Socrates

Serie A Week 3 - 18/9/11 (15:00) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Siena Siena aware of Pirlo danger Sep 15, 2011 Siena attacking midfielder Franco Brienza insists his side must keep Andrea Pirlo quiet if they hope to beat Juventus. The two teams meet in Tuscany on Sunday and Brienza, 32, fears the inspiration of the Italian international.

Serie A Week 3 - 18/9/11 (15:00) - Artemio Franchi Stadium - Siena

Juventus to learn 2006 Calciopoli Scudetto fate on December 13 The Turin club will learn whether they will regain the stripped trophy in three months time when their case is heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Sep 15, 2011 Juventus will find out whether their appeal to regain the 2006 Serie A title has been successful through CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) on December 13, according to Tuttosport. The Italian giants were stripped of their 2005 and 2006 titles due to the Calciopoli scandal which also saw the Turin side relegated to Serie B. In July, the club were told by the Italian FA that to revoke the decision to award Inter the Scudetto would be outside of their legal capabilities due to the Statute of Limitations, despite proof that the Milanese outfit were also guilty of speaking to referees and referee designators. However, Juventus president Andrea Agnelli has since appealed the decision to Uefa and CAS, with the former announcing there will be a decision made in the next three months. President of the board, Giuseppe Scandurra, will oversee the case along with his understudies Dario Buzzelli and Enrico De Giovanni, who will now examine the documentation before coming to their decision.

Serie A - 2^ Giornata-Andata - 11/9/2011 (ore 12:30) Juventus 4 - 1 Parma Juventus Arena - Torino Arbitro: D. Celi‎ Spettatori: 55.000‎ 17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner 58′ Simone Pepe 74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo 83′ Claudio Marchisio 92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P) Serie A - Juve a forza quattro, debutto da urlo! Prestazione clamorosa allo Juventus Stadium per i bianconeri, che umiliano il Parma con un 4-1: nel primo tempo apre Lichtsteiner, nella ripresa arrivano i gol di Pepe, Vidal e Marchisio. L'unica nota stonata

Colomba: Pirlo is Barca quality Sep 13, 2011 Andrea Pirlo is the only Italian player worthy of a place in the Barcelona side, says Parma boss Franco Colomba. Pirlo impressed on his Juventus debut on Sunday as he masterminded the Bianconeri

Pirlo is comparable to Gianni Rivera - Adelio Moro The ex-Brescia assistant feels his one-time protege has developed into a player of a similar ilk to the Italy legend, and expects him to be a major success at his new club. Sep 13, 2011 Former Brescia assistant Adelio Moro has claimed that Andrea Pirlo is the closest thing Italy have had to legendary ex-AC Milan midfielder Gianni Rivera. The 50-year-old is of the opinion that his former player is the natural heir to the former national team midfielder, and will also prove to be an astute piece of business by the Old Lady in his eyes. "His performance in the Juventus Parma game displayed even more of the attacking qualities he possesses, and even now when he has the ability to support an attack, he has talent I had only seen in Gianni Rivera [until now]," he told the radio show Radio Sport. "He told me he slept last season, and I hope this move to Turin will allow him to extend his career. However, what is certain is that he is the right man at the right time for Juventus." The coach was Mircea Lucescu's right-hand man at Brescia between 1991 and 1995, and he proceeded to tell the radio show about his promising experiences with the 32-year-old and when he took the role of caretaker after the Romanian's departure. "We all expected it [Pirlo's breakthrough], I was [Mircea] Lucescu's deputy at Brescia, but then he was sacked and I coached him for the next seven days," he said. "I gave him a start against Reggiana, where he impressed me with his personality and had exceptional vision as well as a unique technique." According to Moro, Pirlo's big break came under the stewardship of Carlo Mazzone, who brought him back on loan at Brescia, and it was there where he truly began to flourish, after being handed a deeper, more mature role. "His career changed when Inter loaned him back to Brescia, and it was here where a great master like [Carlo] Mazzone was there to guide him," he continued. "It was he who first moved Pirlo into central midfield and allowed him to express his truest footballing qualities. He used to play just behind the strikers and probably could not express himself fully." Rivera is considered one of the game's most gifted deep-lying playmakers to have graced a football pitch, having appeared in four World Cups and given 19 years of outstanding service to the Serie A champions between 1960 and 1979.

Pirlo capture is the deal of the century - Gianluigi Buffon The legendary goalkeeper believes that the summer acquisition is of the highest quality and thanks Milan for letting their trash become the Turin club's treasure. Sep 12, 2011 Juventus stormed out of the Serie A starting blocks with an emphatic 4-1 win over Parma in a game where Italy international Andrea Pirlo put in a sensational performance. The midfield maestro has been singled out for praise by club stalwart Gianluigi Buffon, who believes his side has benefited immensely from the discarded AC Milan player. In an interview with Radio Monte Carlo, the veteran goalkeeper expressed his joy at the 32-year-old's arrival. "When Andrea told me that he would come to Juve, the first thing that I said was 'Thank God!' "I think that a player of his level and merit, who came for nearly nothing, has been the deal of the century," argued Buffon. "And yesterday when I saw him play I thought to myself, 'God exists because his football cleverness is truly embarrassing.' "This summer when I saw [Milan CEO Adriano] Galliani I thanked him and said, 'Thank you because you truly tried to make the league more balanced,'" cheekily stated Italy's number one.

Antonio Conte is the right man for Juventus - Luciano Moggi The former general-manager believes that the Turin side's new coach can be successful due to his intricate knowledge of the club from his time there as a player. Sep 12, 2011 Luciano Moggi believes Juventus have appointed the right man in new head coach Antonio Conte. The former general-manager maintains that Conte's understanding of the internal workings of the club from his time there as a player will help his players achieve success. "One can already see Conte's hand at work; he is the right man with whom to restart," Moggi said, speaking in the programme Yesterday, Moggi, and tomorrow. "If Juve follow him and if he succeeds in transmitting his Juventus DNA to his players, then the club can obtain even more at the end of the season." And he also aimed special praise at the side for their victory against Parma on Sunday, while singling out Andrea Pirlo for his individual display. "In the new stadium, Juventus won against Parma 4-1 in a match in which they were never in difficulty, illustrating already that it has a better midfield than last season mostly thanks to [Andrea] Pirlo's graft," he added. "As of today I think Juventus should be fighting with Lazio for fourth place by the end of the season, thus bettering the position the side achieved last year."

Serie A Team of the Week: Round 1 - Miccoli stuns Inter & Pirlo inspires Juventus in opening round With the players finally getting back on the pitch, Goal.com picks the best of the best from Italy's top flight from the weekend action. Sep 12, 2011 GOALKEEPER Cagliari shot-stopper Michael Agazzi should take plenty of the credit for his side's shock win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, as he made a number of vital interceptions in the second half. The pick of the bunch being was when he acrobatically denied Marco Borriello's close range flick from finding the back of the net. DEFENDERS While there were plenty of goals in Serie A's first round of matches, 35 in total, there were also some noteworthy defensive performances. Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner pushed down the right with intensity, also scoring a fine goal by rounding the Parma goalkeeper. Danilo had Lecce's strikers in his pocket all afternoon, and Hugo Campagnaro overcame a difficult summer that saw him involved in a car crash by helping Napoli to a 3-1 win over Cesena with a goal and assist. Meanwhile, Manuel Pasqual was a terror down the left, supplying a superb cross for team-mate Alberto Gilardino to head home against Bologna. MIDFIELDERS This midfield trio have plenty of experience and savvy between them. Veteran Stefano Mauri showcased his playmaking ability by setting up strikes for both Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse. Atalanta's summer signing Maxi Moralez thrived in the trequartista role, bagging a brace against Genoa and revealing there is hope for the Bergamo-based side despite their points deduction. Andrea Pirlo proved he can be just as productive in Turin as in Milan, providing two sublime assists in his side's convincing triumph over Parma and Marek Hamsik had a superb Saturday evening, turning both provider and goalscorer, with his cracking volley ensuring the result at the Dino Manuzzi fell in favour of Walter Mazzarri's men. FORWARDS With the goals flowing in the peninsula, Antonio Cassano staked his claim for a place in the Milan starting XI by assisting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and scoring the equaliser, also nearly bagging a winner when he hit the post versus Lazio in the second half. Finally, Fabrizio Miccoli, who almost left Palermo this past summer, spectacularly fired the Sicilians to a win over Inter by scoring two incredible goals, including a textbook free-kick late in the match.

Roma & Inter aren't effective units yet, Juventus look the real deal There were 35 goals and a whole host of talking points from the first weekend of action in the Italian league this season, with only two of the big five clubs earning three points. Sep 12, 2011 It was a long time in coming, with the extra two-week wait causing no end of frustrations to fans of the 20 clubs across Italy, but Serie A returned with a bang over the weekend. A fantastic 35 goals were scored, with some topsy-turvy encounters being seen in Milan, Palermo and Genoa, and Roma and Inter suffering defeats to start their new eras. Juventus led the way, closely followed by Napoli, Fiorentina and Udinese, as the top flight welcomed the countless new arrivals with some magnificent action. But what can be taken from the opening 10 games? We've picked out the five main points to consider after Week 2. REGARDLESS OF SHAPE, INTER NEED TO DEFEND BETTER No subject has brought about the use of quite so many numbers this summer as the discussion over Inter's expected formation changes in 2011-12. Gian Piero Gasperini's shift to a 3-4-3 via 3-5-1-1 and 3-4-1-2 as opposed to the 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-1-3 systems largely employed by the club over the last couple of seasons have had many people's heads spinning. But when it came down to it on Sunday night, it was plain bad defending that resulted in their 4-3 defeat to a Palermo side that have been experiencing something of a crisis over the past two months. While players can feel uncomfortable in certain formations or defensive systems, there can be no excusing some of the dreadful individual decisions made by experienced players at the Renzo Barbera. Lucio's lack of concentration led to Fabrizio Miccoli's first goal, while Julio Cesar left a good 70 per cent of his goal for the same player to aim at four minutes from the end, despite the No.10's famed talent from free-kick situations. And moments later, Mauricio Pinilla was given all the time in the world to line up his blockbuster winner, with the Brazilian keeper stood watching. So while the formation question may need to be revisited at some point, the more important task for Gasperini right now is give his players a kick up the backside. You can have three, four, five or 11 men at the back, but displays like the one in Sicily will only ever result in the concession of goals. A ROMA REVOLUTION WILL TAKE SOME TIME A new owner, new board, new coach and six new players. The result? Same old Roma. When they had the chance to mark the multiple additions to the club with a convincing performance and result in order to lift their fans, they went missing. And it became quickly apparent that Luis Enrique has a big job on his hands. Trying to get your side playing like Barcelona is admirable, but it can also be naive depending on your personnel. Instead of the Catalans' silky teamwork from back to front, the Giallorossi often looked like 11 individuals as they went down 2-1 to Cagliari, with the sharp passing often doing little except show up the less technical players at Luis Enrique's disposal. There were also some questionable tactical switches made, with the dreadful Bojan Krkic's exit leaving Roma with a transition-free forward line of Marco Borriello, Pablo Osvaldo and Francesco Totti. The one bright spot had to be the performance of Miralem Pjanic on his debut, who suggested with his display in the first half that he can make a difference in the Lupi midfield. Every game provides insights into areas to work on, but Luis Enrique will have a whole host of issues to address before his side travel to Inter next week. With a further defeat at San Siro, there could already be grave doubts about the Spaniard's ability to lead Roma in their attempted revolution. JUVENTUS' PRESSING GAME IS KEY TO THEIR IMPROVEMENT As new eras go, Juventus' has started pretty damned well. A convincing 4-1 victory over Parma to celebrate the first competitive game at Juventus Stadium gave a thrilling first chapter to the brand new story. The opposition provided a reminder of the bad old Juve; it was the Gialloblu's 4-1 win in Turin in January which started the slide to seventh place for a second successive season, while their 2-0 success over the Bianconeri in May put the nail in their European coffin. But this time around, Antonio Conte's men decided that the date with Parma was to represent something entirely different. With Conte bringing in not only the 4-2-4 formation, but also the highly effective pressing game which served him well at Siena, the Old Lady didn't give Franco Colomba's side a moment's let-up. Andrea Pirlo's passing from the base also offered Juve a new angle of attack whenever their width was negated, and it was his delightful pass for Stephan Lichtsteiner which started the rout. Unlike Roma, Juventus looked like a well-drilled, highly-motivated outfit, and with a capacity crowd behind them, it was the perfect way to christen their new surroundings. If they can make a fortress of this north-west pocket of Turin and take some of the momentum on the road with them, the Bianconeri could be ready to rock once more. NAPOLI WILL CONTINUE TO PALM OFF PROVINCIAL SIDES One area where Juventus failed but Napoli succeded last term was in the ability to take the 'cheap points' offered up by clashes with the league's provincial outfits. And in their 3-1 win at Cesena on Saturday night, the Azzurri proved they still have that attribute in their locker. Their struggles against the sides around them at the top of the league may have stopped them winning the Serie A title, but they returned to the European Cup for the first time in 21 years thanks to their bullying of smaller opponents. And it was that approach which saw them collect their opening win in 2011-12, with Ezequiel Lavezzi again instrumental. Marek Hamsik's blockbuster rounded things off for a side now preparing for their trip to Manchester City this week, but while few hold out much hope of progression from Group A in the Champions League, or of a title challenge in Serie A, Walter Mazzarri's men have to be taken seriously as a top-three prospect once more this year. And it will be routine wins over the Cesenas of the world that will take them close again. MAXI MORALEZ COULD BE THE SIGNING OF THE SUMMER Perhaps the smallest signing this summer in terms of physical stature, Maxi Moralez made the biggest impact of the new imports on opening day, grabbing two goals for Atalanta in their 2-2 draw at Genoa. 'El Elano' burst on to the scene with a first-half brace which put the Nerazzurri ahead after having suffered the early blow of Miguel Veloso's opener, and continued to cause the home side trouble. Starting the season off six points back, Stefano Colantuono's men are going to need inspiration from somewhere in order to avoid the drop, but the Argentine has all the attributes to suggest he could make the difference. With ingenuity and creative spark on the ball, he also has an eye for spectacular goals and has a huge catalogue of skills in his locker. At just 5'3", he could find some of his physical limitations counting against him in some situations, but the early signs suggest that he could have more than a little say in Atalanta's attempt to defy the doubters and remain in Serie A.

It was very important for Juventus to start with a win - Andrea Pirlo The experienced midfielder has stressed that it was crucial for the Turin giants to get off to a winning start in the 2011-12 campaign. Sep 12, 2011 Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has expressed his delight with his side's good start to the season, after they recorded a 4-1 home win over Parma on Saturday. The former AC Milan man impressed on his official debut for the Turin side as he provided two assists. And the veteran playmaker has underlined the importance of making a good start at a new club. "Of course it was important to start well and play a game like that in front of our fans," Pirlo was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "It

Leonardo Bonucci sees bright future for Juventus The centre-back believes the club are on the right track but must continue their hard work to succeed. Sep 12, 2011 Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci is pleased with the way the club have begun the new Serie A campaign. The Turin outfit ran rampant and wild in the 4-1 victory against Parma and Bonucci believes the club have a bright future ahead of them. "Sunday's victory, the first in our new stadium, represents the beginning of the campaign that we were hoping for," the 24-year-old told Tuttosport. "The three points were obtained with a performance of the highest level which makes me optimistic for the future. "It's true that we are only at the beginning and the road is very long, but we know that we start on the right foot with tranquillity, serenity, inspiration, and much energy. "These elements will cause results only with hard work and lots of training during the week," concluded the defender.

Diamonds and Pirlo

Serie A: Team of the Week Sep 12, 2011 Albano Benjamin Bizzarri [Lazio] A fabulous debut for the Argentine as he superbly denied Milan a comeback win. Foiling Aquilani, he also blocked Cassano several times before bravely saving at the feet of Ibra then pushing a Boateng stinger round the post. Commanding. Stephan Lichtsteiner [Juventus] Never stopped running and menaced every time he ran at the visitors

Buffon hails Pirlo swoop Sep 12, 2011 Gigi Buffon has revealed that he thanked Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani for allowing Andrea Pirlo to join Juventus. The midfielder left the Rossoneri in favour of a switch to Juve after his San Siro contract came to an end. The Bianconeri are already benefiting from his arrival after he set up two goals in the club