Socrates

Chiellini: Juventus will fight for the Scudetto until the end The 27-year-old stopper is refusing to write off his side's chances in the competition and says his team will fight until they are mathematically out of the race for the title. Apr 4, 2012 Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has guaranteed that his side will do their utmost to dethrone AC Milan in Serie A. The Bianconeri are two points behind Milan in second place, with eight matches remaining in the competition. Juventus will not play against Milan again before the end of the season, but Chiellini has warned that his side will try to take advantage of any slip-ups from the Rossoneri. "I am certain Juventus will fight to the end for the Scudetto," Chiellini said during a visit to a local school. "I tell youngsters not to smoke, to eat healthily and do a lot of sports," he added.

Serie A Week 31 - 7-4-2012 (6:30 p.m.) - Renzo Barbera Stadium - Palermo Referee: Christian Brighi Quagliarella to net Juve start? Apr 4, 2012 Fabio Quagliarella is being tipped to win a place in the Juventus first team this weekend after his goal against Napoli. The Italian international came off the bench on Sunday to net in the 3-0 victory against his former club. According to various newspapers on Wednesday, the forward could now be offered a chance from the start against Palermo. Quagliarella, who missed the first six months of 2011 with knee ligament damage, has scored three goals in 18 League games this term. However, Quagliarella has only started five League games under Antonio Conte so far. It’s unclear at the moment whether Juve will field a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3 at the Stadio Barbera on Saturday. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Bonucci wants his goal back Apr 4, 2012 Leonardo Bonucci is somewhat surprised that Juve teammate Mirko Vucinic was retrospectively assigned the opening goal in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Napoli. The striker’s shot was deflected in past Morgan De Sanctis by the Juventus defender, but the Lega Calcio awarded the effort to the Montenegro international on Monday. “I touched the ball without a shadow of a doubt,” the former Inter and Bari player told the giornalaccio rosa dello Sport. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have celebrated like that. “In order for the Lega to give Vucinic the goal, they classed my action as someone who was trying to dodge out of the way – but that is the natural reaction of someone who is hit by something. “The goal is mine!” Despite his argument, Vucinic, according to the Lega at least, remains the official scorer of the first goal.

Serie A Week 31 - 7-4-2012 (6:30 p.m.) - Renzo Barbera Stadium - Palermo Referee: Christian Brighi Second best Juventus Apr 4, 2012 The giornalaccio rosa dello Sport has today highlighted Juventus’ strength during the second half of their Serie A matches. The unbeaten Old Lady turned draws into convincing victories against Inter and Napoli, after going in at the break 0-0, during their last two encounters. The national newspaper has today examined the statistics which illustrate that the Bianconeri seem to get results as games go on. If ties in Serie A finished at the 45-minute mark, Juve would have only collected 49 points this term and would be fourth behind Roma, Milan and Udinese. If just second half results were used to calculate an hypothetical table, Juve would be top of that with 59 points. As is stands in reality, the Turin giants are second in the classifica – two points behind Milan and 11 clear of Lazio in third. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 31 - 7-4-2012 (6:30 p.m.) - Renzo Barbera Stadium - Palermo Referee: Christian Brighi Budan: 'Juve not world class' Apr 3, 2012 Palermo striker Igor Budan has mocked Saturday’s opponents Juventus, complaining they have “no world class players.” The two clubs go head-to-head at the Stadio Barbera at 17.30 UK time this weekend and Juve are just two points adrift of Serie A leaders Milan. “Juve have no world class players,” said the forward during a press conference. “I thought Mirko Vucinic would be able to do more, but he had a few problems. Unfortunately for us, he is now getting back in shape. “I respect Marco Borriello and Alessandro Matri, but they are not Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, Andrea Pirlo is having a great season and I hope he gets a few passes wrong on Saturday.” Palermo received a big boost at the weekend when they earned their first away victory of the season, conquering Bologna 3-1. “I think Emiliano Viviano’s save on Marco Di Vaio when we were 1-0 down made a huge difference, as it would’ve been tough to come back from 2-0 down. “We have a great squad and were always very united, trying to keep a positive atmosphere.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A - 11^ Giornata - Ritorno - 1-4-2012 (ore 20:45) 3 - 0 Mirko Vučinić (53′) Arturo Vidal Pardo (75′) Fabio Quagliarella (83′) Juventus Stadium - Torino Arbitro: Daniele Orsato Spettatori: 34000 Serie A - Juve tris al Napoli, il Milan ora trema Con una prova strepitosa la Juventus annichilisce il Napoli che viene travolto nella ripresa dalle reti di Vucinic, Vidal e Quagliarella (3-0 il finale). Con questo successo la squadra di Conte accorcia dalla vetta: sono solo due i punti di vantaggio del Milan. Eurosport - Domenica, 1 aprile 2012 Missione compiuta. La Juventus non si fa sfuggire l'assist del Catania e dimezza il distacco sul Milan (portandosi da 4 a 2 punti sui rossoneri) schiantando 3-0 un Napoli troppo brutto per essere vero. La squadra di Conte gioca una partita perfetta, aggredendo dal primo minuto Hamsik e compagni e capitalizzando la supremazia territoriale nel secondo tempo con i gol di Bonucci, Vidal e Quagliarella. Strepitosa per quantità, qualità e aggressività la gara giocata dai bianconeri che hanno spiazzato il Napoli stracciandolo proprio sul piano atletico, trascinati dall'energia di uno scintillante Vidal e dalle geometrie del solito incredibile Andrea Pirlo. C'E' BORRIELLO CON VUCINIC, MAGGIO RIENTRA - Antonio Conte spiazza tutti ridando fiducia a Marco Borriello alla ricerca del primo gol di questa stagione veramente sottotono per lui. L'ex romanista farà coppia con Vucinic, solo panchina per Matri e Del Piero, quest'ultimo reduce da due gol fra Coppa Italia e campionato. A centrocampo Lichsteiner vince il ballottaggio con Caceres per il ruolo di laterale destro nella mediana a cinque. Walter Mazzarri per questa trasferta delicatissima schiera il Napoli migliore, con Maggio che ha smaltito le noie fisiche e torna a presidiare il binario destro a centrocampo. Sulla fascia opposta c'è Zuniga mentre in mezzo Inler vicino il ballottaggio con Dzemaili. In attacco il tridente delle meraviglie formato da Hamsik, Lavezzi e Cavani. JUVE CHE GRINTA, MANCA SOLO IL GOL - La Juve sa che questa è una partita delicatissima, una delle più importanti della stagione, e parte a mille. Corta, aggresssiva e capace di pressare a tutto campo gli avversari costringe il Napoli a lunghi lanci dalle retrovie che snaturano il gioco della squadra di Mazzarri e impediscono ai tre tenori (Hamsik, Cavani e Lavezzi) di avere palloni giocabili. La prima occasione è di marca bianconera, Pirlo sulla sinistra stoppa in maniera maestosa un lancio di Vidal, elude l'intervento di Campagnaro e mette in mezzo un pallone morbido sul quale però arriva solo Bonucci che tocca sull'esterno della rete. La Juve continua a premere e a cerca di far male con i cross come al 9' quando Lichsteiner prova ad innescare Borriello che però con l'incornata non trova la porta. Il Napoli si fa vedere al 12' con Hamsik che, triangola nello stretto con Gargano, ma davanti a Buffon si allunga troppo il pallone. La Juve continua a premere e colleziona tante punizioni che vengono battute da Pirlo con la solita pericolosità: il muro del Napoli, che al 24' perde Maggio (problema ai flessori) sostituito da Dossena, però regge in qualche modo grazie anche alle parate di De Sanctis, che è molto attento al 34' e al 43'. Il primo tempo così chiude 0-0, un risultato che sembra uno sconto per un Napoli sgonfio. BONUCCI FORTUNATO, VIDAL E QUAGLIARELLA CHE GIOIELLI - Nella ripresa il Napoli sembra alzare un attimo il baricentro sfruttando l'unico momento di rifiatamento della Juve, che però riparte subito con la proverbiale cattiveria e al 48' va vicinissima al gol: punizione dalla sinistra di Pirlo, Hamsik di testa sfiora l'autogol ma viene graziato da De Sanctis che evita il gol. Sull'ennesima punizione la Juventus passa in vantaggio quattro minuti dopo, Pirlo dalla destra mette un in area, Barzagli prolunga la sfera per Vucinic che stoppa la sfera, si gira e tira. Bonucci sulla traiettoria del tiro devia la palla col ginocchio beffando De Sanctis e facendo esplodere lo Juventus Stadium. Il gol dà grandissima benzina alla Juventus, che non si accontenta, e in contropiede fa sempre male. Mazzarri prova a rianimare il suo Napoli inserendo Pandev, al posto di Inler, l'ingresso del macedone dà un po' di verve alla manovra degli azzurri che però sono costretti a lasciare spazi alla Juve che, dopo aver sfiorato il 2-0 con un tiro dalla distanza di Marchisio, trova il raddoppio con un azione personale di Vidal che entra in area, ubriaca con un doppio passo Campagnaro e con un sinistro sul secondo palo fulmina De Sanctis. L'eurogol del centrocampista cileno affossa il morale del Napoli che, rischia di subire il tris subito dal neoentrato Quagliarella (pallonetto da 50 metri fuori di nulla). L'ex di turno però colpisce all'82' quando chiude un contropiede devastante con un destro che si insacca sul primo palo soprendendo un incerto De Sanctis. Il divario potrebbe essere più grande perché entra anche Del Piero che in meno di sette minuti sfiora il poker con due giocate da campione. Va bene però anche così per la Juve che allunga la sua infinita striscia positiva di risultati ed ora a -2 dai rossoneri cova ancora più sogni di tricolore. Stefano Dolci - Eurosport Juventus - Napoli 3-0

Serie A Week 30 - 1-4-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 3 - 0 Mirko Vučinić (53′) Arturo Vidal Pardo (75′) Fabio Quagliarella (83′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Daniele Orsato Attendance: 34000‎ Lippi: Both AC Milan and Juventus will fight for Scudetto right until the end The Bianconeri moved to within two points of the Rossoneri by cruising past Napoli on Sunday night, and their former boss believes they now have every chance of winning the title. Apr 2, 2012 Marcello Lippi is in no doubt that this season's increasingly fascinating Scudetto race between AC Milan and Juventus will go right to the wire. The Rossoneri went into last weekend with a four-point advantage in hand but they were held to a controversial 1-1 draw by Catania in Sicily on Saturday. This allowed the Bianconeri to move to within striking distance after a 3-0 victory over Napoli in Turin the following evening. As a result, former Juve coach Lippi believes that with eight rounds of the season remaining, it is very much a case of everything to play for. "We are talking about a league that wasn't over before the weekend but that will be even better now," the 63-year-old Italian told reporters on Monday. "Milan and Juve must strive to win all their games and from here until the end of the season, they will fight for the title point by point." Lippi also heaped praise on Bianconeri boss Antonio Conte for transforming the Old Lady into title challengers after his arrival from Siena last summer. "Conte is realising a dream by coaching Juventus," the former Italy coach said. "In the past there was Giovanni Trapattoni, then Lippi and now we are hoping that this is the start of Conte's era." Turning his attention to AC Milan's Champions League quarter-final second-leg meeting with Barcelona on Tuesday night, Lippi admitted that he, like everyone else, is anticipating an enthralling contest. "I expect a game of a very high standard and Milan will need a big performance," he argued. Lippi, who enjoyed two separate stints in charge of Juve, has been out of the game since stepping down as Italy boss in 2010. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Bonucci and Matri sign new Juventus contracts until 2017 The Bianconeri have decided to reward two more players with improved deals as the Turin giants continue to tie down their most promising talents to secure their long-term future. Apr 2, 2012 Juventus have announced on their official website that Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Matri have signed new contracts until 2017. Both players have been first-team regulars at Juventus since Antonio Conte took over at the club in the summer and have decided to add two years to their previous deals, which were due to expire in 2015. The move comes just two weeks after Paolo De Ceglie also signed a new contract with Juventus until 2017 after becoming an important member in Conte's squad since the start of the calendar year. Bonucci, who scored the first goal in Sunday's 3-0 victory against Napoli, arrived at Juventus in 2010 from Bari, while Matri moved to Turin in January 2011 from Cagliari.

Chiellini: Juventus won't throw away Champions League spot The Italy international has expressed his delight with the Bianconeri's imminent return to European club football's elite tournament as he feels they will finish at least second. Apr 2, 2012 Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini is confident that the Old Lady will finish at least second in the Serie A table following their 3-0 win over Napoli on Sunday evening. The Turin giants currently hold an 11-point lead over third-place Lazio, while trailing leaders AC Milan by two points, and Chiellini believes that Juve have already secured Champions League football for next season. "We’ve booked our ticket to travel around Europe again. I don’t want to be conceited, but I don’t think that we will throw away our lead over the third-placed side in the table in the eight remaining games," Chiellini stated to the official Juve website. "The win over Napoli was a very good result. Because even though we are obviously looking ahead, we mustn’t forget that just two or three games ago, people said we had to be careful and cast a glance over our shoulders. "We have to continue on this path. We’ve reached this position just because we have confidence in our qualities."

Serie A Week 30 - 1-4-2012 (8:45 p.m.) 3 - 0 Mirko Vučinić (53′) Arturo Vidal Pardo (75′) Fabio Quagliarella (83′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Daniele Orsato Attendance: 34000‎ A beauty and a beast - World class Vidal is the hero as Juventus send out a title warning to AC Milan The Chilean was the brains and the brawn behind the Old Lady's success, capping off his display with a goal that puts the Turin side within two points of the Serie A summit. Apr 2, 2012 COMMENT By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Editor As cup final warm-ups go it told us nothing, but as a barometer for Juventus’ title credentials, their 3-0 victory over Napoli on Sunday night gave us everything we needed to know. The Bianconeri are in their best form of the season heading for the run-in, and Arturo Vidal is the man driving them on. The Chilean played the starring role as the Old Lady saw off a Napoli side devoid of any real drive at a time of the year when they could really suffer for their post-Champions League blues. But that should take nothing away from just how dominant Juve were for long spells, and in the second half they reaped their rewards. After Marco Borriello failed to turn in an Andrea Pirlo cross in the opening minutes, Juventus continued to create all the chances. Vidal, Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio made all the running in midfield, seeing off the threat of Gokhan Inler and Walter Gargano with apparent ease to lay the platform from which the men in pink (at home … again!) would eventually make hay. Vidal did so much of the hard work in both defence and attack in a display of sheer magnificence. The Chilean was regularly responsible for winning back possession, so often the man leading the midfield charge, and also a willing exponent of a killer pass from any angle. His performance had almost everything. Juve broke through on 53 minutes, and despite their dominance it was somewhat fortuitous. Pirlo’s free kick from the right wasn’t dealt with, and Mirko Vucinic’s shot cannoned off Leonardo Bonucci and found the net. It was certainly lucky, but it was definitely deserved. The home side continued to do most of the attacking, with Edinson Cavani forced to win back possession in his own box at one point such was his inactivity further up the field. It seemed only a matter of time before the Bianconeri would finish it off, and it was Vidal’s crowning moment which ended the game as a contest. Ghosting into position to the left of goal after the Partenopei gave away cheap possession, the former Bayer Leverkusen man shimmied and shook before throwing in a couple of step-overs to bamboozle Hugo Campagnaro on his way into a shooting position. From there he delivered a magnificent left-foot shot which gave Morgan De Sanctis no chance. It was a fitting strike to clinch the victory. Fabio Quagliarella soon added a third when De Sanctis failed to deal with a powerful near-post drive, then Juan Zuniga petulantly saw red, and Napoli’s misery was complete. Walter Mazzarri’s side have so far failed to take advantage of Lazio’s indifferent form and their own free midweeks as their bid for third place has foundered. Juve’s own Wednesdays off could increasingly help if Milan progress in the Champions League, but it is their current form which gives them their best hope of Scudetto glory. Since dropping four points behind the Rossoneri, the Bianconeri have responded with their best run of the season. This weekend they cut that lead in half, but they mustn’t take their foot off the accelerator. With Vidal at the wheel, there appears little chance of them giving up just yet. A scrapper, an architect, a leader and a goalscorer; the Chilean could well be key to their once-fading title hopes. Milan beware ... A beautiful beast lurks over your shoulder. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/