampdoria earned a 1-1 draw with Torino in the battle of the promoted sides. Both sets of teams could not be faulted for their fighting spirit, as a tie seemed the fairest outcome, and it was the Granata who went one up with 20 minutes to go. Roberto Soriano upended Alessio Cerci in the box, allowing Rolando Bianchi to strike the ball goal-bound. Fortunately for the hosts, a tactical change made by coach Ciro Ferrara, which saw Eder and Nicola Pozzi replace Gianni Munari and Marcelo Estigarribia, proved decisive, as the Brazilian drew a foul from Kamil Glik. Pozzi promptly squeezed the penalty past Jean-Francois Gillet. Sampdoria remain in fourth place in the standings while Torino climb to 10th, with their -1 handicaps wiped out. ATALANTA 1 - 0 PALERMO A late goal in the latter stages of the clash at the Azzurri d'Italia condemed new Palermo boss Gian Piero Gasperini to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta on Sunday. The visitors appeared to have opened the scoring for the afternoon towards the end of the half time, but Ezequiel Munoz's header from a free kick was correctly ruled offside, much to the chagrin of the Rosanero. It was fitting then that they would eventually lose the fixture - from a set-piece. An inswinging corner from Luca Cigarini was met by Cristian Raimondi, who jumped highest to beat Samir Ujkani with a powerful finish. For Atalanta, they make their way up the table to eighth, with their progress stifled by a two-point deduction, but Palermo wallow in 19th place, winless in four. BOLOGNA 1 - 1 PESCARA Pescara came from behind to register their maiden point of the season, drawing 1-1 with Bologna at the Dell'Ara. Alberto Gilardino continued his prolific start to life as a Rossoblu, applying the finish past Mattia Perin from Gyorgy Garics' pass on just nine minutes. But the visitors refused to throw in the towel and finally got their reply through teenage Colombian midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero, who curled in a fantastic free kick central to goal with half time in sight. The second half saw Perin given his marching orders following a professional foul in the box. His replacement Ivan Pelizzoli came up trumps, however, saving Alessandro Diamanti's poorly executed penalty. Pescara languish in 19th place, but Bologna leapfrog themselves into 13th. CAGLIARI - postponed -ROMA Roma's trip to Cagliari, which would have been the inauguration of the Sardinian side's new Is Arenas stadium, was postponed following president Massimo Cellino's insistence on supporters ignoring the authorities' requests that the match should be played behind closed doors. Click here for the full story. CATANIA 0 - 0 NAPOLI Napoli will be kicking themselves after they somehow failed to break down a resilient Catania at the Angelo Massimino on Sunday, with the game finishing goalless. Just two minutes in, the Sicilians were forced to play the remainder of the match a man down; Pablo Alvarez promptly red-carded for bringing down Edinson Cavani while through on goal. However, they managed to adapt to life without the Uruguayan defender excellently, forming into a tight unit at the back, which proved too difficult to break down, but not without the brilliance of Mariano Andujar between the sticks. The likes of Eduardo Vargas and Lorenzo Insigne were hauled on as Walter Mazzarri chased the three points, but they failed to make Napoli's 70 per cent possession count. For the hosts, Alejandro Gomez saw an attempt hit the post late on. The Partenopei miss out on their first points of the Serie A campaign and stay third. Catania, meanwhile, are now seventh. INTER 0 - 2 SIENA Match Report - Player Ratings UDINESE 2 - 1 AC MILAN Match Report - Player Ratings LAZIO 0 - 1 GENOA Marco Borriello netted the only goal of the game at the Olimpico on Sunday, as Genoa condemed Lazio to a surprise 1-0 defeat to round off the weekend's action in Italy. The Biancocelesti had a number of chances to sew the points up before the striker's winner, but none of Libor Kozak, Mauro Zarate, Miroslav Klose, Hernanes or Antonio Candreva could beat Sebastien Frey in the visitors' net. They were made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal on the break. A classic counterattack, led by Luca Antonelli, was finished by Borriello, who surged into Lazio's box and fired past Federico Marchetti. It marked the striker's first goal since returning to the Marassi on transfer deadline day, helping his team to seventh in Serie A. Lazio, however, saw their 100 per cent record brought to an end, but they stay in third position.

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 2 - 0 Fabio Quagliarella (64′) Fabio Quagliarella (68′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Carmine Russo Attendance: 38369‎ Quagliarella: 'My greatest week' Sep 23, 2012 “This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life,” grinned Fabio Quagliarella after clinching decisive points against Chelsea and Chievo. The Juventus striker netted a late equaliser in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, then bagged a brace for tonight’s 2-0 victory. “This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. Today I wanted to prove that I was ready and I think I did that,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “It was obviously very pleasing to receive a standing ovation from fans when substituted and I thank them. It means I did my duty. “Will I start against Fiorentina on Tuesday? We’ll see. I will ensure that I am ready when called upon and I feel in good shape, then it is up to the Coach to decide.” http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/