Socrates

Investigator into 'Calciopoli' claims that there were no 'truly' fixed games An anonymous source has argued during an interview with an Italian daily that many of the claims made by those convicted of trying to influence matches were pure bravado. Dec 23, 2011 One of the men involved in the investigation into Calciopoli has claimed that many of those found guilty of attempting to influence referees and fix matches were harshly treated. During an interview with Corriere dello Sport, the anonymous source also argues that there were no clearly arranged games. When asked how many of those convicted of sporting fraud were either harshly or unjustly punished, the investigator replied: "I tell you the truth, most of them …. if you go to actually see the games, really rigged games where the referee was truly involved, there aren’t any.” The source argued that many of the claims of having ‘bought’ the referee or ‘fixed’ a game were pure "bravado" on the part of those involved. The scandal, which centred on teams trying to influence the outcome of matches by selecting favourable referees, came to light as a consequence of investigations by Naples prosecutors into the Italian football agency GEA World. The subsequent enquiry eventually led to Juventus being demoted to Serie B and Fiorentina, Milan and Lazio being docked points. Earlier this year, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) investigator Stefano Palazzi claimed that Inter, who had never previously been implicated in the scandal, which saw Juventus stripped of two titles, had also been guilty of sporting fraud. However, the source who spoke to the Corriere dello Sport was unable to shed any light on the San Siro side's alleged involvement. When asked if he knew of wire tap recordings which featured Inter officials, he replied: “That they existed, yes, but personally I haven't heard them. I was doing other things..." When pressed on whether he had heard conversations involving former referee designator Paolo Bergamo and Inter owner Massimo Moratti or former chairman Giacinto Facchetti, he answered: “It's not like you always tap the same ones. And if you don't happen to be there, there's someone else who's listening.” Last week, some of the most powerful figures involved in Italian football met with the hope of bringing an end to the controversy, which has been hanging over Serie A since 2006. The 'peace talks' were headed by Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) chief Gianni Petrucci, who was joined by AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, Fiorentina patron Diego Della Valle, Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis, Inter's Massimo Moratti and FIGC chief Giancarlo Abete. However, after four hours of debate, no significant agreement was reached over the major bones of contention.

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Barzagli hails Juve mentality Dec 22, 2011 Andrea Barzagli has noted this current Juventus side under Antonio Conte is a “real team” after the top of the table draw against Udinese. The 0-0 result at the Stadio Friuli means Juventus, still unbeaten, was pipped to the crown of winter champions by Milan only on goal difference. Barzagli told the club’s official website a point each was fair: “We wanted to show a good performance, but this game was based on tactics and both sides blocked each other. Perhaps we’ve better managed the ball, but finally the draw is fair.” Conte mirrored Udinese with a 3-5-2 system, the second time he has utilised three at the back this season. “We’ve already played with three defenders, it’s not something new. We knew that Udinese were able to be lethal with their counterattacks but we watched out for them without risks. In the first half, we also had a couple of interesting chances forward, while in the second half we had some more difficulties, but the result and the point achieved in Udine are absolutely fair.” Juve will resume in January locked in a four-way battle at the top and Barzagli believes the mentality of this side will help them fight until the end. “We must keep it going in the new year as well, because we’re doing extraordinary things, we’re deserving the leadership of the table, and we don’t want to give in. Since the pre-season camp, we’ve become a real team. A strong, tough side which always battles without losing nor giving up, even in the most difficult games.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Juventus stay unbeaten in Serie A after Udinese stalemate Dec 22, 2011 Juventus will go into Italian football's winter break level on points with leaders AC Milan after being held 0-0 by third-placed Udinese on Wednesday. Antonio Conte's team extended their unbeaten run to 16 Serie A matches to keep pace with the defending champions, who beat Cagliari 2-0 on Tuesday. Claudio Marchisio came closest to scoring in the eighth minute when he scraped the post with a low shot, while the home side rarely tested Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon and had coach Francesco Guidolin sent to the stands late in the match. "If someone had told me in July that we would finish the year without losing I would have thought he was mad," Conte told reporters. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Giorgio Chiellini: We showed our strength to earn draw against Udinese The Italy international was satisfied with the team's performance which earned them a point in Wednesday's encounter, and was equally happy to be top of the table again. Dec 22, 2011 Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has expressed his satisfaction with the scoreless Serie A draw away against Udinese on Wednesday, and feels the Bianconeri showed their strength to get a positive result. Neither of the two sides managed to create any clear-cut chances at the Stadio Friuli as both defences put in a strong performance, and Chiellini was pleased to leave Udine with one point in the bag. "We came here to win and we tried to do so. We didn't manage it, as we often lacked the final touch, but we’re still satisfied," Chiellini was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "It’s been another display of strength, I believe that few teams will come here [at Udinese] and play a game like this. "It gives us pleasure to end 2011 at the top of the table, even if we would have preferred to be up there on our own. AC Milan remain favourites, but there are many sides in the running." Juventus sit joint top in the Serie A table with Milan on 34 points from 16 games. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Unable to find a team-mate from five yards, Alessandro Matri sums up the inconsistency which has seen Juventus relinquish top spot The striker was at one time a real feature of the Bianconeri's unbeaten run, but has recently fallen well below the level he was at two months ago. Dec 22, 2011 It’s largely due to an anomaly in the small print of Serie A’s terms and conditions, but Juventus end 2011 behind champions AC Milan following their goalless draw with Udinese on Wednesday. The perennial pacesetters are second in the table heading into Christmas thanks to an inconsistency summed up by the form of Alessandro Matri. The former Cagliari striker’s ability to keep making chances was much of the reason Juve kept up their unbeaten run a couple of months ago. A brace in a draw with Genoa, the winner against Fiorentina, an assist in the victory at Inter and the goal that broke the back of Palermo were all examples of Matri’s importance to the Bianconeri cause. With Mirko Vucinic having failed to be anywhere near as convincing in front of goal, Matri’s extended run in the lone central role was one of the features of the club’s drive back to the top of the league after a collection of early draws had threatened to derail their title push. But now the draws are back, and three games without a win away from home have contributed to them ending the year in second spot rather than in the lead role. Quite how the Lega Serie A can justify promoting Milan to first is a strange one, given that identical results for the two sides between now and the season’s end would result in a Juve title on their head-to-head record, but that’s all semantics. A victory at the Friuli last night would have left no question over the Turin side’s right to call themselves the capolista, but their failure to make the most of possession once again tripped them up. Matri was particularly poor, with his second-half display doing more for Fabio Quagliarella’s push for first-team football than the ex-Napoli man could ever have achieved himself. Whereas two months ago Matri was typically scoring one in every four or five chances, he now looks a shell of that player. There were so many chances for him to play simple balls to supporting team-mates last night as Juve broke with conviction, but on far too few occasions did he make the right decision. With four efforts from Claudio Marchisio also missing the target to sum up a below-par display from the midfielder, the Bianconeri were left frustrated. It epitomised a dire game which fell short of the hope and expectation provided by the two sides’ positions in the league table. But for Matri it will be a long winter break as he is forced to wait for the chance to make up for his abysmal evening’s work. Quagliarella, fresh off a goalscoring start at the weekend, suddenly has a brighter outlook for 2012 than he would have expected, and Vucinic can’t come back quick enough if Juve are to keep the pace up at the top. Marchisio’s run in front of goal has defied expectation, with his career record of 10 strikes before this season’s half-dozen suggesting that his prolific run cannot be relied upon longer term. This means that goals must keep coming from forward positions too, and Antonio Conte must take into serious consideration whether Matri is the right man to make that happen. ELSEWHERE… •Inter battered Lecce into submission at San Siro last night, but their 4-1 victory could easily have been doubled as Giampaolo Pazzini, Diego Forlan, Diego Milito, Thiago Motta and Walter Samuel were among those who missed great chances to add to the scoresheet. However, the very fact that Luis Muriel scored on the counter and Daniele Corvia and David Di Michele missed three superb opportunities between them in the second half shows that there’s still a great deal of work to do for Claudio Ranieri and his side. Better teams would have punished them last night, and Inter still have to travel to Juventus, Roma, Lazio, Udinese and Napoli, as well as contesting two Milan derbies. The recovery is far from complete just yet. •Napoli ended a sensational 2011 in the most fitting way possible as they hammered Genoa 6-1 at the San Paolo. The result was never in doubt once Edinson Cavani and Marek Hamsik found the net early on, and their relentless persistence must be praised. In a league where many take their foot off the pedal upon gaining a big half-time lead, the Partenopei kept going to record the biggest Serie A win since Udinese’s 7-0 away success against Palermo in February. Now for 2012, with its dual target of third place and that massive Chelsea tie to come. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Chiellini hails Juve strength Dec 22, 2011 Juventus didn’t win at Udinese on Wednesday but they still proved a point, says defender Giorgio Chiellini. The Stadio Friuli encounter ended 0-0 giving the Old Lady the point they needed to join Milan at the top of the table. “We came here to win and we tried to do so,” the stopper, who was used in a three-man defence, noted. “We weren’t able to manage it and we often lacked the final ball, but we’re still satisfied with the performance. “It has been another display of strength. I believe that few teams will come here and play a game like this.” Udinese had a 100 per cent home record before last night’s encounter, while Juve are still unbeaten this term. “It gives us pleasure to end 2011 at the top of the table, even if we would have preferred to be up there on our own,” the former Fiorentina man continued. “Milan remain favourites, but there are many sides in the running.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Buffon outlines Juve target Dec 21, 2011 Juventus goalkeeper Gigi Buffon has revealed his club’s objective for 2012. “We want to qualify for the Champions League.” The Old Lady will finish 2011 joint top of Serie A with Milan after a 0-0 draw at Udinese on Wednesday, a result which underlined their status as title contenders. Buffon, however, isn’t getting carried away with talk of a possible Scudetto in May. “The aim for 2012 is to qualify for the Champions League,” the Italian international noted. “That is the priority for all of us at this club.” Juve began the campaign as an unknown quantity after some tough years and the arrival of another new Coach in the form of Antonio Conte. Now, four months after the season started, the Old Lady are the only unbeaten side in the big European Leagues. “That fact is a source of pride,” Gigi continued. “Nobody would have thought we would be top at Christmas after finishing seventh for the last two campaigns. “The draw with Udinese? It was an intense match, one heavily based on tactics, and I think that football experts would have appreciated it. “There were a few scoring opportunities for both teams, but the draw was pretty much the right result.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Guidolin: 'Schedule disrespectful' Dec 21, 2011 Francesco Guidolin has again blamed the “disrespectful” fixture list for Udinese’s tired performance against Juventus. This was the Friulani’s third game in five days between Serie A and the Europa League, all of them key clashes with Celtic, Lazio and the Bianconeri. “Juventus adapted to our tactical system in a bid to win the game,” he said of the 0-0 draw. “We played our third game in five days. If this is humane then I’ll be gone soon. This is a lack of respect for football, the sport and the fans. We played three Cup Finals in five days and 21 hours.” The tension got to Guidolin, who was sent off for dissent in the final minutes. “I got angry with the Juve players who didn’t put the ball out of play when we had someone down injured. I am not using a fake fair play. “In my view it was a balanced encounter and I compliment my squad. I’m satisfied with this point.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000 Conte content with Juve point Dec 21, 2011 Antonio Conte insists Juventus should be content with their point at the Stadio Friuli. “These are the two best defences in Serie A.” It was a top of the table tussle and Udinese’s 100 per cent record on home turf was ended by the 0-0 result. “These are the two best defences in Serie A and my team proved its solidity in every respect,” said the Coach. “It’s not everyone who can come to Udine and take the initiative. Let us not forget that last season Udinese finished ahead of us in the standings. “Simone Pepe had a great game and I am satisfied with Alessandro Matri’s performance, in which his movement off the ball worked perfectly. “We studied Udinese carefully and they did the same with us. In football nowadays you have to be organised and prepared for every situation. You can’t give your opponents even half a chance and that is the secret of our success. “We never stopped looking for the victory here and proved we are a Team with a capital T.” http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000‎ Gianluigi Buffon: Our goal for 2012 is to get into the Champions League The 33-year-old was happy with the 0-0 draw against Udinese, and insisted that the team's primary objective is qualifying for Europe's elite tournament. Dec 21, 2011 Juventus's goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has conceded that the Old Lady's most important objective next year is qualifying for the Champions League. Antonio Conte's team, who have been leading the Serie A standings for most of the season, conceded the top spot to AC Milan on goal difference after a 0-0 draw with third-placed Udinese on Wednesday. Speaking after the clash with Francesco Guidolin's men, the 33-year-old stated that he was happy with the result, and dismissed talk of a Scudetto win in 2012. "It was a beautiful game, very tactical and in the end a draw was the right result," said the goalkeeper as quoted by Corriere dello Sport. "We kept the unbeaten run and it is a fact that makes us proud, no one thought we would be able to achieve this. Our goal for 2012? It is not the Scudetto, a place in the Champions League." Juventus return to action in Serie A on January 8 against Lecce. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000‎ Player Ratings Goal.com evaluates the performances of everyone involved at the Stadio Friuli, a turgid affair in which both sides struggled horribly to create any chances. Dec 21, 2011 Udinese Samir Handanoviç 7.0 - By far the busier of the two goalkeepers, although that wasn't saying much. Dealt competently with everything Juve threw at him, including Pepe's shot from distance and two close-range efforts from Chiellini. Decent game. Maurizio Domizzi 6.5 - Did not really put a foot wrong at the back as Udinese's three-man defence did a fine job frustrating Juve's forwards. Danilo 6.5 - Solid showing from Danilo, who also threatened at the other end midway through the second half with a header which Buffon tipped over. Damiano Ferronetti 6.5 - Had a couple of lapses in the first period but was, for the most part, pretty solid. Pablo Armero 5.5 - His presence on the left kept Lichtsteiner occupied, thus nullifying one of Juve's main attacking outlets, but he did not really cause any panic in the visitors' defence. Kwadwo Asamoah 6.5 - Industrious as ever, Asamoah got plenty of work done in the middle of the park, breaking up a number of Juve attacks. Giampiero Pinzi 5.5 - Showed some neat touches at times and a willingness to make things happen but struggled really to impose himself on proceedings. Mauricio Isla 6.0 - Had arguably Udinese's best (only?!) chance of the game when Chiellini's botched header put him in on goal but he failed to lob the ball over the advancing Buffon. Quiet overall. Dušan Basta 5.5 - Worked hard throughout but failed to contribute much in an attacking sense. Antonio Di Natale 5.5 - Horribly starved of quality ball, he was forced to make do with scraps throughout. Hit the side netting with a volley from a desperately acute angle in the first half before calling Buffon into action with a couple of tame efforts from distance in the second half. Frustrating night for the veteran forward. Almen Abdi 5.0 - Did not really get into the game at all and yet lasted until four minutes from the end before being replaced by Floro Flores. • Substitutions Antonio Floro Flores 5.0 - Only got four minutes at the end of the game so was unable to do anything of note. Juventus Gianluigi Buffon 6.5 - Did not have much to do, in truth, but he read the danger superbly well when Chiellini's poor headed clearance put in Isla and blocked away the Chilean's lobbed effort. Was also on hand to tip over Danilo's second-half header. Giorgio Chiellini 6.0 - Very nearly gifted Udinese the lead with a woeful header early on which left Isla one on one with Buffon and was, overall, nowhere as reliable as usual. However, he was a constant danger at set-pieces and drew two fine saves out of Handanovic either side of the interval. Leonardo Bonucci 6.0 - Like his central defensive partner, Bonucci had a fairly solid game and nullified the threat posed by Di Natale. Andrea Barzagli 6.5 - Hassled into the concession of a corner by Abdi ten minutes in but was rarely ruffled thereafter. Pretty comfortable evening at the heard of the Juve defence. Marcelo Alejandro Estigarribia 5.0 - Created a fine opening for Marchisio with a clever cutback but he did nothing to justify his inclusion in the starting line-up. An opportunity wasted. Andrea Pirlo 5.5 - Plenty of probing and neat touches on the ball but the veteran midfielder did not exhibit the same control over the game as he normally does. Still caused trouble with the odd set-piece delivery but not his best game for Juve. Arturo Vidal Pardo 5.0 - Started promisingly enough but his passing was poor at times and he was also caught in possession a few times. Claudio Marchisio 5.0 - Nearly all of Juve's best openings fell to Marco Tardelli's alleged heir. But his shooting was unusually inaccurate. In fairness, his first strike, a curling effort from the edge of the box, did appear to have Handanovic beaten but the ball went just wide. Overall, though, he was poor and was particularly wasteful in possession. Stephan Lichtsteiner 5.5 - Didn't have too many problems defensively but did not offer the same attacking threat down the right-hand side. Had one half-chance during the second half but snatched at it and fired high and wide. Simone Pepe 5.0 - Looked lively in the early exchanges, stinging the hands of Handanovic with a well-struck effort from distance but his influence waned as the game wore on and he was replaced with ten minutes to go. Alessandro Matri 4.5 - A shocking display from Matri, whose form of late has not been good at all. Repeatedly gave the ball away and nothing he tried came off. At one point in the second half, he squandered possession three times in a minute. Staggering that he lasted 71 minutes. • Substitutions Paolo De Ceglie 5.0 - Thrown on injury time for Estigarribia so barely got a look-in. Fabio Quagliarella 6.0 - Did more in 19 minutes than Matri did in the preceding 71, firing wide with his first touch before then volleying straight at Handanovic. Alessandro Del Piero 5.0 - Got ten minutes at the end after being thrown on for Pepe but struggled to make his presence felt. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) - Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000‎ Juve lose grip on top spot Dec 21, 2011 Juventus missed the chance to return to the summit of Serie A after being held to a goalless draw at title rivals Udinese. Juve lost their grip on top spot on Tuesday night when AC Milan overhauled them with a 2-0 win over Cagliari, and Wednesday night's stalemate means Antonio Conte's men are now level on 34 points with the Rossoneri but behind them on goal difference. The draw keeps Udinese in third place, just two points behind the leading duo. Both sides had chances to win tonight's encounter at Stadio Friuli and goalkeepers Samir Handanovic and Gianluigi Buffon had to work hard for their clean sheets. Juventus saw Claudio Marchisio pepper the Udinese goal with two sighters inside the first eight minutes, while Simone Pepe threatened for the visitors after 10 minutes but Handanovic made a routine save. Two minutes later it was Buffon's turn to warm his hands, saving well from Mauricio Isla's effort from the right side of the area. Marchisio fired wide on 35 minutes as Juventus continued to press, while moments later Handanovic got down well to stop Arturo Vidal's 25-yard drive. The home goalkeeper also had to be on his toes five minutes before the break, gathering well from Andrea Pirlo's angled drive. Udinese looked sharper after the break and Buffon was the busier of the two keepers, with Kwadwo Asamoah and Antonio Di Natale both seeing efforts saved in the second period. But the best save of the half belonged to Handanovic, who kept out Fabio Quagliarella's low 83rd-minute shot with a full-stretch save. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000‎ Friuli stalemate puts Juve top Dec 21, 2011 Both Udinese and Juventus had chances, but the finishing left a lot to be desired in their 0-0 draw, so Juve end 2011 as joint leaders with Milan. Arturo Vidal and Leonardo Bonucci returned from their bans, though Mirko Vucinic was still injured. The Friulani missed Andrea Coda, Paulo Vitor Barreto, Emmanuel Badu and the suspended Mehdi Benatia, so Damiano Ferronetti stepped into the back three. Antonio Conte changed to an adaptable 3-5-2 with Stephan Lichtsteiner going into right-back when needed. Claudio Marchisio had a great chance in the opening minutes, his scuffed shot with the outside of the right boot scraping a coat of paint off the far post. Ex-Udinese player Simone Pepe’s strike from distance stung Samir Handanovic’s palms, while Gigi Buffon had to rush off his line to charge down Mauricio Isla following a Giorgio Chiellini error. Antonio Di Natale was incorrectly flagged offside and Stephan Lichtsteiner’s effort was deflected over. When two Udinese defenders collided at the back post, it was still enough to stop Marcelo Estigarribia nodding in a sweeping Pepe cross. Alessandro Matri’s first touch let him down when one-on-one with Dusan Basta, then seconds later Isla blasted over. Marchisio had another fantastic chance, as his toe-poke from the D flashed wide of the upright with Handanovic left stranded. Handanovic just about beat away an Andrea Pirlo free kick from a tight angle. Di Natale ruined a good opportunity for teammate Basta when going on to the pass despite being offside, as he should’ve left it. After the restart, Pirlo floated in a set play for Chiellini’s header, which Handanovic did well to pluck off the line. Pepe also drilled wide, but at the other end Buffon had to fingertip Danilo’s header over the bar from a Di Natale free kick. Marchisio blasted over from the edge of the area and Buffon smothered an Asamoah angled drive. Matri made numerous mistakes to waste good chances, so was replaced by ex-Udinese striker Fabio Quagliarella, who with his first touch fired wide of the near post. Buffon smothered a Di Natale free kick and Handanovic was almost propelled backwards by the ferocity of a Quagliarella screamer. Alessandro Del Piero picked out Stephan Lichtsteiner to blast over at the back post. In the final minutes, Udinese went on a strong counter-attack that Di Natale drilled wide, but this result ended their run of seven consecutive Serie A home wins. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Udinese: Handanovic; Ferronetti, Danilo, Domizzi; Basta, Isla, Pinzi, Asamoah, Armero; Abdi (Floro Flores 85); Di Natale Juventus:Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal, Estigarribia (De Ceglie 90); Pepe (Del Piero 80), Matri (Quagliarella 71) Ref:Tagliavento Sent off: Guidolin (Udinese Coach 92) http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Serie A Week 1 - 21-12-2011 (6:00 p.m.) 0 - 0 Friuli Stadium - Udine Referee: Paolo Tagliavento Attendance: 16000‎ Points shared at the Friuli as Antonio Conte's men enter Christmas break unbeaten in Serie A Claudio Marchisio went close for the visitors during the first half but, for the most part, both sides struggled horribly to create chances during a terribly anti-climactic clash. Dec 21, 2011 Juventus reclaimed top spot in Serie A courtesy of a dour 0-0 draw with Udinese at the Stadio Friuli on Wednesday evening. Claudio Marchisio threatened a couple of times for the Bianconeri but they were, for the most part, frustrated by a Udinese side who only threatened sporadically on the counterattack during the second half of what was a desperately disappointing game. Juventus started promisingly enough, with midfielder Marchisio slicing wide from the edge of the box after a clever cutback from Marcelo Estigarribia, before Simone Pepe called Samir Handanovic into action for the first time on 10 minutes with a well-struck effort from 25 yards out which the goalkeeper could only parry away. Udinese’s only real opening came from a mistake by Giorgio Chiellini, the defender botching an attempted headed clearance which put Mauricio Isla in on goal. However, Gianluigi Buffon was alive to the danger and made himself big to block Isla’s attempted lob. However, the odd defensive lapse aside, Juve were relatively comfortable throughout and they came desperately close to taking the lead on two occasions shortly before the interval, Marchisio curling just wide from the edge of the area before Chiellini drew a fine reaction save out of Handanovic with his clever flick from Andrea Pirlo’s free kick. The visitors continued to look the slightly more likely to break the deadlock in the second half, with Handanovic doing well to get down low to keep out another effort from Chiellini six minutes after the restart. However, in truth, with Alessandro Matri looking desperately out of sorts up front, Juventus never really looked like scoring. Matri eventually made way for Fabio Quagliarella midway through the second period and the former Udinese forward did inject some life into the game but when he was presented with a decent chance to win the game for Juve with seven minutes to go, the forward shot straight at Handanovic on the half-turn. As it was, Juve were forced to settle for a point which, while disappointing, did at least see them climb back above AC Milan and into top spot on account of their superior head-to-head record. Udinese, meanwhile, remain third, three points adrift of the co-leaders. http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

Rosso per Guidolin

Di Natale spreca il contropiede.

Lo 0-0 in casa dell'Udinese mi sta benissimo.

Handanovic ferma Quagliarella.

Forza Alex!

Entra Alex

É il momento di Alex Del Piero.

Matri una cosa buona e una sbagliata.

Partita bloccata tatticamente. Lo 0-0 va bene ad entrambe.

Matri non bene stasera.

Marchisio spara alto