Socrates

Why Lichtsteiner is the man to end Juventus' five-year full-back nightmare The right-back should prove to be an astute purchase by under-fire Giuseppe Marotta, and will more than complement his Swiss counterpart Reto Ziegler on the opposing flank. Jun 28, 2011 Four trophyless campaigns, five coaches, numerous signings and hundreds of millions of Euros later, Juventus have remained without any worthy replacements for their once glittering array of full-backs. This summer, though, they appear to have finally captured a player who fits the bill. In the season preceding Calciopoli, then-coach Fabio Capello had World Cup winners Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram at his disposal, and the duo would eventually depart for Barcelona after a trophy-laden spell in Turin. Their back-up options, Federico Balzaretti, Alessandro Birindelli and Gianluca Pessotto, were also several classes above the current crop. Since then, Juve have decided to ignore these areas of the field, opting to allocate very little of their budget on their backline and instead sign cheaper, lower-quality alternatives in the hope of striking lucky - from the likes of failed Bosman arrivals Zdenek Grygera and Hasan Salihamidzic to the hugely underwhelming loanees Armand Traore and Marco Motta. Even when it appeared they had groomed a potential successor in the form of Domenico Criscito, he was criminally underused, forcing him to look elsewhere to ply his trade. However, with the capture of Stephan Lichtsteiner, after a drawn-out pursuit of the player whose attacking verve has gained many admirers for both club and country, Juve have landed a player who possesses impressive pedigree, and has proven himself to be more than capable from a defensive perspective. After his exploits with Lille, where he starred in Claude Puel's promising young outfit - alongside the likes of Mathieu Bodmer, Jean Makoun, Michel Bastos and Peter Odemwingie in his debut season - the Swiss international earned a move to Lazio after Euro 2008, with the capital giants beating off strong interest for his signature. Since arriving at the Stadio Olimpico, Lichtsteiner has gone from strength to strength, first under the guidance of Delio Rossi, then, most recently, for Edy Reja. The former had initially overseen the departure of fan favourite Valon Behrami to West Ham, but it didn't take long for Lazio's support to warm to their new arrival, thanks to his energetic and committed displays which have given the Rome club another dimension in their forward play. Aleksandar Kolarov always seemed to overshadow him during their stint together in Rome, as highlighted by his big-money transfer to Manchester City, but Lichtsteiner remained a dependable and consistent servant, albeit without the Serb's explosive left-foot. The 27-year-old's enthusiasm for the cause is sure to gain him many fans in his new surroundings, and could even prove to be the perfect signing for the development of second-choice full backs Motta and Paolo De Ceglie, as they will now have better quality competition to aspire to match. New boss Antonio Conte is an advocate of attacking football, with his wide players utilised to great effect in a 4-2-4 formation. The signing of Reto Ziegler gave fans a glimpse of their new direction, and Lichtsteiner's inclusion will only further emphasise this philosophy as both are renowned for their lung-bursting runs down the flanks, whilst proving to be a prolific source of assists. There may be a degree of malcontent from a minority, as Lichtsteiner's signature all but ends the pursuit for Hoffenheim full-back Andreas Beck, who was the first choice of many supporters. However, this is the first time in years that a significant part of the budget has been spent on a wide defender, a sign of intent from the club's owners, Exor, and also of a better understanding from the management as to what is needed to improve the team. All in all, credit should be given to general director Giuseppe Marotta, not just if the stopper performs to his potential, but also for successfully negotiating a knock-down price of around

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