Juventus News

[Socrates 7962]

 

1 Thing 5 Juventus Players Must Improve This Summer

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2496394-1-thing-5-juventus-players-must-improve-this-summer?

Jun 19, 2015
 
There is little doubt Juventus exceeded all expectations in 2014/15, enjoying a season that will live long in the memory. Recording their fourth consecutive Serie A title, their first Coppa Italia win in two decades and reaching the Champions League final, the Bianconeri can reflect on a remarkable campaign.

Yet there is little chance of the club growing complacent, having already announced the arrival of some major names this summer. The likes of German midfielder Sami Khedira and Paulo Dybala of Palermo—who weighed in with 13 goals and 10 assists in Serie A last term—have already increased competition for places in Massimiliano Allegri’s starting XI.

That means that the current squad will need to improve individually and collectively, with the following pages offering a look at where five members of the existing squad can get better. It points out some flaws they can work to eradicate over the summer months, preparing themselves to better help the Old Lady in the coming season.


Roberto Pereyra: Finishing

Roberto Pereyra proved to be an excellent acquisition. The former Udinese midfielder enjoyed a stellar first year in Turin. His form earned him a place in the Argentina squad for the Copa America—as discussed in this previous column—but he could almost certainly do with improving in front of goal.

According to statistics from Squawka, the 24-year-old found the target with just 43 per cent of his shots in 2014/15, which leaves much to be desired. If he does, Pereyra could become even more valuable to both club and country, particularly given his advanced role in Allegri’s formation.


Angelo Ogbonna: Concentration

Possessing all the physical attributes and technical skills to succeed, Angelo Ogbonna was one of very few Juventus players to suffer a disappointing season last time out.

The 27-year-old was often guilty of switching off during games, leading to high-profile errors he must eradicate from his game if he is to remain part of Italy’s most dominant side.


Fernando Llorente: Passing

Despite losing his starting berth to compatriot Alvaro Morata, Fernando Llorente remains a valuable weapon in Allegri’s squad. Providing variety and experience on the bench, his size and incredible first touch make him a superb target man, but he must work to improve the accuracy of his passing.

According to statistics from WhoScored.com, Llorente connected with just 70.2 per cent of his attempts, which was by far the worst among Juve’s forwards and negates his ability to bring the midfield behind him into play.

Figures from Squawka show that Carlos Tevez (85 per cent), Alessandro Matri (76 per cent), Morata (75 per cent) and even young Kingsley Coman (79 per cent) all fared better in this regard.


Andrea Pirlo: Corners

It seems strange to many that the set-piece delivery of Andrea Pirlo remains open to criticism, but regular watchers of Juventus will agree that his corners leave a lot to be desired. It is perhaps a little late in his career to expect that to improve, but given his usual deadly accuracy, he could certainly try.


Paul Pogba: Consistency

There is little doubt Paul Pogba is one of world football’s most naturally gifted players, quickly becoming one of the most complete midfielders in the game today. However, the 22-year-old is aware he could still continue to get better.

Following Juve’s 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona on the last day of the 2014/15 season, Allegri used his Sky Italia interview (h/t Football Italia) to warn the Frenchman to “stop showboating in midfield." The player responded admirably to that very public criticism.

“What the coach is saying is the truth,” Pogba told this author, via Sport360. “I have to keep that focus for 90 minutes."

[Socrates 7962]

 

Badajoz Accuse Juventus Of Copying Season Ticket Campaign

 

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2015/06/badajoz-accuse-juventus-of-copying-season-ticket-campaign/?

Jun 19, 2015
 
Juventus have been accused by Deportivo Badajoz of copying their season ticket advertising campaign.

The fourth division Spanish side launched their season ticket offensive on May 24, around two weeks before the Champions League finalists started their own.

In a tweet from Badajoz’s official account they said,” You’re on the right track when the vice-champions of Europe follow in your footsteps.

“Hi Juventus, don’t worry, everything will be ok with a match in Badajoz between the Bianconeri.”



C.D. Badajoz @CDBadajoz1905
Estás en el buen camino cuando el Subcampeón de Europa, @juventusfc, sigue tus pasos.

C.D. Badajoz @CDBadajoz1905
Ciao @juventusfc, non ti preocupare, tutto bene con una partita di calcio in Badajoz tra bianconeri. Saluti.

Juventus have yet to respond to the tweet.

[Socrates 7962]

 

How Juventus could line up
with Mandzukic in a 4-3-3 formation

The Bianconeri have agreed a deal to sign the Croatia star -
but how will they set up next season with the No.9?

 

http://www.goal.com/en-za/news/4682/transfer-zone/2015/06/23/12979112/-?

Jun 23, 2015
 
Following the news that Carlos Tevez had decided to end his two-year stay in Turin by declaring his desire to return to his beloved Boca Juniors, Juventus wasted no time in finding a replacement.

A deal has been struck to bring Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic to Vinovo, with Juventus set to pay a €15 million transfer fee and €3m of add-ons.

So how will Mandzukic slot into his new side?

A switch to a 4-3-3 formation from Massimiliano Allegri's favoured 4-3-1-2 system is now a real option, with the coach himself admitting as much last week.

This would allow Allegri to unleash another new signing in Argentine sensation Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata either side of Mandzukic in a fearsome three-man frontline. It would also ensure that the lack of a natural trequartista can be remedied.

The likes of Simone Zaza, who could return from Sassuolo, Kingsley Coman and Roberto Pereyra would serve as further attacking options, although the signing of another attacker or return of Domenico Berardi cannot be ruled out at this stage. Fernando Llorente is almost certain to depart along with Tevez.

Juventus' midfield is packed full of talent, with Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Sami Khedira, Simone Sturaro, Kwadwo Asamoah and the joker in Pereyra all jostling for three spots (or four when Allegri uses a 4-3-1-2).

It is thus likely that at least one current midfielder will leave, with Pirlo, who has an offer from New York City, and Vidal considered the most at risk.

Juventus' defence is unlikely to change much, although Martin Caceres will challenge and rotate with Stephan Lichtsteiner at right back.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Del Piero back in Juve circles

 

http://www.football-italia.net/68965/del-piero-back-juve-circles?

Jul 10, 2015
 
Alessandro Del Piero is again in amicable terms with Juventus President Andrea Agnelli, prompting rumours of a return.

The two giants on and off the pitch parted in a somewhat grating fashion in 2012 when the number 10 decided to leave for Australian club Sydney FC.

According to Leggo, however, the two may have made their peace as the former Bianconero star joined Agnelli at the Juventus base for a coffee.

The prospect of a future for Del Piero as a Juventus director, while not hinted at by any official source, is no longer as distant as it used to be.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus Sell Out Season Ticket Allocation

 

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2015/07/juventus-sell-out-season-ticket-allocation/?

Jul 14, 2015
 
Juventus have sold their full allocation of season tickets ahead of the new 2015/16 Serie A campaign.

The Bianconeri will compete with the backing of 28,000 season ticket holders during home fixtures at the Juventus Stadium in Turin next season following the sale of all remaining seats available on the first day of general sale.

The Lega Serie A has confirmed next season’s Serie A fixture list will be announced on July 28.

The complete schedule of Serie A 2015/16 fixtures will be presented at the Expo in Milan and will include newly promoted Bologna, Carpi and Frosinone, with the season set to get underway on the weekend of 22 and 23 August.

This season’s winter break will comprise of the weekends of December 27 and January 3 while the season will draw to a close on May 15.

Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus outfit will start the new season as favourites to claim a fifth straight Scudetto.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juve dominate UEFA player list

 

http://www.football-italia.net/69244/juve-dominate-uefa-player-list?

Jul 15, 2015
 
Juventus stars make up half the 10 nominees for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

The Bianconeri did the Double domestically and reached the Champions League Final, losing to Barcelona.

UEFA released the list of nominees for best player in European competition this season and Juve dominate the pack.

Gigi Buffon, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo are all up for the award.

They will challenge the Barcelona trio of Leo Messi, Andres Iniesta and Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.

The list was put together by a jury of journalists and players from 54 UEFA Federations.

The top three will be revealed on August 12 ahead of the trophy winner on August 28.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Former Juventus Striker Believes Serie A Will Be Tight

 

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2015/07/former-juventus-striker-believes-serie-a-will-be-tight/?

Jul 23, 2015

Former Juventus forward Vincenzo Iaquinta believes Juventus are title favourites for the upcoming season although their recent sales will make the Scudetto race tighter.

The 2014/15 Serie A champions have recently witnessed an exodus of stars, after key players Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez departed for a move abroad, whilst midfield maestro Arturo Vidal is on the brink of joining German champions Bayern Munich.

“Without [Carlos] Tevez they [Juventus] are definitely a lot weaker,” Iaquinta said in an interview with Tuttomercatoweb.com.

“He is a player with great character and can score goals at the highest level, therefore his departure will be a great loss.

“Juve have great new players in Paulo Dybala and Simone Zaza, but I think Tevez’s departure will make the league more balanced this year.”

Iaquinta then continued, discussing potential replacements for the outgoing stars, such as Schalke 04 midfielder Julian Draxler and he also recommended Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko to Italian sides.

“A player like Julian Draxler would be very useful to Juventus, but we’ll have to wait and see if he arrives,” Iaquinta continued.

“I would actually quite like to see [Edin] Dzeko in Italy.

“He has done very well in England with Manchester City so it would be nice to see him here in Serie A.”

[Socrates 7962]

 

Barcelona fined by Uefa for Catalan
flags in Champions League final

The European and Spanish champions have been charged €30,000 (£21,252)
for the presence of the flags during their 3-1 win over Juventus in June.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/champions-league/2015/07/23/13832582/-?

Jul 23, 2015
 
Barcelona have been fined by Uefa for their fans waving Catalan flags during their Champions League final win over Juventus.

A large section of the Barca support are heavily in favour of Catalunya becoming an independent nation, while the club confirmed ahead of last year's referendum that it too supports the movement.

While Catalan flags are ever present during the club's league games, they are not allowed by Uefa and the club have been landed with a €30,000 (£21,252) fine for fans waving them at the Olympiastadion on June 6.

Uefa found Barca to be in breach of Article 16 2 (e) of the disciplinary regulations, which forbids "the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious, offensive or provocative nature".

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund: Team News & Preview

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2530296-juventus-vs-borussia-dortmund-team-news-preview-live-stream-tv-info?

Jul 24, 2015

Borussia Dortmund will finally pick up the pace this weekend when they turn away from recreational friendly matches towards a more testing opponent in Italian champions Juventus.

In St Gallen, Switzerland, Thomas Tuchel will undoubtedly come up against his toughest test yet as the newly appointed Dortmund manager as he tries to work around the very team that knocked the Bundesliga side out of the Champions League just a few months ago.

Although this match may be labelled a friendly, both Tuchel and his namesake on the opposite bench, Massimiliano Allegri, will be expecting a full, thorough performance from their own players. Expect a very heated 90 minutes between two talented sides.


Date: Saturday, July 25

Time: 7 p.m. CET

Venue: AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland


Predicted Lineups

As far as Dortmund are concerned, we should see Tuchel stick to his pre-season plans and play the German side in something resembling a 4-3-3 formation.

That will most likely mean a standard back line of Erik Durm, Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer in front of either Roman Weidenfeller or Roman Burki in goals.

The midfield will most likely stat with Julian Weigl as the lone defensive midfielder, with Ilkay Gundogan and Gonzalo Castro in front, making up the midfield trio. In front of them should be Shinji Kagawa playing as a No.10 behind Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

With no notable injuries to record, Juventus will most likely kick off their pre-season with a standard 4-4-2 diamond formation, as we've seen from Allegri's team in the past.

Yet due to the nature of their summer schedule, it would be almost impossible to predict just who will be starting for the Italian side on Saturday afternoon. With both Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal now departed, there's a huge gap in midfield that needs filling.

We await to see just who will step in to that role, alongside new signing Sami Khedira, while the club continue to strengthen ahead of the new season.


Key Players

Ilkay Gundogan

For Dortmund much of this summer's preparations have been down to the transformation in the middle of the pitch and no player has truly turned things around quite like Gundogan.

The German international may have once been linked with a move to Saturday's opponents but for now he's got his head down and looks determined to give this season another go. Starting with Juventus on Saturday.


Paul Pogba

Standing in Gundogan's way will be none other than midfield maestro Paul Pogba, the French international that may well be the most sought-after player in Europe right about now.

The central midfielder has been an instrumental part of Juventus' side over the past few years and will certainly be one to watch for Tuchel and his side.

[Socrates 7962]

 

BORUSSIA DORTMUND V JUVENTUS –

FRIENDLY MATCH

Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://www.juvefc.com/borussia-dortmund-v-juventus-friendly-match/?

Jul 24, 2015

Preview

Juventus return to action with their first friendly match of the summer against Borussia Dortmund. Follow the action here!

Thank God ! Praise Jesus ! Hallelujah ! We can talk about something other than the transfer market ! Hurrah !

It’s been a trying month, especially given the way things started. At the beginning of July, it looked as though Juve had completed all their transfer dealings, bringing in Paulo Dybala and Sami Khedira with deals for Norbeto Neto and Simone Zaza also on the cards. Fast forward four weeks and the Bianconeri have lost Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo to Boca Juniors and NYCFC respectively, while Arturo Vidal is only days away from completing a move to German champions Bayern Munich.

Juve moved quickly to replace Tevez by bringing in Mario Mandzukic and it looks as though Sami Khedira or Claudio Marchisio will be taking the place of the departed Maestro. While Arturo Vidal is pretty much irreplaceable, Juve look to be addressing a different area of the midfield as Coach Max Allegri has reiterated his desire for a bona fide trequartista, Julian Draxler being the most likely target.

So what can we glean from all this ? Well first of all, we’ll be missing a whole lot of experience from the team next season. Tevez quite literally dragged the team to victory on more than occasion and Vidal, despite having a poor season by his standards, was the engine in midfield that kept things ticking over. As for Pirlo, well, he was Pirlo; Capable of turning a game on it’s head with a moment of utter brilliance, be it a pass, free kick or one of those goals from outside the area.

On a much more positive note, Juve have had one of their most productive and hopefully most positive transfer periods in some time. A lot of money was spent on up-and-coming striker Dybala to inject some ingenuity, pace and creativity in attack, and Zaza and Mandzukic look like the kind of strikers we all hoped Fernando Llorente would be.

Between the posts, we lost one of my favourite players in the shape of Marco Storari, but once again, we got another young star in Norberto Neto; A keeper who joins Juve following one of his best seasons to date at Fiorentina.

Add into this the arrival of young centre-back Daniele Rugani, (a Juventino since childhood), the return of Kwadwo Asamoah (who will most likely be playing in midfield next season) along with Juve refusing several offers for Kinglsey Coman. Add all that together and one thing becomes overwhelmingly apparent: The Juve squad has gotten younger. We’re not talking about a year or two. We’re talking about 8 players all born after 1990 set to play in key positions across the pitch.

In terms of formations and tactics, it’s difficult to say at this early stage. On paper, we’ve got a team that Allegri could easily field as a 4-3-3 with Pogba, Khedira and Marchisio in midfield and two of either Coman, Dybala or Morata playing wider while Mandzukic or Zaza would play as the target man.

On the flip side, Allegri could just as easily switch things to his more loved 4-3-1-2 with Roberto Pereyra, Coman or even Dybala dropping in behind Mandzukic/Zaza and Morata.

Exciting times, and i say that earnestly. After the successes of the last 4 seasons, it’s been disappointing to lose 3 key players in such a short period of time. Pirlo, Tevez and Vidal were never ‘squad’ players. They were truly one of a kind and utterly uinique, but if their hearts or heads were no longer in Turin, it was pointless to keep them. Beppe Marotta has never been one for that. Moving forward, we can look at this season as one of experiment, new ideas, formations and tactics. A new approach and a squad built completely around Allegri’s ideas for the future. While I understand the air of negativity and disappointment that lingers in the wake of player departures, I’ve followed the club long enough to see stars come and go and despite all that, Juventus always survive. They do better than survive. They flourish.


Probable lineup:

4-3-1-2: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pogba, Khedira, Marchisio; Dybala; Morata, Mandzukic

4-4-2: Weidenfeller; Durm, Ginter, Piszcek, Subotic; Castro, Weigl, Kagawa, Kampl; Reus, Hofman*

*I should point out that this was total guess work on my part. Looking at Dortmund’s last few friendlies, this may be how they lineup…


Juventus squad to face Borussia Dortmund:

Buffon, Chiellini, Caceres, Pogba, Zaza, Marchisio, Morata, Llorente, Barzagli, Mandzukic, Bonucci, Padoin, Dybala, Rugani, Neto, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Khedira, Evra, Rubinho, Audero, Clemenza, Parodi, Tello, Cerri, Vadala.

 

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus name Dortmund squad

 

http://www.football-italia.net/69661/juventus-name-dortmund-squad?

Jul 24, 2015

Juventus have named a 26-man squad for their first match of pre-season against Borussia Dortmund, with Arturo Vidal not included.

The Bianconeri will take on the German side in St Gallen on Saturday evening, as they prepare to defend their Serie A title.

Kwadwo Asamoah is not included in the travelling party, as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, but new signings including Paulo Dybala, Daniele Rugani and Sami Khedira could feature.

Arturo Vidal is also not included in the squad, with the Chilean on the verge of securing a move to Bayern Munich, while fellow South Americans Mauricio Isla and Roberto Pereyra are also not included as they recuperate from the Copa America.


Juventus squad to face Borussia Dortmund:

Buffon, Chiellini, Caceres, Pogba, Zaza, Marchisio, Morata, Llorente, Barzagli, Mandzukic, Bonucci, Padoin, Dybala, Rugani, Neto, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Khedira, Evra, Rubinho, Audero, Clemenza, Parodi, Tello, Cerri, Vadala.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund Preview: What to watch
for in Juve's first friendly of the season

 

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2015/7/25/9002337/juventus-borussia-dortmund-preview-what-to-watch-for-preseason-2015-friendly

Jul 25, 2015

Excuse me, but this deserves caps lock: WE HAVE A GAME TO TALK ABOUT SOON. AN ACTUAL GAME. THANK THE HIGH HEAVENS.

Now that I've got that out of my system, we can continue on with what will be the first match preview of the 2015-16 season. (Although since this is a friendly and doesn't count in the official standings, does this mean this is an official preview? You see, these are the things that truly matter. That hard-hitting pieces of information we desire here at BWRAO on a daily basis.)

There won't be a trip to the Westfalenstadion for this meeting with Borussia Dortmund. There won't be a former Juventus primavera striker taking slight jabs at his former team in the press over the course of the build-up. None of that. Juventus' first preseason friendly, which is being played at the AFG Arena in Switzerland, is nothing close to what was on the line the last time Juventus and Dortmund played against one another back in the Champions League round of 16.

Both teams are different. Dortmund will be rolling out a new head coach, Juventus will be rolling out a starting lineup that could very well feature a large portion of the summer signings brought in over the last six or eight weeks. This won't look like the Juventus squad that faced Dortmund back on March — to a certain extent.

This will be the first look Max Allegri has of his new-look team in a game situation. The almost-full squad has only been training together for about a week, with the vast majority of the Juventus 2015-16 roster arriving from their vast array of summer vacations last weekend. It's the first step on what we hope is a season that was just as special as the last one.

(And on the bright side, at least the middle of July has come and gone with Juventus having to replace their manager. So there's an improvement over last season right there.)

Let's just list three things Juventus should accomplish in Saturday's friendly against the Yellow Submarine.

Stay healthy.
Get your work in.
NOBODY GET HURT.

Sounds good, right? Yeah, I think so, too. Just go ahead an tell yourself "It's only a friendly and the result doesn't really matter. It's only a friendly and the result doesn't really matter. It's only a friendly and the result doesn't really matter..."


WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. What formation Allegri goes with.

Okay, so it's a friendly and the final result doesn't matter in comparison to the team performance and players getting back into true game shape, that's what we know is certain. But we've seen Juventus' group of stikers change so much since the last time they were on the field, it's impossible to not be curious about what the team is going to look like in the first friendly of the season. Remember that period of the season when it seemed like Juventus bounced between two or three formations? Yeah, well go do a Twitter search right now and you'll probably find about 100 different would-be managers as to what Allegri should go with when the games actually do count. The good thing about this time of year? Allegri can experiment a little bit, which should be fun for all of us — at least in theory.


2. Where Paulo Dybala is deployed.

Here's one thing completely connected to the thing we just talked about. I bring this whole thing because if you were to see any of the predicted lineups the Italian media created throughout the summer, a decent number of them had Paulo Dybala playing as a trequartista, not as a striker like he was during his pre-Juventus days. That could just be a whole load of crap, which is definitely possible when it comes to some of Italy's publications during transfer season. And if there's a signing of a certain Julian Draxler this summer, then there's your new No. 10 right there, not Dybala. But said No. 10 hasn't arrived in Turin yet and been shown his fancy new Juventus jersey, which means there's bullet point No. 1 that will determine what exactly Allegri has in stone for Juventus' €32 million man.


3. The new guys not named Paulo Dybala.

Roster turnover is natural. But to see over half of Juventus' strikers be new — and pretty damn good, too — isn't exactly something we've seen happen the last few summers. But Mario Mandzukic is here and wearing David Trezeguet's old number. Sami Khedira will almost certainly step into Arturo Vidal's spot in the midfield. And let us not forget the likes of Simone Zaza, Daniele Rugani (more on him in a bit) and Gigi Buffon's new understudy, Neto. You would like to think that all of the newbies will playing into Allegri's plans in some way or another before the 90 minutes are up against Dortmund. And when you think about somebody like Khedira who didn't play much at all last season, these preseason minutes are going to be huge for the future.


4. Daniele Rugani's playing time.

Excuse me while I geek out for a bit and re-watch Rugani's press conference from earlier in the week for the 10th time.

...

Now, we can think about Rugani making his Juventus debut at some point against Borussia Dortmund today. Rugani arrives with plenty of hope attached to his 20-year-old shoulders. And it's not like he's done a lot to really disprove the notion that he's one of the best prospects to wear a Juventus jersey in quite some time. Who really knows what Rugani's role will be in a group of center backs full of experience and class, but it's undoubtedly going to be fun to watch this kid develop around his fellow Italian internationals. It all starts Saturday against Dortmund, too.

My starting XI (4-3-2-1): Buffon; Cáceres, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba; Dybala, Morata; Mandzukic

[Socrates 7962]

 

Line-ups: Juve-Borussia Dortmund

 

http://www.football-italia.net/69700/line-ups-juve-borussia-dortmund?

Jul 25, 2015

Juventus unveil Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic in a friendly against Borussia Dortmund, but Sami Khedira is injured.

It kicks off at the AFG Arena in St Gallen at 19.00 CET.

These sides met last season in the Champions League quarter-finals, Juve dominating 5-1 on aggregate.

The Bianconeri are gearing up for the Italian Super Cup clash with Lazio next month, while the Bundesliga starts early.

Khedira is left out after a muscular problem, Fernando Llorente sprained his left ankle and Kwadwo Asamoah remains in Turin for personalised training.

Dybala starts in a new role for him, playing as a trequartista behind strikers Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata.

Borussia Dortmund danger men include Henrikh Mkhitaryan and ex-Milan forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.


Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Tello, Marchisio, Pogba; Dybala; Mandzukic, Morata

Juventus bench: Neto, Audero, Chiellini, Zaza, Padoin, Rugani, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Clemenza, Parodi, Cerri, Vadala


Borussia Dortmund: Bürki; Piszczek, Hummels, Sokratis, Schmelzer; Weigl, Gündogan; Kampl, Mkhitaryan, Reus; Aubameyang

Borussia bench: Weidenfeller, Subotic, Bender, Hofmann, Leitner, Großkreutz, Ramos, Kirch, Kagawa, Castro, Ginter, Durm, Dudziak, Stenzel

[Socrates 7962]

 

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Juventus:
Aubameyang & Reus star as BVB batter Bianconeri

The striker opened the scoring with a precise finish from the edge of the area
before the Germany international sealed a deserved win with a stunning solo strike.

Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://www.goal.com/en-za/match/borussia-dortmund-vs-juventus/2038873/report

Jul 25, 2015

Borussia Dortmund exacted some revenge for the Champions League exit to Juventus with a 2-0 friendly win over the Serie A champions in St. Gallen on Saturday.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring for the Bundesliga outfit just before half-time at the AFG Arena, before Marco Reus' superb solo goal secured the win.

The victory is Dortmund's fifth under Thomas Tuchel and sets them up nicely for their Europa League third-round qualifier with Wolfsberger on Thursday.

Juve – who included seven of their Champions League final side in their starting line-up – found themselves on the back foot from the outset as Kevin Kampl and Henrikh Mkhitaryan tested Gianluigi Buffon.

The Italy international was again on hand to deny Aubameyang 27 minutes in, but was unable to prevent the striker from breaking the deadlock just before half-time from Mkhitaryan's precise pass.

New signing Mario Mandzukic should have given Juve the lead prior to Dortmund's opener, but the Croatia striker headed over from fellow new boy Paulo Dybala's free-kick.

Changes aplenty at the break slowed the pace of the game down somewhat, but Reus sparked it back into life with a sublime run, the forward dancing through the Juve defence before slotting past substitute goalkeeper Neto - who was making his Bianconeri debut as a second-half substitute.

Despite late pressure a third goal failed to materialise as Juve - who lacked their normal intensity - kept Dortmund at bay in their first pre-season outing.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juve debutants lose to Dortmund

Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://www.football-italia.net/69710/juve-debutants-lose-dortmund?

Jul 25, 2015

Juventus gave Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza, Norberto Neto and Daniele Rugani debuts in a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

The Bianconeri unveiled new buys Dybala and Mandzukic from the start, but Sami Khedira and Fernando Llorente were ruled out by muscular and ankle problems respectively in the St Gallen friendly. The last time these sides met was in the Champions League quarter-final, when Juve won 5-1 on aggregate.

Gigi Buffon took under three minutes to make his first save of the season on a Henrikh Mkhitaryan angled drive, then used his legs to parry from Kevin Kampl.

Dybala’s inspired through ball found Alvaro Morata to drill over from a tight angle, while Mandzukic saw a goal ruled offside.

Buffon completed a hat-trick of saves after 27 minutes by fingertipping a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang header over from point-blank range. The veteran goalkeeper also beat away a Kampl counter-attack when Paul Pogba was dispossessed. Dybala curled a set play in for Mandzukic, but the free header was steered over the bar.

Borussia Dortmund eventually did beat Buffon, as Mkhitaryan laid it off to the edge of the box for a powerful low Aubameyang finish on the counter.

There was a clear difference in fitness levels, as it was Juve’s first friendly of the season and Dortmund’s seventh. Norberto Neto and Daniele Rugani made their debuts for the second half, but it was Giorgio Chiellini who nodded a corner just wide.

The ex-Fiorentina goalkeeper stuck out a foot to deny Jonas Hoffman on a rapid counter-attack, while former Sassuolo striker Simone Zaza also made his first appearance in a Bianconeri jersey.

Marco Reus doubled Dortmund’s lead with a wonderful solo effort, slaloming from midfield and nutmegging Leonardo Bonucci to fire past Neto.

Hoffman should’ve made it 3-0 moments later, but aimed straight at Neto. Gonzalo Castro’s audacious lob was off target.

Alberto Cerri came off the bench, though the ex-Parma striker is expected to go out on loan to Cagliari.

Former Boca Juniors striker Guido Vadalá also made his bow for the Bianconeri and Simone Padoin blasted over late on.

Neto kept the scoreline down with two saves in stoppages, palming a pair of Kirch efforts round the post.


Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Juventus

Scorers: Aubameyang 40 (B), Reus 64 (B)

Borussia Dortmund: Bürki (Weidenfeller 46); Piszczek (Ginter 46), Hummels, Sokratis (Stenzel 62), Schmelzer (Kirch 62); Weigl (Castro 46), Gündogan (Bender 46); Kampl (Hoffman 46), Mkhitaryan (Kagawa 46), Reus (Dudziak 66); Aubameyang (Leitner 66)

Juventus: Buffon (Neto 46); Caceres (Lichtsteiner 46), Barzagli (Rugani 46), Bonucci (Parodi 77), Evra (Chiellini 46); Tello (Sturaro 46), Marchisio (Cerri 69), Pogba (Vadalá 79); Dybala (Padoin 46); Mandzukic (Zaza 56), Morata (Clemenza 56)

[Socrates 7962]

 

Gigi Buffon's Greatness on Show in Juventus
Pre-Season Loss to Borussia Dortmund


Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2531216-gigi-buffons-greatness-on-show-in-juventus-pre-season-loss-to-borussia-dortmund?

Jul 25, 2015

Just 49 days after the full-time whistle in Berlin signalled the end of the Champions League final—and with it the 2014/15 season—Juventus returned to action against Borussia Dortmund as part of their preparations for the new campaign, with a 2-0 defeat the outcome for the Italian side.

The Bianconeri took on a German outfit coming to terms with the loss of Jurgen Klopp, who had led them for seven years but drew an end to his tenure after their struggles last term. Yet if the absence of the popular coach was jarring, no less so was the vastly different lineup fielded by Massimiliano Allegri.

As discussed in this previous column, it has been a tumultuous summer in Turin, with a number of key figures deciding to move on perhaps in the belief that last season cannot be bettered. Due to those exits—and a number of other factors—the Juve boss made no fewer than four changes to the XI that lost to Barcelona last month.

Martin Caceres returned from injury to take his place in defence, while new signings Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic formed an intriguing attacking trident alongside Alvaro Morata. Also making his first start was Colombian under-20 international Andres Tello, the 18-year-old who only arrived at the club back in January.

As expected, the game began slowly, the two teams clearly struggling for fitness given both sets of players only returned to training a few days earlier. Juventus supporters tuning in would have perhaps had concerns over the lack of creativity—a point discussed in depth here—after the exits of Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez.

Those fears would be quickly allayed, however, with the Old Lady's best chance of the first half coming via a free-kick on the left-hand side of the field. Dybala stepped up to take the set piece, curling a delightful ball into the box, and Mandzukic almost managed to net his maiden goal for the club with an excellent header.

While it was the two new boys linking neatly at one end of the field who caught the eye, it was a familiar face at the other end who kept the scoreline respectable. He was unable to prevent Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang slotting the opening goal of the game after some smart play from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but Gigi Buffon was superb in the first 45 minutes.

The game was just three minutes old when the goalkeeper was called upon for the first time, making a good stop on a powerful Mkhitaryan effort. He would make a second to deny Kevin Kampl before an Aubameyang header from point-blank range drew Buffon's very best.

The 37-year-old made a stunning stop to repel the fine attempt from the Gabon international, showing that while so much around him has changed, the Juventus captain remains one of the best in the business. Buffon would make another stop from Kampl after Paul Pogba lost the ball, but he would make way at half-time for Brazilian stopper Norberto Neto, who also joined the club this summer.

A raft of substitutions—including debuts for Juventus youth team players Luca Clemenza and Alberto Cerri—interrupted the flow of the game even more after the break.

Marco Reus would eventually double the advantage for Borussia Dortmund after a wonderful solo run, with only a smart double save from Neto denying Thomas Tuchel's men from going further in front.

Aside from knowing Buffon remains incredible between the posts, this new-look Juventus will take very little from Saturday's defeat, with Allegri—via the club's official Twitter account—saying "in spite of the result it was a good work out for us tonight."

Having lost last season's first friendly before going on to such huge success, there will be little panic in Turin over this result, particularly from their experienced coach and captain.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Juventus:
Germans Ease To Victory Over Bianconeri


Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2015/07/borussia-dortmund-2-0-juventus-germans-ease-to-victory-over-bianconeri/?

Jul 25, 2015

Juventus were defeated 2-0 by a strong Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

The Bianconeri were out played for most of the game as Dortmund assumed control from the off. Dortmund’s first goal came from a well-worked counter-attack slotted in by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which was followed by a sensational individual goal by the talented Marco Reus for the second.

The game began with both sides immediately going at each other’s throats. Gianluigi Buffon demonstrated why he is the Juventus and Italy No.1 by making a double save from a swerving Reus free kick, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan returning a menacing shot as the ball fell to him outside the box after the initial parry.

Shortly after, Reus narrowly missed the post after beating Gianluigi Buffon from a dangerous position on the right hand side of the box. Mario Mandzukic responded with an offside goal after the Bianconeri produced some effective play along the left flank, with Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba greatly involved.

As the game continued, control of the game shifted in favour of Thomas Tuchel’s side who saw Buffon, yet again, deny their chance to taking the lead after a Aubameyang header was tipped over the bar from close range.

Juventus lost more control as a sloppy pass from the back was intercepted which allowed Reus to send Kevin Kampl into the box who’s shot was saved again by Buffon.

Juventus gained some momentum after two new signing linked up after Paulo Dybala’s free kick was attacked by Mandzukic to be well-saved and tipped over the bar.

Finally, Juventus cracked in the fortieth minute with a sloppy attack transforming into a Dortmund counter-attack.

The impressive Mkhitaryan ran onto a lobbed through ball to find a free Aubameyang on the edge of the box, who latched onto the lay off and decisively beat Buffon, to send the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

The second half produced a much slower tempo of play with Dortmund totally asserting their dominance in the game.

The game restarted with Norberto Murara Neto coming on to prove why he merited a move up to Turin with a one on one save against an Aubameyang effort. The slower second half continued with Dortmund keeping the ball in the Juventus half with comfort and pulling off some minor attempts on goal.

Dortmund’s dominance climaxed in the sixty third minute as Marco Reus showcased his phenomenal individual talent by storming up the field with the ball from the halfway line. The magnificent German nutmegged Leonardo Bonucci before slotting past a helpless Neto from 10 yards.

The final quarter of the game continued with Dortmund maintaining control with ease and stringing together a few soft attempts on goal. One of which placed Aubameyang, once again, one on one with Neto who made another marvellous save again proving his worth to the Italian champions.

Juventus’ miserable second half performance was symbolised by Dybala’s careless half-hearted effort from outside the box, which flew straight into the stands.

Following this effort, the final whistle blew shortly after, which brought an end to a dire Juventus performance leaving Massimiliano Allegri aware of the extent of work he has ahead of him to form a side strong enough to continue the Bianconeri’s brilliant performance last year.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus 0 - Borussia Dortmund 2:
Initial reaction and random observations

Juventus lost to a team they beat up on a few months ago. Therefore, we should just
cancel the season and pack up shop until July 2016. Makes perfect sense to me.


Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2015/7/25/9039463/juventus-borussia-dortmund-friendly-initial-reaction-and-random-observations

Jul 25, 2015

If anything, we it didn't take long to discover two very obvious things during Juventus' 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Switzerland on Saturday.

For one, Dortmund have been training for over a month now and had already played a handful of friendlies before even stepping foot onto the field against Juventus, Secondly, Juventus have been training as a full-ish squad for about, oh, six days before they played their first preseason friendly of the summer.

What does those two very clear and concise facts tell you? Well, how about the fact that Dortmund are nearly ready to start their 2015-16 season, while Juventus are .. well, just getting started with theirs. We had two teams at two very different fitness levels facing one another on Saturday. And, sure, the final score tells us Juventus lost to Borussia Dortmund just a few months after beating them in the Champions League. But do wins and losses really matter on the 25th day of July if it's a preseason friendly?

JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen
.@OfficialAllegri: "In spite of the result it was a good work out for us tonight."

And that's the main point of a friendly at this point in time in the Juventus preseason calendar. It's more about the game itself than than the final result. Wins are nice, but it's the end of July and Juventus have been training as a full team — or as much as there is right now — for a week and still have plenty of time to get right before the games truly mean something.

The good thing is this: Outside of the players getting their work in and Allegri being able to tinker with things, these games don't count for a damn thing in the standings. I mean, the first friendly last season was a loss against a semi-pro team, and things turned out pretty decently, right? Right.

Juventus lost on penalty kicks to Everton two years ago and went on to record a record 102 points in Serie A.

Juventus lost to Lucento in Allegri's first game as manager and went on to win the double and making the Champions League final.

Translation: Things are going to be okay.


Random thoughts and observations

It took Gigi Buffon all of four minutes into preseason to make a great save. He's the best.

And then Buffon made a couple more awesome saves before the first half was over. I guess all he needs is about a week of training to get back into shape. That's because he's only been back for about six days.

Also notable: The man who replaced Buffon to begin the second half, Mr. Neto. His debut was probably the most impressive out of all the debutants, making a couple of really nice diving saves to either side.

Poor Leo got Marco Reus'd so damn bad.

I will admit that the way Juventus' Twitter account posted the starting lineup had me totally confused. I mean, Evra is supposed to be after Pogba and Marchisio unless he's playing as a wingback, so mind said "3-4-3?" or some kind of variation of it. But it ended up to be a four-man backline like everybody expected it to be with a front line full of promise. And there might be more added to it, too. Good times.

One of the more noticeable things with the 4-3-3/4-3-2-1 formation Allegri used was that Álvaro Morata was hanging out on the left wing a lot more than he did at any point last season. Because Carlos Tévez was more of a free-roaming striker, Morata was essentially the out-and-out prima punta. This year, it's obvious that Mario Mandzukic will be doing that most of the time, thus opening up more freedom for the young Spaniard. And knowing how Morata possess the speed to play out wide, it's going to be fun to watch him adapt to a new, wider role if in fact that's where Allegri envisions him playing this season.

JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen
.@AlvaroMorata: "I enjoyed it out wider on the left, I found lots of space in which to run. We've got plenty of options up front."

I like seeing Martin Cáceres healthy and playing in games. He should do that more often. Maybe his high socks would become more popular that way. (Just a suggestion.)

Sami Khedira's injury isn't supposed to be anything serious. I'll try and put two and two together and figure it has something to do with the fact he hasn't played much at all over the past 12 months.

I don't care if it's a friendly or in the Champions League, there's just something that brings a lot of us joy when we see the younger players trot onto the field for the first time in a Juventus shirt. We saw a lot of "debuts" on Saturday, and hopefully their actual ones aren't too far behind.

I might be starting to come around on this adidas kit. Maybe it will be like past seasons and I'll like it more and more as time goes on. I know one uniform-related thing, though: That blue keeper kit Buffon and Neto were rocking is a thing of beauty. The black and grey one is nice, but the all-blue one is so clean and simple. I love it.

Nobody got hurt in the game. Isn't that what really matters here, people?

[Socrates 7962]

 

Paulo Dybala and Gianluigi Buffon impress
in Juventus' first exhibition


Saturday, 25th July – 19:00 CET – AFG Arena, St. Gallen, Switzerland

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2537295/paulo-dybala-gianluigi-buffon-shine-in-juventus-vs-dortmund?

Jul 26, 2015

It was Juventus' first friendly of the summer and while they may have lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund, which demonstrated their lack of fitness at this stage of their preparations, there were also many positives to note in the match as well.

It was clear that Massimiliano Allegri's men were lacking in rhythm and dynamism. While Dortmund whizzed past, demonstrating energy and cohesion, Juventus appeared off pace and were desperately struggling to keep up. To be fair to the Bianconeri, this was the Germans' seventh friendly this summer.

New Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has already created a good unit, slowly transmitting his ideals to the team that was once overpowered by former manager Jurgen Klopp's infectious energy. Yet despite their superior form, Juventus were still able to create openings, finding space at the back to coordinate their attacking moves.

As we imagined, Allegri tested out several of his newcomers and few imagined Paulo Dybala would impress so quickly. Demonstrating a good understanding of the patterns of Juve's game, he looked for the gaps, served striker Alvaro Morata well and introduced much needed creativity and imagination to the team in his role as the playmaker in the 4-3-1-2 formation.

With Carlos Tevez gone, there was concern over Juve's front line. The team is lacking established talent and boasts more youth than genuine experience. However, it was the attack that impressed the most (on relative terms) in the match with Morata and Dybala already boasting chemistry. This could well be the start of a beautiful partnership that combines both the Spaniard's quick ability and determination with the Argentine's creative talent.

However, one forward who did struggle was Mario Mandzukic but that was to be expected. The Croatian requires some time to understand the tactics deployed by Allegri and exactly what is required of him. While he attempted to show off his strengths, he wasn't offered the service required to truly shine, as the tactician mentioned in his postmatch appearance.

Dortmund's pressing style of play also makes it somewhat more difficult for a player like Mandzukic to prove effective but considering what he can offer, it is fair to say that Juve have a much more versatile squad this season. It is one that more capable of piercing through different defences.

Yet while certain newcomers attempted to adapt to their new surroundings, it was a certain Gianluigi Buffon who stole the headlines. We've seen this summer that as goalkeepers age, some of them like Petr Cech and Iker Casillas can be forced out of their clubs. Yet, Buffon continues to prove he is a champion and a leader on and off the pitch. Pulling off rather spectacular saves, Italian publication giornalaccio rosa dello Sport noted their pity for his new understudy, the young Norberto Neto, who is bound to hardly ever play considering the talent that stands before him.

Buffon simply doesn't play like he's 37 and still possesses the agility of a young footballer. While Dortmund exploited the Old Lady's sluggishness, almost every brilliant attacking move was closed down by a wonderful Buffon, who aside from the two goals simply wouldn't let anyone get past him. Neto said he chose to come to Juventus for the sake of his development but with the No. 1 performing as he is, does he really have the chance to nurture his talent?

This was clearly not Juve's best performance and observers should expect drastic improvement in the coming weeks. Once again, they struggled to cope with counter-attacks, especially against pace and intensity, continuing a frustrating trend for the Old Lady.

With Dortmund proving more effective in closing down their opponent, it was Juve's defensive game that disappointed onlookers the most. Easily dispossessed and with so much hesitation in their game, they struggled to keep the ball long enough to establish a rhythm, leaving themselves exposed at the back. A defeat was inevitable.

However, this is only the beginning and it will take time for the likes of Martin Caceres to recover his form at centre-back and the likes of Simone Zaza and Mandzukic to fully understand the required movements. One thing that is clear is no matter how well Dybala managed to play on his debut, Juventus still need another playmaker, a man who better understands how to work between the lines.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Juventus take 25 to Poland

 

http://www.football-italia.net/70234/juventus-take-25-poland?

Jul 28, 2015

Juventus have announced a 25-man squad for their friendly with Lechia Gdansk, with Sami Khedira returning.

The German international missed the weekend defeat to Borussia Dortmund with a muscular injury, but is included in the squad to face the Polish side.

Kwadwo Asamoah is again left out as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, while Fernando Llorente continues to struggle with an ankle injury.


Juventus squad to face Lechia Gdansk: Buffon, Chiellini, Caceres, Pogba, Zaza, Marchisio, Morata, Mandzukic, Bonucci, Padoin, Dybala, Rugani, Neto, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Khedira, Evra, Audero, Macek, Vitale, Clemenza, Parodi, Tello, Cerri, Vadala.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Line-ups: Lechia Gdansk-Juventus

 

http://www.football-italia.net/70260/line-ups-lechia-gdansk-juventus?

Jul 29, 2015

Juventus switch to a 3-5-2 shape for the friendly with Lechia Gdansk, with Simone Zaza and Daniele Rugani starting.

The Bianconeri face the Polish side for their second friendly of pre-season, with Rugani handed a starting shirt on his 21st birthday.

Following defeat to Borussia Dortmund, new signing Sami Khedira comes into the side, having missed the previous match with injury.

Simone Zaza and Paulo Dybala lead the line, as Coach Massimiliano Allegri deploys the 3-5-2 formation he alternated with 4-3-1-2 in the previous campaign.


Juventus: Buffon; Rugani, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Khedira, Pogba, Padoin; Dybala, Zaza.

Juventus subs: Neto, Audero, Caceres, Marchisio, Morata, Mandzukic, Evra, Macek, Vitale, Clemenza, Parodi, Tello, Cerri, Vadala.


Lechia Gdansk: Budzilek; Rudinilson, Lukasik, Mak, Wisniewski; Dzwigala, Haraslin, Pawlowski, Chrzanowski; Markovic, Stolarski.

Lechia Gdansk subs: Bak, Janicki, Wawrzyniak, Mila, Nazario, Makuszewski, Borysiuk, Buksa, Vranjes, Maloca, Macierzynski, Gierszewski, Kuswik.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Lechia Gdansk 1-2 Juventus: Mandzukic
spares Serie A champions blushes

The Serie A champions went a goal up before the break, but eventually conceded
an equaliser late in the second half before the Croatia striker decided the match.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/lechia-gda%C5%84sk-vs-juventus/2071462/report

Jul 29, 2015

Juventus have recorded a narrow 2-1 win over Lechia Gdansk in Wednesday afternoon's friendly match in Poland.
The in-demand Paul Pogba powered home a header in just the fourth minute to suggest the Turin giants were on for a big win.

That failed to materialise, though, as a new Juve strikeforce of Simone Zaza and Paulo Dybala struggled before the hosts grabbed a deserved equaliser late on through Adam Buksa.

But Mandzukic - who joined from Atletico Madrid last month - had the final say, lashing home in the final minute.

As well as struggles up front, Giorgio Chiellini and Alvaro Morata limping out of Wednesday's friendly could cause concern for Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri – although both players' withdrawals seemed to be only precautionary.

Juve's fast start was rounded off by a thumping header from Pogba, although positivity was tempered as Chiellini was forced off after just eight minutes.

The Frenchman was buoyed by opening the scoring, though, and sent a dipping 25-yard effort in that Gdansk goalkeeper Lukasz Budzilek did well to tip around his left-hand post, and he again stood firm to smother Dybala after he twisted and turned towards goal.

Juve were struggling to fire on all cylinders, however, and the hosts twice went close before the interval. Bartlomiej Pawlowski clipped the base of Gianluigi Buffon's right-hand post and the captain had to be alert to tip over a swerving long-range free-kick from Piotr Wisniewski.

Mandzukic was a half-time substitute along with Alvaro Morata and the pair initially struggled to connect, before Buksa robbed young midfielder Andres Tello and drove forward to score a neat equaliser.

As it looked as though Juve would limp to a draw, Mandzukic displayed strength to shrug off his marker from a right-wing cross and power home with his left foot.

Juve round off their pre-season preparations with a trip to Marseille on Saturday before taking on Lazio in next weekend's Supercoppa Italiana.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Mandzukic seals Juve win

 

http://www.football-italia.net/70268/mandzukic-seals-juve-win?

Jul 29, 2015

Mario Mandzukic and Paul Pogba saw Juventus scrape a 2-1 win at Lechia Gdansk, but Giorgio Chiellini went off injured.

Having lost 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund, this was Juve’s second friendly of the summer and they unveiled the new pink jersey.

It took just four minutes to break the deadlock from a corner, as Paulo Dybala curled the set play on to the head of Pogba.

This week Andrea Barzagli was ruled out for three weeks by a muscular problem and fellow centre-back Chiellini asked to be substituted in Poland just eight minutes into the game.

Pogba forced a save from distance and Simone Zaza failed to complete a move sparked by Dybala and Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Ex-Palermo man Dybala impressed, running on to a Stefano Sturaro pass to test the goalkeeper.

Sami Khedira made his Juventus debut for the final half-hour and Norberto Neto had work to do on Pawlowski and Makuszewski in the Juve goal, as Lechia improved after the break.

Alberto Cerri forced a save too, but Juve were dropping the intensity level and Lechia equalised through a Buksa angled drive.

In fact, the hosts almost took the lead five minutes later, Vranjes drilling just wide.

However, Mandzukic got his first goal in a Juventus jersey by rolling his marker to turn in a Macek cross.


Lechia Gdansk 1-2 Juventus

Scorers: Pogba 4 (J), Buksa 81 (L), Mandzukic 90 (J)

Lechia Gdansk: Budzilek, Rudinilson, Lukasik, Mak, Wisniewski, Dzwigala, Haraslin, Pawlowski, Chrzanowski, Markovic, Stolarski

Juventus: Buffon (Neto 56); Rugani, Bonucci (Clemenza 46), Chiellini (Caceres 8) (Parodi 66); Lichtsteiner (Evra 46), Sturaro (Tello 74), Khedira (Vitale 63), Pogba (Marchisio 46), Padoin (Macek 84); Dybala (Mandzukic 46), Zaza (Morata 46) (Cerri 71)

[Socrates 7962]

 

The seven reasons why you should be a Juventus fan

 

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2015/7/30/9072247/the-seven-reasons-why-you-should-be-a-juventus-fan

Jul 30, 2015

With I Bianconeri fresh from winning a domestic double and reaching the UEFA Champions League final, I've seen a growing number of people wearing or sporting a Juventus attribute in my home country, Indonesia. With that, I'm sure they are also growing all around the world as well.

Winners attract followers but is it the only reason? If you are on the fence or became a fan because of Carlos Tevez or Arturo Vidal, here are the seven reasons why you should become or stay a Juventus fan.


1. Tradition

Born in 1897, Juventus is the third oldest club in Italy, after Genoa (1893) and Udinese (1896), and at the end of the 2014-15 season, has won 33 Scudetti, the most in Italy. In second place is Milan, with 18 Scudetti, so Juve is by far the most successful club domestically.

Juventus has also been in the hands of the Agnelli family since 1923 when FIAT owner Edoardo Agnelli bought the club. His sons Gianni, affectionaly known as L'Avvocato, and Umberto became presidents in the 1950s and 1960s and now Umberto's son, Andrea, is the club's president. It makes the family the longest lasting ownership in any sports franchise globally.

Every start of the season, the first team plays the primavera team in Villar Perosa, a village in southwest of Turin where Edoardo had a stadium built, where the players bring their family with them for the friendly match.

There's one interesting story I always remember. Milos Krasic, our newest signing in 2010, missed his flight and as the result, would've missed this annual friendly match. He then chartered a private jet out of his own pocket to make sure he could arrive in time and play.


2. "Fino alla fine"

"Fino alla fine," or "until the end" in English, describes Juve well. The fantasisti make us dream, but grinta, the passion and fighting spirit until the game ends, makes Juve tick.

Why do Juve fight until the end? Giampiero Boniperti, one of Juve's legends, said it best, "Vincere non è importante, è l'unica cosa che conta" or "winning is not important; It's the only thing that matters."

One of the perfect examples is Juventus vs. Fiorentina in the 1994-95 season. Back then, Fiorentina had a superb trident — Gabriel Batistuta and Francesco Baiano supported by Rui Costa. They shocked Juventus by leading two goals to nil when the first half ended. Juve were down, but not out, and in the last 27 minutes, captain Gianluca Vialli led a comeback with two goals in three minutes. Three minutes from time, Juventus scored the game-winning goal.

Fino alla fine.

And who scored the winning goal?


3. It makes us dream

A scrawny 20-year-old forward played in Roberto Baggio's place and he completed that comeback in the 87th minute in the Juventus vs Fiorentina game in the 1994-95 season:
 

Juve have scored many wonderful goals, but until today, that is still the best Juve goal I've ever seen live.

For me, it's Baggio. Back in the 1980s, it's Michel Platini. For many, it's Alessandro Del Piero. They make us dream.


4. It's a cool name

To me, "Juventus" sounds cool. I'm not Italian, so I do not relate to city names like Milan, Roma, Genoa or others.

I grew up watching Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard dominate Serie A, the best league at that moment, and the world of football in the 1990s but while my friends flocked to the rossoneri, I was not only attracted to them at all. I loved how they played, but "AC Milan" just sounded wrong to me.

When Baggio joined "Juventus," my fate was sealed. Furthermore, Juventus means "youth" in latin so it adds to an attraction to a young boy (back then) like me.


5. Produces the most World Cup winners

Juventus has produced 24 World Cup winners, the most in the world. They are:

World Cup 1934 (9): Gianpiero Combi, Luigi Bertolini, Felice Borel, Umberto Caligaris, Giovanni Ferrari, Luis Monti, Raimundo Orsi, Virginio Rosetta, Mario Varglien

World Cup 1938 (2): Alfredo Foni, Pietro Rava

World Cup 1982 (6): Dino Zoff, Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile, Paolo Rossi, Gaetano Scirea, Marco Tardelli

World Cup 1998 (2): Didier Deschamps, Zinedine Zidane

World Cup 2006 (5): Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Mauro Camoranesi, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluca Zambrotta
Bayern Munich is second with 23 winners. Interestingly, Real Madrid and Barcelona are only 11th and 12th with 10 and nine winners, respectively. From Italy, Inter Milan is third with 20, Roma is fourth with 17 and Milan is tenth with 10.


6. Competent Management

This is probably the most important reason why Juve has won in the past and is winning so much now in the present. Luciano Moggi, considered one of the best direttori sportivo in Italian football history, made two of the biggest transactions in the world of football:

In 2001, he sold Zinedine Zidane, the best player in the world at that time, to Real Madrid for €75 million, a then-world record, and replaced him with Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved. Buffon is arguably the best goalkeeper in the modern era, Thuram is one of the best defenders of all time, and Nedved won a Ballon d'Or. All legends.

In 2004, he swapped a backup goalkeeper Fabian Carini for Fabio Cannavaro, who went on to lead Italy to win the 2006 World Cup and became arguably the best defender in his period.
After Moggi, Giuseppe Marotta followed it up with crucial transactions himself.

In 2011, Juve signed Stephan Lichtsteiner (€10 million), Arturo Vidal (€10.5 million) and Andrea Pirlo (free). All were influential and important players during the four-Scudetto run.

In 2012, Juve signed Paul Pogba for free. Now he is worth at least €100 million.

In 2013, Juve signed Carlos Tevez for €9 million.

In 2014, Juve signed Alvaro Morata for €20 million and Patrice Evra for €1.5 million.
Add these seven players — who cost €51 million in total — to Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio from the Moggi era, you have one of the two 2014-15 Champions League finalists.

In terms of revenue, Juve grew from around €150 million in the 2010-11 season to more than €300 million in 2014-15. Incredible growth.

These four Scudetti in the last four years and the economic growth are inline with Juve's winning model: Equip the coach with a competitive squad and ensure the balance sheets are kept in order. Helped by Marotta, Fabio Paratici and Nedved, president Andrea Agnelli surrounds himself with a competent management.


7. Continuous succession

While performing on and off the pitch, at the same time the management has also made sure the future is taken care of by signing talented young players.

Liam Brady was sold in 1982 even though he won two Scudetti in his two years with Juve. His replacement? Platini, who went on to win three Ballon d'Or with Juve. He stayed for five years. In 1995, Baggio, one of the best players in Italian football, was sold and replaced by a young Del Piero, who went on the be one of the greatest Juventus players of all time.

For this 2015-16 season, there are eight players in the first team who were born in 1991 or after:

Defender Daniele Rugani (born in 1994)

Midfielder Roberto Pereyra (born in 1991)

Midfielder Stefano Sturaro (born in 1993)

Forward Kingsley Coman (born in 1996)

Forward Paulo Dybala (born in 1993)

Forward Alvaro Morata (born in 1992)

Forward Simone Zaza (born in 1991)

From these eight, Pogba and Morata are already starters. Marotta also said that there was a possibility we could add another one or two young and talented players during the rest of this summer mercato. Next year, Domenico Berardi (born in 1994) is likely to join Juve as well.

So, if you are a fan of Tevez or Vidal, these are the seven reasons why you should stay a Juve fan. Dybala and Berardi have a potential to be a stud and become idols. If you are on the fence, these are the seven reasons why you should be a Juve fan. The tradition is rich and the future is bright.

[Socrates 7962]

 

Roma-Juventus moved

 

http://www.football-italia.net/70311/roma-juventus-moved?

Jul 30, 2015

The Week 2 clash between Roma and Juventus will be played at 18.00 CET on Sunday August 30, the Lega Serie A has announced.

The match is an early-season battle between two sides expected to compete for the Scudetto, and will now be played at 6pm local time at Stadio Olimpico.

In addition, the Giallorossi’s Week 1 trip to face Verona will now be on Saturday August 22 at 18.00, with city rivals Lazio playing at 20.45 the same day due to Champions League commitments.

Carpi’s Serie A debut will now be a Monday, as their trip to Sampdoria has been pushed back, assuming the Blucerchiati progress in the Europa League.

Juventus-Udinese has also been moved, and will now take place on August 23 at 18.00.

Bologna-Sassuolo will take the Saturday evening slot in Week 2, with Milan-Empoli the same day at 20.45.


Serie A fixture changes:

Week 1

Saturday August 22

Verona-Roma [18.00]
Lazio-Bologna [20.45]

Sunday August 23

Juventus-Udinese [18.00]

Monday August 24

Sampdoria-Carpi [20.45]


Week 2

Saturday August 29

Bologna-Sassuolo [18.00]
Milan-Empoli [20.45]

Sunday August 30

Roma-Juventus [18.00]