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Juventus Season 2015-2016

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Joined: 04-Apr-2006
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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Allegri: 'I had two choices'


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http://www.football-italia.net/84742/allegri-i-had-two-choices?


May 21, 2016
 
Max Allegri explained his reasoning behind the crucial substitution as Juventus won the Coppa Italia Final against Milan.

Alvaro Morata came off the bench in extra time and scored with practically his first touch in a 1-0 result.

“I have to compliment the lads, as it was not easy to play tonight. It was a good Milan in the first half, we had a few favourable moments in the second half, took the lead and then risked an equaliser at the end.

“That’s what a Final is, it’s made up of moments and you need that little bit of luck,” the Coach told Rai Sport.

“It wasn’t easy for the players, as for the last six weeks they’d basically been without much motivation and needed to get their minds back in the right place to win.”

Why did Allegri decide to introduce Morata for Hernanes as his final substitution?

“In extra time I had two choices, taking it to penalties or try to break the game open. I tried to break it open and fortunately it went well!”

The Bianconeri are the first side ever to retain the Double - winning the Scudetto and Coppa Italia two years in a row.

“Juventus are not sated, because the tradition of this club is to always fight to win. Next season we must prepare at our best to win a sixth straight Scudetto, but above all to have a great Champions League campaign.”

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Juventus should pay extra to sign
cup hero Morata permanently


The forward produced another big moment to win the Coppa Italia in extra time
and demonstrate why the Bianconeri should make every effort to finance his buy-back clause.


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http://www.goal.com/en/news/1036/coppa-italia/2016/05/21/23791672/-?


May 22, 2016
 
Cup finals can be low-scoring, closely matched affairs and still provide plenty of intrigue and suspense. This was not one of those cup finals.

Juventus’ 1-0 victory over AC Milan to win the Coppa Italia in extra time on Saturday night was a stinker, with the Italian champions well below par in the absence of a number of important players. Their opponents were spirited and well prepared but, ultimately, limited and failed to capitalise in a more even contest than anyone expected.

With Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio and Leonardo Bonucci among those unavailable, Massimiliano Allegri was frustratingly defensive in his outlook. The Bianconeri can be dangerous in a 3-5-2 formation but not when Bonucci’s passing from the back is missing, Mario Lemina and Hernanes play with Paul Pogba in midfield and Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro are only used from the bench as wing-backs.

Most puzzling of all of Allegri’s decisions on the night, however, was the non-involvement of Alvaro Morata through 108 minutes of play.

Milan really should have been there for the taking. This is the seventh-placed side that had completed a remarkable late-season treble of failing to beat all three of the division’s relegated teams in consecutive matches, drawing with Carpi and Frosinone and losing to Hellas Verona.

Instead, through 30 minutes Milan had taken the match’s first five shots and had 60 per cent of the ball. They were struggling to penetrate Juve’s three-man defence to truly test goalkeeper Neto but the way the unit of Daniele Rugani, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini retreated gave them an opportunity to grow into the game and gain confidence.

Juve offered little even on the counter-attack and at half-time, Riccardo Montolivo gestured to the Milan fans as if to say: “We’re in this.”

They were, and the second half was only marginally better from Allegri’s point of view. Both Alex Sandro and Cuadrado were introduced to patrol the flanks and inject more attacking impetus. A couple of speculative efforts from distance aside, Pogba had a frustrating evening as a result of some close marking. Paulo Dybala was far and away Juve’s most dangerous player, sending the Milan defence into a panicked retreat every time he had the space to turn and dash towards the opposition goal.

Mario Mandzukic had toiled alongside Dybala and finally, in the second period of extra time, Morata was introduced to partner him in place of Hernanes.

The effect was almost immediate. Cuadrado broke into space down the right, Mandzukic’s decoy run took Cristian Zapata away from the ball and waiting behind them was the Spaniard, who swept home a first-time finish on his right foot.

Things have not always gone Morata’s way this season. He has not yet hit a real purple patch in a Juventus shirt, with his winner at the Stadio Olimpico his 12th goal of the season. But that is due in part to the way he has been rotated in and out of the side - his minutes per goal rate is about the same as Mandzukic’s - and in big moments he has consistently delivered, particularly in the Champions League.

Morata has been good enough to draw plenty of admirers at other clubs and could be at the centre of one of the summer's biggest transfer sagas. The clause allowing Real Madrid to bring the 23-year-old back to Spain effectively puts him up for sale - if any club, with Arsenal and Chelsea both said to be interested, is willing to pay more it costs Madrid to exercise that option, they are able to turn an effortless profit.

The only potential way out for Juventus is to attempt to buy the clause out of Morata's contract, with reports in Italy suggesting that would mean paying the €20 million they splashed out to sign the 23-year-old in 2014 once again. With every major goal like this one, Morata is strengthening the argument that he is worth it.

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



AC Milan 0 – 1 Juventus: Player Ratings


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http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2016/05/ac-milan-0-1-juventus-player-ratings/?


May 22, 2016
 
Juventus beat AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night to win the Coppa Italia final.

The Rossoneri started the better side and put pressure on Juventus in the first 45 minutes, but hardly any of Milan’s shots were good enough to be a threat to the Bianconeri. The second half was not enough to decide a winner, and despite Milan trying harder, Alvaro Morata’s first touch of the game in the extra time gave Juventus their 11th Coppa Italia.

 

AC Milan


Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6 – Decent - Did not have much to do in the first half, but for a lovely dribble to get rid of Mario Mandzukic. Then the save on Paul Pogba’s deflected shot and another save on a long range shot from the Frenchman. Nothing he could do on the goal.

Davide Calabria – 6.5 – Naive - Started off the game risking conceding a penalty, but then became Milan’s main weapon on the right flank, delivering runs and crosses. But where was he when Morata was all alone to score?

Cristian Zapata – 5.5 – Distracted - Clean display in the first half to stop Mandzukic, and little risks for the rest of the game. Unfortunately for Milan, he forgot Morata is in the box precisely when he shouldn’t have.

Alessio Romagnoli – 6 – Tidy - For most of the game he was able to control Juve’s strikers, and the goal conceded was not his fault.

Mattia De Sciglio – 5.5 – Marginal - Had some good runs initially, one leading to a decent shot from long range in the first half, and then another saved by Neto to start off the second half. He was out of the game for most of it, with Milan developing their play on the other side.

Juraj Kucka – 5.5 – Man-marker - Physically everywhere for most of the game, choking Juve’s play and especially blocking Pogba. But in so many occasions he needed to do better when playing the ball or shooting on target.

Riccardo Montolivo – 6.5 – Skipper - Not only he directed play, but also controlled the opposing midfield with elegance and presence. For once, he showed the spirit of a captain, shouting at his teammates and directing the fans.

Andrea Poli – 6 – Defensive - He missed the best chance in the first half, firing wide from the edge of the box. The pressure he gave Juventus was decent, but he wasn’t unable to deliver on the quality.

Keisuke Honda – 6 – Creative - His deliveries were always useful, but he slowed down Milan’s pace at times. Solid display nonetheless in the first half, then disappeared in the second, when he struggled to find space. Booked for a foul on Pogba he slowly stopped having ideas to inspire the Rossoneri.

Carlos Bacca – 5.5 – Solitary - Battled constantly with the Juve defensive trio, but struggled to make an impact in the 90 minutes. When he had a decent ball, though, in extra time his backflip almost gave Milan the lead.

Giacomo Bonaventura – 5 – Disappointing - A source of play for Milan, but fired wide two clear chances at the start of the game to put the Rossoneri ahead. He then disappeared, never really being able to keep up with the expectations.


Substitutes

MBaye Niang – 5.5 – Useless
- It wasn’t easy to come on after such a long injury and being expected to change the game. He didn’t do much.

Jose Mauri – 6 – Close - His shot on 122 went just inches wide. That could have been an incredible equaliser.

Mario Balotelli – N/A


 

Juventus


Neto – 6 – Confident - Not that Milan managed to shoot on target often, but when they did he was ready to control their efforts.

Daniele Rugani – 6.5 – Secure - The physical battle with Bacca was lost at times, and he got a foolish yellow card in the extra time. But overall he showed calm and great positioning.

Andrea Barzagli – 6.5 – Veteran - A clean display in covering up at the back, with the usual tactical knowledge. Milan were able to shoot only from a distance.

Giorgio Chiellini – 7 – Strong - Defensively, nobody passed from his area. He then showed his limits when it came to playing the ball.

Stephan Lichtsteiner – 6.5 – Express - A regular threat for Milan going forward in the first half, the problem is he didn’t have many teammates to deliver the ball to. He then had a good chance with a header in the second half. One of the best of Juventus until the substitution.

Mario Lemina – 5.5 – Suffocated - Showed glimpses of quality, but also struggled to keep up with the rhythm imposed by the Rossoneri midfield for most of the game. When the Milan midfield trio ran out of batteries he then managed to have some good runs.

Hernanes – 5 – Invisible - A ghost for about 60 minutes, until he tried a long-range curler that went wide. He tried to make his presence useful but was sucked up in Milan’s pressure.

Paul Pogba – 5 – Missing - The first half are possibly the worst 45 minutes ever played by Pogba this season: evrything he tried to do went the wrong way. The second half started in the same way, but was then a crescendo and started showing his skills in the extra time. Nonetheless, a negative Pogba on the whole.

Patrice Evra – 5.5 – Tired - Just unable to get into the game, and failing to cope with Milan’s pace. He appeared to be out of energy after a long season.

Mario Mandzukic – 5.5 – Lonely - Completely out of the game in the first half. Did better in the rest of the game, but just did not have the assistance to be dangerous.

Paulo Dybala – 5.5 – Ineffective - As usual, the offensive playmaker of Juve. He dictated the team’s efforts, but struggled like everyone in the first 45 minutes. He then showed some signs of being tired and was often in offside or easily stopped. Not his best night.


Substitutes

Alex Sandro – 5.5 – Ghost
- Immediately showed a different energy to that of Evra, then quickly disappeared from the game.

Juan Cuadrado – 6.5 – Assist-man - Initially struggled to find space to use his speed, but when he was given space he was decisive, serving Morata the assist for the game’s only goal. After that he was slightly distracted at the back, but his assist remains crucial.

Alvaro Morata – 8 – Decisive - The man of cup games, the man of decisive goals strikes again. The first ball he touched went in for the winner.

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Juventus 1 - AC Milan 0: Initial
reaction and random observations


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http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/22/11730806/juventus-ac-milan-2016-coppa-italia-final-final-score-result-initial-reaction


May 22, 2016
 
Towards the end of the second half, they showed Antonio Conte sitting in the stands alongside Marcello Lippi. Maybe they caught Conte at a bad time, but if you didn't know any better, you probably would have thought the former Juventus manager was dozing off in a game that had about as many memorable moments as Milan's 2015-16 season.

To be honest, he wasn't the only one feeling that way.

It was a snoozefest for pretty much the entire 120 or so minutes that were played at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday night. Luckily for all of us who wear black and white glasses, Max Allegri decided to sub on Álvaro Morata for Hernanes in extra time. And Juve's resident Big Game Player did exactly that once again, scoring the decisive goal with 11 minutes to go before a penalty shootout would have arrived.

Domestic double clinched. Historic back-to-back domestic double clinched.

Juventus were the first club to 10 Coppa Italia titles last season. Now, it's time to push that record to 11 Coppas — thanks in large part to Morata's goal in a game that will probably be completely forgotten about when a brand new work week starts. That's probably not an overstatement, too. This was as drab and bland of a cup final as would think there would be.

And for as bad as Juve played, probably their worst games in months and months, Milan couldn't do anything about. They couldn't capitalize on Juventus' complete inability to put much of anything on frame in regulation.

It just so happened that in one of Juventus' few really good counterattacks, they caught Milan and absolutely stole the win and the Coppa Italia trophy. Juve didn't deserve to win by the way they played, but they got the win thanks to a quality counter and Morata's ability to lose his mark and finish Juan Cuadrado's cross from the right wing. Simple as that.

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JuventusFC ✔ ‎@juventusfcen
+= #2x2✌


Yeah, this seems like a good thing to post. Much better than talking about that game for another couple hundred more words. (Even though that's probably going to happen anyway.)


Random thoughts and observations

Seriously, that game was horrible.

Morata pounding the Juve crest after his goal gave me a lot of feelings. Like, seriously, you guys. He was asked about his future after the match, but that was broken up by Simone Zaza dumping champagne all over Morata's head about 20 words into it. We all know it depends more on Real Madrid's desires than it does what Juventus want to do. That's no secret at this point. But if Juve are to not retain Morata this summer, man, it's going to be sad.

May this be the first and last time we see the Paul Pogba-Hernanes-Mario Lemina combination in the center of the midfield. It was....yeah, not very good. Not at all.

I don't think it's any coincidence that Juventus started to look a little better once Alex Sandro replaced Patrice Evra. Juve were in dire need on some width, and Sandro delivered it.

Neto finishes the season allowing six goals in eight games played, five of which came in the second leg against Inter and then that absolutely meaningless game against Hellas Verona a couple of weeks ago. He definitely proved to be solid backup in his first year with Juventus. Now we'll see if all these rumors about him leaving this summer are actually true.

I mean, seriously, Juventus played that poorly and Milan couldn't score one goal? If you want an example about how far they've fallen as a club, that's it. Even with a completely crappy Juve team performance, Milan ended up getting shut out. Yikes.

Russell Crowe is good friends with Alessandro Del Piero. Russell Crowe was in the stands for the Coppa Italia final. Russell Crowe was on RAI's halftime show and picked Juventus to win. Russell Crowe ended up being right. I like Russell Crowe. (Not just because American Gangster is one of my favorite movies.)

Max Allegri as Juventus manager: Two Scudetto, two Coppa Italia, one Supercoppa. Pretty good, you guys. Pretty, pretty good.

You're welcome, Sassuolo. Enjoy your spot in the Europa League. (But still feel free to let Domenico Berardi come play for Juventus next season.)


POLL

Who was your Juventus Man of the Match against Milan?

69% Álvaro Morata (241 votes)


25% Giorgio Chiellini (87 votes)
3% Andrea Barzagli (10 votes)
2% Mario Mandzukic (7 votes)
1% Paulo Dybala (3 votes)

348 votes total

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Allegri: "This is Juventus,
we have an obligation to win"


Manager's comments after Juventus beat AC Milan in extra time in the Coppa Italia final.


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http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/22/11733864/allegri-juventus-obligation-to-win-milan-coppa-italia


May 22, 2016
 
Juventus beat AC Milan in the final of the Coppa Italia with a goal in extra time from substitute Alvaro Morata. In a game that Milan controlled for long periods, it was a specfacular finish from the Spaniard that setlled the game in favor of the Bianconeri.

Here's what Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri had to say after the game -

"First of all I want to thank my players. Winning tonight [saturday] was not easy and so the club and fans also deserve some of the kudos.

"I also have to congratulate Milan, especially for how they played in the first half.

"In the second period we got on the ball a bit more and took more risks. But finals are like that, you have to not only be good but lucky as well."

Subs Morata and Juan Cudrado combined for the winner, and the credit goes to Allegri again for making the inspired changes -

"I had to decide whether to win the match right there and then or wait for the penalties.

"I brought on Cuadrado and Morata in order to go for the win.

"This is Juventus and so we have an obligation to always try to win. We had a great season with our third trophy of the season."

When asked about Juventus completing the double double, the first time in Italian history that a club has won the double with the League and Coppa triumphs in two consecutive seasons, Allegri had this to say -

"We now look forward to the next campaign which will present new challenges, namely the fight for a sixth straight Scudetto, retaining the Coppa Italia and performing well in the Champions League."

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Giorgio Chiellini superb as the back as
Juventus win the Coppa Italia vs. Milan


jaa0jq.jpg


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2877223/juventus-led-by-giorgio-chiellini-and-clinch-coppa-italia


May 22, 2016
 
Though it was a disappointing performance from a record-breaking team, Juventus secured a 1-0 win over Milan to lift the Coppa Italia trophy simply because they had the individuals that could make the difference.

Having won the Scudetto some weeks ago, Juventus have been in celebratory mood ever since, shedding the competitive intensity that has come to define them. Desperate for another trophy, the Bianconeri had to recover their edge to win another trophy yet seemed incapable of matching Milan's aggressive urgency, especially in the first half.

Claudio Marchisio's skill and Sami Khedira's intelligence were sorely missed in a match full of inaccuracies and sloppy play. Hernanes and Mario Lemina were poor alternatives to two men who often make the difference and thus allowed Milan to dominate the midfield and push forward with confidence to take shots at goal.

Somewhat improved in the second half, Juventus played with a little more intensity but the game did not really change until Massimiliano Allegri began to make his substitutions. Alex Sandro's strength, Juan Cuadrado's speed and Alvaro Morata's finishing ensured victory for a team that were far from a well drilled unit on the night.

Achieving the double for a second straight season, Juventus always seem to have enough to secure victory so while we can always hope for brilliance, the fact they can win even when they're average ought to warrant praise. Congratulations to the Champions.


Player Ratings

Norbeto Neto, 6
-- After some initial miscommunications with his defence, he settled into the game and demonstrated his strength and ability.

Daniele Rugani, 6 -- Winning everything in the air, the defender is playing with a little more nastiness and edge to ensure Juve's safety at the back. Improving steadily.

Andrea Barzagli, 7 -- His intelligence and reading of the game is always close to perfect and while he struggled at times, he always managed to stop the opponent.

Giorgio Chiellini, 8 -- Great clearances and a warrior at the back, always in the right place to make the necessary block. Chiellini has been missed.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, 6 -- Always can be relied upon to push forward on the right, he slowed the game down too often in the first half as he tried to pick the right pass.

Mario Lemina, 5 -- Completely lost in the first half, he occupied the right spaces going forward but suffered defensively, overwhelmed by Milan's physicality. Never in the right positions defensively, he improved in the second half, making interesting runs. That said, he must learn to stand his ground.

Hernanes, 5 -- A terrible performance from the player who, in a "director" role, ought to have taken command and imposed his strength. Instead, he was swallowed by the aggressive performance of the opponent. Looked weak.

Paul Pogba, 6 -- Overwhelmed by frustration and the excellent defensive work of Juraj Kucka, Pogba surrendered all composure and played with petulance. Often making wrong decisions and too keen to be the hero as opposed to playing for the team, he must rise above his emotions and keep a cool head.

Patrice Evra, 6 -- Managed to push forward on occasion but suffered too much against Daniele Calabria's vibrant play.

Paulo Dybala, 6 -- Not offered the service he required, he always looks capable of brilliance but when he's the only one who believes in a win (especially in the first half), it becomes difficult to impact the game.

Mario Mandzukic, 6 -- Worked hard as usual. Always pressing high and keen to provoke errors.


Substitutes

Alex Sandro, 7
-- Imposed his strength on a lane that was largely dominated by Calabria before his introduction. Keen to push forward and always looking for a key pass, the game changed as soon as he came on.

Juan Cuadrado, N/A -- Impeccable when he came on to the pitch, the player's pace and skill made all the difference on the left, delivering the assist that led to the goal. Annoyingly, he surrendered to tactical indiscipline at the end, making for a nervy finish.

Alvaro Morata, N/A -- What talent, what a finish. Morata plays with pace and skill, always knowing which spaces to occupy to ensure a beautiful goal.

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Dybala: 'Disappointed by Copa America'


245hu0m.jpg


http://www.football-italia.net/84746/dybala-disappointed-copa-america?


May 22, 2016

Paulo Dybala confirmed Juventus are targeting the Champions League, but he’s “disappointed” at his Copa America snub.

The striker spoke to reporters in the mixed zone after a 1-0 Coppa Italia Final victory over Milan in extra time.

“We knew that we’d be facing a tough Milan side, but we were able to rebuff their attacks and at the end held out better physically.

“I am happy to have won everything there was to win in Italy, but now Juventus have to target Europe. I will try to improve myself on an international level too.”

Dybala was not included in Argentina’s squad for the Copa America and revealed he won’t be in the Olympics side either.

“I did expect to be called up, because Juventus had already told me I couldn’t take part in the Olympics and so I hoped for the Copa America.

“I have to respect the decisions of the Coach, as it is not easy to put together a squad with so many phenomenal strikers.

“It’s disappointing, but Juventus won’t give me permission to go to Rio.”

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Juventus vs. AC Milan 1-0, Super-sub Alvaro Morata
puts Juve into the history books


The Spaniard once again came up big for Juventus, as the Bianconeri
make history and the first Italian team to retain both domestic titles.


6pyo7b.jpg


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/22/11733204/juventus-ac-milan-2016-coppa-italia-final-result-final-score-match-recap


May 22, 2016

Who would have though that after being 12 points off the lead in Serie A in October, that Juventus would have another opportunity to create history in May? It was Coppa Italia final day and, with a win, Juventus would become the first Italian team in history to win successive domestic doubles. It has truly been a remarkable season. Between October and May, Juve won 25 of 26 league games, drawing the other. That's 76 points out of a possibly 78! That's unheard of anywhere!

And say what you want about the diminishing quality of Serie A, that is still a supremely impressive run of results.

Back to the Coppa Italia. Another win would also put Juventus on 11 titles, putting further space between them and the second most successful team in the competition, Roma, which has nine. For our opponents on Sunday, AC Milan, this represented their last chance to qualify for European competition. Milan have had another disappointing season. Despite spending more money than they have in recent years, the overall quality of the team has not improved significantly. There have been the usual managerial changes, criticisms by the owner Silvio Berlusconi and regular reminders of their great history by Uncle Fester, Adriano Galliani. Milan were billing this as their biggest game of the season, and understandably so. It would be their first silverware since 2011, and would give them some optimism at the end of an other season to forget.

Juventus were missing Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira, both out due to injury, and Leonardo Bonucci due to suspension. This meant another start for Hernanes and a rare start for "new signing" Mario Lemina. Milan for their part were missing, Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonelli due to injury.


MATCH SUMMARY

Much like they were in the last meeting in April, Milan were quicker out of the blocks. However, the Milanese lacked quality in the final third, and this showed time and time again. Mattia De Sciglio cut in from his position on the left flank and got a right footed shot off, which whistled wide of Neto's far post. Just a moment later, Giacomo Bonaventura, Milan's busiest player in the first half, created some room to get off an effort; his deflected shot wrong footing Neto, but the Brazilian was able to quickly readjust and keep the tame finish out.

Milan were looking up for it while Juve were yet to get off the bus. An unforced error from Patrice Evra led to a Milan counter. Juraj Kucka found Keisuke Honda to his right; the Japanese playmaker cut in on his left foot and teed up the onrushing Andrea Poli, only for the Italian to blaze his shot high and wide. Some minutes later another error, Paul Pogba this time with a slip, resulted in De Sciglio with time and space to whip a cross in for Honda, who was making a late run, but the No. 10 miscued his shot and put over.

Juve could barely string more than three or four passes together and were clearly missing Khedira and Marchisio in midfield. Their horrendous half was summed up in one play, when some lovely touches from Mario Lemina led to an attack for Juve. Lemina found Pogba out wide left with a raking pass, and the Frenchman — despite being in loads of space — failed to get the ball under control, giving position back to the Rossoneri. The only solace that Juve could take from their dreadful first half display was that even though Milan were better, they were not actually that good either.

Putting it nicely, I was very happy to hear the halftime whistle. It was quite possibly our worst half of football this season.

Juve started the second half better than they did in the first, which frankly isn't saying much.

Juve's first proper chance of the half — nay, the game — came when Alex Sandro, who came on for Evra, found a Pogba run with a reverse pass. The Frenchman's cross was deflected however, and Donnarumma, like Neto in the first half, had to react quickly to keep the ball out of the net.

Pogba was starting to get more into the game, and some minutes later he put a cross to the far post where Stephan Lichtsteiner got to the cross with a header, but his effort was straight at Donnarumma. Moments later, Lemina found Mario Mandzukic on the run, the big Croat could only get a cross off but Donnarumma fumbled his cross. Unfortunately for Juve, no one was close enough to put in the rebound.

Pogba lined one up from about 25 yards out, but it was straight at Donnarumma who gathered comfortably.

The last chance of the ninety fell to Milan, as a corner was headed over by Alessandro Romagnoli. Nil all, and to extra time we go. Ugh.

Montolivo's giveaway led to a Juve attack. Mandzukic's backheel found Pogba in space, but his shot was pushed away from goal by Donnarumma. Down the other side, a terrible clearance by Alex Sandro, heading straight in the air, set up Carlos Bacca, but the Colombian's overhead kick was just over the bar.

Into the second half and Max Allegri made his final substation, bringing on Alvaro Morata for Hernanes. This proved crucial, as within moments Morata had the key contribution to the game. Lemina pushed forward from deep in the Juve half before spreading wide for Juan Cuadrado. The Colombian played a perfect cross for Morata to sweep home with his first touch of the game! That play was literally the first piece of genuine quality from either side in the game!

Milan tried to get back into the game, with Honda showing some nice footwork in the box, but then falling after a non-existent trip by Giorgio Chiellini trying to win a penalty. The play continued, and the ball came out to the top of the box and fell to Cristian Zapata who blasted over. Juve failed to clear a Milan free kick properly, and the ball fell to Jose Mauri, who was just centimetres wide with his shot!

The final whistle blew to put us out of our misery, and into the history books. Juventus are the first Italian team in history to win the domestic double in successive seasons! Huzzah!!!


LE PAGELLE

Neto 7
Made one difficult save early on, but due to Milan's lack of quality in the final third, it was not a particularly busy night for the number two.

Rugani 6.5 A decent night for the youngster, and earned a rare yellow card in his young career to date. Still, no major complaints on his overall performance.

Barzagli 6.5 As with Rugani, a decent night for the veteran. He had to weather things a bit in the first half when Milan were on the up.

Chiellini 6.5 Typical performance by Giorgio.

Lichtsteiner 6 Relentless up and down the flank, but was useless with his crossing - unsurprisingly.

Lemina 6.5 Starting in place of the injured Khedira, the Gabon international was arguably the best of our woeful midfield. Played a key part in the winning goal.

Hernanes 5.5 The Brazilian was on close to peak bidone form tonight. Hopefully this was his last game in a Juve shirt.

Pogba 6 Was poor in the first half, improved as the second half and extra time went on.

Evra 6 Had some trouble with Milan's right back, and was understandably hooked for Alex Sandro.

Dybala 5.5 Looked a bit tired and had trouble having any impact on the game whatsoever.

Mandzukic 5.5 Like his strike partner, the birthday boy had very little impact on the game and had very few touches.


Subs

Alex Sandro 6.5
Improved our production from the left flank when he came on for Evra, and did a better job against Calabria and Honda.

Cuadrado 6.5 Likewise, Cuadrado's introduction improved our impetus on the right flank. He was a liability defensively, however. But thankfully were poor all night in final third.

Álvaro Morata 9 Our man for the big occasions did it again, this time scoring with his first touch. Even playing second fiddle to Mandzukic and Dybala this season, Morata has proven just how important he is to this team.


THINGS I THINK I THINK

- Okay, putting aside the euphoria of the history-making win, and as you could have probably told from my summary, it was hard for me to watch this game as this was a truly awful game of football and one of the worst I've seen all season. It was a very bad advert for the much-maligned Italian game.

- As bad as Juve were, it says a lot about the quality of the Rossoneri that Milan could not put Juve to the sword. They seriously need to get their house in order. I would say that a season out of Europe might do them well, as it did for us in 2011, but they were also out of Europe this season and look at how things have ended for them. So, only God knows with Milan at this point.

- I know I've said some nasty things about Morata this season, but honestly, Marotta has to do all he can to keep him. He has shown once again how valuable he is to the team. With all due respect to Edinson Cavani, I don't want him at Juve. He's about six years older, would command more in both transfer fee and wages, and has shown that he is a big game bottler (evidenced by his coming up short in key games in the UCL for both Napoli and PSG). On the other hand, Morata is much younger, cheaper and has shown is in young career so far that he can come up with the goods when needed. Also, Cavani is best as the lone front man, as he was at Napoli. Juve play with two up front, which does not bring the best out of the Uruguayan. We'd probably see more of the flaky Cavani of current PSG fame rather than the Napoli version (although, he was also flaky in big games there, as previously mentioned).

- When one reflects on how our season started and where it's ended, even with the disappointment of the Champions League exit to Bayern Munich, this has been an indescribably tremendous season. I know I could not have fathomed this if you asked me six months ago how I thought our season would end. Apart from the players, let's just give Max Allegri his due for once again showing how shrewd of a manager he is. He always remained calm (well, almost always) and had the belief that the team would get themselves out of their early hole and do something great this season. And, he was right. But I'm sure even he didn't think it was be this good.

Congratulations ragazzi, another great season in the books.

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MILAN - JUVENTUS


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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



COPPA ITALIA FINAL –
AC MILAN 0-1 JUVENTUS


soqwz5.jpg


http://www.juvefc.com/coppa-italia-final-ac-milan-0-1-juventus/?


May 22, 2016

I’ve just had to watch the highlights to seek out anything I may have missed from the match from the first viewing. Hardly to relive the glory, although of course the one piece of quality in the final third from either side which decided the match once again warmed my heart and conjured a smile to my haggard countenance. But no, I was hoping for a few positive moments to draw upon, which I may have missed. Which were not to be found.

The double double has been achieved, and the performance which dragged us over the line is less important than the result it earned. I doff my Panama to Allegri and the club as a whole, raise my glass of russian firewater in their honour and then I must revert to type…

Unfortunately this was not the spectacle we had hoped for. Milan made all the running, dominated large swathes of the game and were it not for their absence of quality in the final third, would have won the game handsomely and dare I say deservedly.


Player Ratings

Neto 7
- By far the busier of the keepers, the under-used Brazilian made one superb save low down to his right when moving to the left. Other than which played his part in the siege which ebbed and flowed towards his goal throughout the first 90 minutes.

Rugani 6.5 - Vital experience in the development of the youngster, surely his toughest game in our colours to date. I see new aspects of his game slowly appearing, such as tactical fouls and knowing when to take the ball out of defence at his feet. To suffer is to learn, and he will have taken great value from surviving such an lively encounter relatively unscathed.

Barzagli 7 - Over-worked and unable to impose himself on his opponents yet stood firm enough in the final reckoning.

Chiellini 6,5 - By far our most bullish element in the rear-guard yet his lack of matches of late showed in his distribution on several occasions, thankfully none of which put us in serious trouble

Lichsteiner 6 - Not helped by a very poor defensive showing by Lemina for much of the game, Stephan laboured diligently as always, found a half chance up top and otherwise was kept very busy indeed by Bonaventura and Poli. The absence of assistance from midfield caused plenty of problems for the Swiss Locomotive. Average, or even poor by his own high standards, yet mitigating circumstances were at play.

Lemina 6 - I am still working out what kind of player he is, where his strengths lie and I am beginning to conclude that he is at his best when nicking the ball deep and charging forward, as he did on several occasions, one of which led to the goal. However, his defensive play and positioning, eagerness to place himself in an area where he can launch the attack is not at all in line with the box to box demands of the CMR role in our 3-5-2. At times – especially in the first half – we seemed to have only 2 central midfielders on the field. Which is one of the major reasons why we were constantly pinned back in our own half. Lichsteiner has no natural chemistry with the Gabonese and was offered little support against a side very much focusing their attacks down the flanks. He needs to play further forward. Perhaps as a trequartista? His passing is top drawer and the lad can dribble and shoot. Yes yes! He was integral in the winning goal, yet far too unable to impose himself on the midfield to be commended for this performance. Admittedly, he is far from match sharp and has played very little football this year. Sturaro would have been a better choice I believe for this match. 

Hernanes 6 - Hard working and constantly trying to make something happen, yet with all options ahead of him constantly closed down, he found more failure than success. Some will likely be more harsh than myself, yet for me, in such a game where we are on the back-foot for long periods, the very least I demand to see of the central midfielders is presence, involvement and effort. All of which Hernanes displayed. Like many others, he was at best average.

Pogba 6.5 - Should have had a penalty, which seemed to throw him off his game thereafter. Unlucky with a couple of passes into the box, though his lack of maturity was in effect more often than flashes of his sublime power and talent. Constantly fouled by Fucka. Offered very little protection by the ref. And found reverting to attempting to overplay when a simple pass may have been more useful, yet pass to who? Irritated and losing his head at times, he will be happy with the trophy, but not with his own efforts on the field. 

Evra 6 - Made one crunching sliding challenge in the first half, yet struggled to forge any meaningful support higher up the field. As with Lichsteiner on the opposite flank, he was often over-run as the overlapping midfielders and fullbacks were constantly thrown down the wing towards and through him. With Pogba out of sorts and constantly surrounded and mauled the frenchman was often left with no option but to cede possession.

Dybala 6 - Well marshalled and whilst he constantly looked for space and the ball, he never found the two combined in positions where he could damage the opponents. 

Mandzukic 6 - Toiled and yet achieved very little. His lack of pace and support caused the Milanese defence little trauma, his sole effort of note more of a cross than a shot. 


Sandro 7 - Finally the game began to change when the flying wingback entered the fray. Pogba appeared to calm and find focus, inroads were made higher up the field and the Fucka/Honda axis lost its dominance. He will be starting next season surely in the first XI. As we are always a better side with him on the field. 7

Cuadrado 6.5 - His cameo offered an overview of his season. For his clever and well executed pass for Morata to smash home for victory was top drawer, after which he became muddled and messy in our rear-guard action, lost positional discipline and could easily have handed a better side a direct route to goal. Its that inconsistency which has bothered me since his first game in our colours. Against Milan his errors went unpunished, though against stronger foes, he could have cost us dearly. When we are 1-0 up in extra time I would expect to see greater not lesser focus and concentration. Appreciate his efforts and he has played his part in our success, yet I will not be sad to see him leave. Wondrous pace and 5 times out of 10 he will produce an intelligent pass into the danger area when finding a good position. Still…not good enough for the top level

Morata 8 - It had to be the Spaniard. Why he wasn’t introduced earlier is now of no consequence, for with what may have been his first touch, Alvaro clinically despatched the winner with superb technique. It is no surprise to learn that his resurgence of late has come from his heart finding home in the bosom of a new lover. With his form up until that point rather haphazard, perhaps due to the split last Summer with his former flame. An emotional chap, whose romantic zeal I can hugely relate to, for I am not just a happier man when in love, I am a better man. Other than which I am prone to the dissolute, to darkness, to seeing the worst of the world more easily than the best. I am convinced he is departing, yet believe the club will offer up to 25m to keep him. Which could be enough. The suggestion of the player’s will holding zero weight in any prospective move is too strange a thing for me to accept. If he goes, it will be his decision.


Brocchi set up his side to fight. To hustle. To rile. To push from the first whistle to the last. His club must take pride from their magnificent effort, for they flew from the traps like dogs of war and were very unlucky not to find the luck or quality required to turn their dominance into goals. I was very impressed with De Sciglio, who I am now ever more eager for us to sign in the Summer. He was not just solid at the back but a serious threat going forward. Zapata was monstrous. And their midfield owned the central channels, blocked out all runs through the middle other than Lemina late on, supported the attack brilliantly and were a joy to behold! Other than Pogba’s menacing shadow, Fucka…The slovakian was horrid. A spiteful brute who can also play.

Poli was also in fine fettle. Delicate on the ball and able to find great positions in the box. Another worth a mention is Montolivo, whose form seems encouraging going into the EUROs with Verratti out injured.

I kept thinking throughout the match that we needed something to happen to light the fire, a tackle, a chance, anything to spark us into life. Yet it never happened. We only appeared stronger when Milan began to tire. Even after the goal we were a listing ship and could easily have thrown the victory away with a series of schoolboy errors in defence and out wide. Mauri’s shot at the death was mere centimetres wide.

Pogba needs to learn calmness in the face of adversity. The more he succeeds the more he will be targeted with however far the laws of the game can be stretched to thwart his progress. We were very much relying on his zeal, which was only provided in brief glimpses. If he is to achieve his dreams, he must accept the rough with the smooth. He can be the world’s best and has plenty of time to further develop, hopefully in Turin, yet he is not ready to take on the responsibility his talent and ambition crave.

Hardly any player in black and white came out of the skirmish able to hold their head high and say they gave their all. Which would be more of a concern had we lost. It is fair to factor into the appraisal of such a debacle the absence of competitive fixtures for more than a month. However, this can not be allowed to be an excuse in future. For a fine example of a true juventino, we can peek at the reactions of Beppe and Pavel when in the dying seconds Mauri went within a whisker of taking us to penalties. Beppe, never a player but supreme in his own rights as Transfer Chief was immensely animated, whereas Nedved looked upon the chance with steel, no emotion, no reaction other than a barely perceptible calm rage in his glare. No doubt disgusted to see us conceding such a chance whilst so close to victory. And rightly so.

Still, to look at the match from a different perspective…Neto had one decent save to make and he made it.

Credit where it is due. Allegri’s substitutions won us the game. It is a welcome end to a rollercoaster of a season during which we were written off before christmas, came back magnificently to break records, find ourselves woefully unfortunate not to beat Bayern Munich and progress in Europe, claim our 5th straight scudetto and second domestic double on the trot.

This team is growing, learning, maturing and there is so much more still to come. We have a wonderful balance of experience and blossoming talent. A winning mentality. Very promising youth sector. The future looks ever so bright and already I cannot wait until next season begins! Until which we will have to sate our thirst with the EUROs and mercato dramas, yet I assume that Beppe and Fabio are very eager to avoid last season’s late flurry and sign our targets sooner rather than later.

forza juve

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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Alvaro Morata Proves His Value to Juventus
in Coppa Italia Final Win over Milan


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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641653-alvaro-morata-proves-his-value-to-juventus-in-coppa-italia-final-win-over-milan?


May 22, 2016

Chasing history and yet another piece of silverware, Juventus turned in a desperately poor performance in Saturday's Coppa Italia final against AC Milan. There were a number of reasons for this dire Bianconeri display, but only one was needed to explain how they escaped with the 1-0 victory that allowed them to take home the trophy.

As he had through the competition, coach Massimiliano Allegri fielded Brazilian goalkeeper Neto in place of Gigi Buffon, while Claudio Marchisio and fellow midfielder Sami Khedira missed the tie with injuries.

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
2 - Juventus are the first club to win both the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia for two seasons in a row. Double.


Juve were further weakened by the fact key defender Leonardo Bonucci was serving a one-match suspension, yet that should in no way excuse such a tepid showing from the newly crowned Serie A champions.

Indeed, it could be argued Milan—who finished seventh and a staggering 34 points behind the league winners—were largely the better side. Just as they had on their previous meeting with Juve back on April 9, the Rossoneri shrugged off their usual mediocrity and rose to the challenge, taking the game to the Old Lady throughout this encounter.

Milan lost that previous clash 2-1, but neither side looked like scoring here, stuttering in midfield and unable to find that one telling pass to break the deadlock. As he has on so many occasions this term, Allegri looked to his bench for answers, withdrawing the ineffective Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner and replacing them with Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado respectively.

Even with that added attacking impetus out wide, the Turin-based side looked laboured, their understrength midfield failing to create any real openings for starting duo Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic.

Yet as the minutes of extra time ticked by, and with the game still scoreless, it would not be one of the strikers sacrificed for Allegri's third change, as he instead hauled off Hernanes. His 107 minutes on the field had been wholly forgettable, lost in a sea of safe and short sideways passes that never once looked like leading to an opening for his team-mates.

His replacement quickly proved to be far more decisive, however, with Alvaro Morata sent on as the Bianconeri clearly sought to strike a telling blow and avoid the drama of a penalty shootout.

The Spain international had been on the field less than three minutes—and touched the ball only once—when Cuadrado fired a low cross into the box. Morata timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, volleying home a smart finish beyond goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and running off to celebrate in front of Juve supporters who had packed the Stadio Olimpico's Curva Nord.

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Tarek Khatib ‎@ADP1113
Morata's goal. #JuveMilan


“I had an important decision to make in extra-time: whether to play for a penalty shootout or to have one last roll of the dice to secure victory,” Allegri told Rai Sport shortly after the final whistle (h/t the team's official site). “I went for the second option.”

He continued: “In finals you need to play well but also have luck on your side." And while they played poorly, the Bianconeri were certainly fortunate to be able to call upon a player of Morata's quality. How long that will remain the case is unknown, however, with questions over his future constantly lingering because of the buy-back clause contained in his contract.

The Spanish giants can trigger that this summer or next year for a fee of up to €30 million, according to Juve's website, and it seems a number of other clubs are in turn willing to invest heavily in the 23-year-old, meaning Saturday's could have been his last game for Juventus.

According to numerous reports—including one from Matt Law of the Telegraph—Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain would all like to sign Morata when the transfer window opens and hand Real Madrid a quick profit.

Álvaro Morata ✔ ‎@AlvaroMorata
¡¡CAMPEONES!!


The player himself refused to comment on the speculation after his cup-winning goal, instead telling Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia) that he preferred to focus on the forthcoming UEFA European Championship and “not even think about the future.”

Juventus director Beppe Marotta recently told reporters (h/t Jack de Menezes of the Independent) that “keeping Morata at the club is an important objective for us,” On Saturday night in Rome, when the Bianconeri were struggling, he once again showed why he is so coveted.

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Álvaro Morata 110'



Coppa Italia TIM - Final
Saturday, May 21st, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Olimpico Stadium, Rome
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi



Chiellini: Juventus' champion
qualities shone through


The Bianconeri defender was over the moon with his side's win as they sealed the double
at the expense of Milan, while praising the side's attitude in a tough match.


b7csxc.jpg


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-a/2016/05/22/23817842/-?


May 22, 2016

Giorgio Chiellini feels Juventus' "champion qualities" made the difference as they clinched a domestic double with Saturday's Coppa Italia win over AC Milan.

A single Alvaro Morata goal helped Juve to victory, making them the first side to win Serie A and the Coppa Italia in consecutive seasons.

Milan enjoyed the lion's share of the game's best chances in normal time, but Chiellini believes the champions' spirit got them over the line.

"We knew that it would be a difficult match," Chiellini told the official Juventus website.

"We didn't play a great game, but we kept our focus right until the final whistle, putting in a colossal effort to stay in the game and eventually showing our true champion qualities by applying the final blow late on.

"As always, it's a great feeling to win. This success boils down to our strength as a side and the fact that we've paid great attention to every step of our Coppa Italia campaign.

"We believed from the outset that we could go all the way in every competition this term and we've managed that on two out of three fronts."

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5 Things for Juventus Fans to Look
Forward to in 2016/17 Season


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641825-5-things-for-juventus-fans-to-look-forward-to-in-201617-season?


May 23, 2016

While the 2015/16 season did not start well for Juventus, the campaign ended in the best possible fashion on Saturday evening, as the Bianconeri lifted the Coppa Italia for the second consecutive year.

That 1-0 victory over AC Milan meant the Turin giants had become the first Italian club to clinch a domestic double in successive seasons, but even before leaving Rome's Stadio Olimpico, coach Massimiliano Allegri was already focusing on next term.

"We've now won three trophies this season, an achievement which leads me to thank the players, the club and the fans, who've been extraordinary again tonight," he told reporters at a press conference shortly after lifting the Coppa Italia on Sunday.

"We now look forward to the next campaign, which will present new challenges," the Juve boss continued, and what follows here—in no particular order—is a focus on five things for supporters to look forward to when the 2016/17 season gets underway.


A Growing Young Nucleus

As already mentioned, the 2015/16 season saw Juventus make a woeful start to the campaign, taking just five points from their opening six Serie A fixtures. They would fight back and begin to win with remarkable consistency, but one of the major reasons for those early struggles should not be repeated next term.

The squad underwent a major overhaul last summer, but this time around, it is likely to remain stable and contains a promising core of young players who have now become fully accustomed to the pressure of life with the Old Lady.

Paul Pogba finished the season strongly and is still just 23 years old, often finding himself in a starting XI featuring Paulo Dybala (22) and Alvaro Morata (23). The future of the Spain international remains unclear—and was discussed in this previous post—but Juventus are further bolstered by Daniele Rugani (21), Stefano Sturaro (23) and Mario Lemina (22).


A Settled Paulo Dybala

As part of that growing young nucleus, Dybala made an incredible impact in his debut season with Juventus, as the 22-year-old weighed in with a team-high 19 goals and nine assists in 34 Serie A appearances.

Next year promises to bring even more from the Argentina international, who will need no time to adjust to playing with a new group of team-mates or settling in a new city when the 2016/17 campaign begins.


A Better Start

Those two aforementioned factors should combine to allow a smoother start next season, with Juventus far more likely to resemble the side that won 25 of their 26 league games from the end of October rather than the one that suffered those early jitters.


The Champions League

Having beaten Manchester City both home and away, Juventus' loss to Sevilla in their final UEFA Champions League group-stage outing allowed the English club to pip them to top spot in the standings.

That in turn meant the Bianconeri were unseeded in the knockout rounds, drawing Bayern Munich in the last 16, where—despite giving a good account of themselves—they were eventually eliminated by the Bavarian giants.

Supporters will hope that gives the team an extra incentive to improve their performances in European football's elite competition next term, which will undoubtedly be something to look forward to in the 2016/17 season.


The Joy of Six?

Finishing comfortably ahead of their domestic rivals, Juventus once again won the Serie A title, crowned champions for the fifth consecutive season to further underline their dominance on the Italian peninsula.

While the most recent was nothing like a procession, a sixth straight Scudetto would see the Bianconeri set a new record, which is a prospect their fanbase would undoubtedly relish.

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5 Things Learned from Juventus' 2015/16 Season


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2641831-5-things-learned-from-juventus-201516-season?


May 25, 2016

Another year, another domestic double. Juventus enjoyed a hugely successful 2015/16 season, becoming the first side to claim both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia in consecutive campaigns.

That level of dominance over their rivals on the peninsula gives supporters of the Bianconeri a number of reasons to look forward to action resuming next term, some of which was discussed in this previous post.

However, in order to progress and improve, the team must learn from their recent past and what follows here is a look at five things which coach Massimiliano Allegri and his players will have learned from this season.


They Can Win Serie A Even from a Desperate Position

Much has been said and written about Juve's poor start to 2015/16, taking just five points from their opening six games and still struggling after 10 rounds of Serie A action.

Indeed, as they headed into the Turin derby on October 31, the Bianconeri sat in 12th place and were 12 points behind the leaders.

They would go on to win that clash with city rivals Torino, and then racked up a club-record 15 consecutive victories to catapult themselves back into title contention.

Making up such a deficit was an incredible feat, and one which showed Juventus that they will always have the opportunity to fight back should they ever fall behind again.


Too Much Turnover Is Unhealthy

Losing Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez was always likely to cause problems for Juventus, robbing them of three players who had been such integral parts of the club's success in recent seasons.

Yet beyond that trio, the Bianconeri also sold or released a number of other squad members, including Angelo Ogbonna, Marco Storari and Fernando Llorente. That in turn led a raft of new signings, with no fewer than 11 players making their club debuts during the 2015/16 Serie A campaign.

As the new-look team grew accustomed to one another, that turnover was undoubtedly a major factor in their early struggles, reinforcing the belief that too many changes robbed the side of cohesion.


Topping Champions League Group Is Vital

Unseeded in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, Juventus drew Bayern Munich and—despite giving a good account of themselves—were eventually eliminated by the Bavarian giants in the last 16.

But, having beaten Manchester City both home and away, Juve's loss to Sevilla in their final group-stage outing allowed the English club to pip them to top spot in the standings, showing the importance of winning the group and thus facing an easier opponent in the first knockout round.


They Need a Backup to Stephan Lichtsteiner

While Juventus repeatedly displayed the depth and versatility of their squad in 2015/16, right-back arguably remains the one position where the options available to Massimiliano Allegri are woefully thin.

Juan Cuadrado can fill in for Stephan Lichtsteiner as a wing-back in the 3-5-2 formation, but should they switch to a back four then a more orthodox alternative will be needed.

The success in developing Alex Sandro as Patrice Evra's understudy on the left provides a perfect template, and it is something the club should look to replicate on the opposite flank this summer.


A Creative Spark Is Needed

As discussed in this previous post, a number of matches this term have shown that Juventus lack creativity throughout the side, with perhaps only Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Paul Pogba capable of breaking open a tight game.

That should show the need to find a player to add to that small group, with significant investment surely needed in order to place another high-level match-winner at Massimiliano Allegri's disposal in 2016/17.

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Juventus 2015-16 Season Ratings:
The Goalkeepers


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/26/11681188/juventus-2015-16-season-ratings-the-goalkeepers-gianluigi-buffon-neto


May 26, 2016

This will be the fourth season in a row that I've done the season ratings for Juventus' group of goalkeepers. Every time I do so, I know it's going to be centered around Gigi Buffon. And because you all are smart, you know it will be centered around Gigi Buffon. It's inevitable. It's the unique position where one guy plays the vast majority of the games and absolutely nobody has any kind of objection to it.

Buffon is No. 1 on the roster, and, for a lot of us, also No. 1 in our hearts.

That's just how it is, how it's been and how it will continue to be.

This season didn't start out with all the Buffon celebrations we've become so accustomed to over the years. Without a doubt, it was a struggle. Yet, when things clicked, things really did click. And come the end of the season, when we look at the final stats, they resemble just about every other season he's had over this current five-year title run. The route to get there was one we hope that Juventus never go down for quite some time, but thanks to a historic shutout streak and more of his age-defying works of goalkeeping art, Buffon had another Buffon-like season.

He continued to work wonders just when you thought we might be cursing at our televisions and/or laptops because it seemed like Juventus might be allowing another goal.

It was, well, just another chapter in this storied career Buffon is having. And knowing that he's planning on retiring come the end of the 2017-18 season, we need to cherish them for as long as we can.

 

Gianluigi Buffon - 9.0

BREAKING NEWS: Gigi Buffon has nicknames like 'Superman' and 'God' because he is very good at what he does. And this season was no different. He was brilliant even when his team wasn't. Then when Juve did figure its collective s--- out in Serie A come the start of November, Buffon only continued to provide big save after big save even when he pretty much stood around with nothing to do for the other 85 or so minutes during any given Serie A match. It allowed him rack up shutouts at a crazy rate. And it allowed him to become the guy who set the record for consecutive minutes without allowing a league goal.

It was great. All of it. Just because nobody deserves it more.

 

First, some stats (Serie A only), because stats are cool.

Games played: 35

Shots faced: 88

Shots saved: 72

Save percentage: 81.8

Clean sheets: 21

Pretty good, you know? Makes you want to celebrate a little bit...

I'll just go ahead and give you more context to those numbers above right here: Six of those 16 Serie A goals Buffon allowed this season came in his first six starts. That means, for the next 29 league games he played in, Buffon allowed all of 10 goals. TEN GOAL, PEOPLE, TEN FLIPPIN' GOALS. Only one of those 21 clean sheets came during that six-game stretch to open Buffon's season, too. So what does all of this mean?

It means two things that we have come to know very well.

Juventus' defense was an absolute mess in the first two months of the season.
If it weren't for Buffon's saves — especially early in the season as Juve's defense searched for any kind of groove and semblance of form — those numbers could have been a lot, lot worse.
Outside of maybe — and that's a decently-sized maybe — Paulo Dybala, I don't think there was one Juventus player who was as incredibly good from the first game of the season to the last like Buffon was. Hell, name me more than a couple games in the last two or three seasons where Buffon wasn't at his best. It's one thing to be a consistent producer, it's another to be consistently amazing like Buffon was once again this past season. That's nothing new to us, obviously. We've been seeing it for the better part of the last 13 or 14 years.

But it's still remarkable to think that at the age of 38, Buffon is still one of the most important players on the Juventus roster. Before he announced that 2018 will be his last go of it, Buffon always maintained that he will only continue to play on if he felt like he was physically able to do so.

Gosh-dang I love this guy. He's so freaking awesome.


Neto - 7.0

Like I always used to say when it came to Marco Storari, it's hard to truly measure the value of the backup goalkeeper because we really do see so little of them on the field. It was no different for Neto this season. He made his first official Juventus appearance on Sept. 23 and the didn't appear in a game for another three months. Thus is the life of the backup goalkeeper, folks. You know exactly what you're getting into when you sign up for the job — especially when it comes to being the understudy to somebody like Buffon.

How do we evaluate Neto's first year with Juve? It was good. Really solid, actually. He wasn't spectacular, but mainly because he wasn't needed to do such things. He made some good saves, sure, but would you put his performances on Buffon level? Probably not.

You look at the six goals he allowed in his eight appearances in all competitions this season, and five of them came in two games — the 3-0 loss to Inter in the Coppa Italia and the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hellas Verona when the Scudetto was already clinched. Other than that, it was next to nothing getting past Neto — and that's exactly what you want from your backup.

Definitely a good first season as Juve's backup goalkeeper. And considering there's bound to be more rumors about his status at the club this summer, we'll see if there's a second season with Juve come the close of the summer transfer window.


Rubinho - s/v

Another season of winning more titles than appearances in games. Not a bad gig for a guy to have year-in and year-out, ya know.


Emil Audero - s/v

Called up for a relatively decent portion of the season to be Juve's No. 3 goalkeeper in either Neto's or Rubinho's respective absences. He obviously wasn't needed or even came close to actually playing, but to see him included in the Scudetto celebration after the season finale was cool to see.

Depending on Juventus' situation with homegrown players on the roster next season, maybe the 19-year-old Audero becomes the regular No. 3 goalkeeper. If that's not the case, maybe a loan spell is on the horizon. It does seem like the club thinks highly of him. And it sure would be nice to see a couple of players come through the youth system and become a full-time senior squad member, that's for sure.


POLL

What rating would you give Gianluigi Buffon this season?


1% 7 (2 votes)
0% 7.5 (1 vote)
1% 8 (2 votes)
2% 8.5 (6 votes)
15% 9 (37 votes)
33% 9.5 (81 votes)

48% 10 (119 votes)

248 votes total

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FIVE CONTENDERS FOR JUVENTUS’
GOAL OF THE SEASON


http://www.juvefc.com/five-contenders-juventus-goal-season/?


May 28, 2016

With the summer transfer market about to open and Euro 2016 approaching fast, it’s time to look back at Juventus’ amazing 2015/2016 season.

The Bianconeri scored 75 goals on their way to the Scudetto, but which goal was the best one of them all? I picked five contenders for Juve’s goal of the season!


Mario Mandzukic vs. Atalanta

On October 25, Juventus beat Atalanta 2-0 for only their third win of the season at that point. The Old Lady were still struggling but they showed a glimpse of what was about to come when Mario Mandzukic scored Juve’s second goal just after the break. A vertical pass by Claudio Marchisio, a touch of genius by Paul Pogba and a great cross by Paulo Dybala… Goal! A gorgeous attack by the Bianconeri.
 



Paul Pogba vs. Torino

Despite beating Atalanta, Juve suffered a 1-0 loss at Sassuolo. The Turin beast only woke up one game later. During the Derby della Mole against Torino, Pogba opened the scoring in the 19th minute of play with a stunning volley. Juan Cuadrado provided the assist, with Dybala leaving the ball for Juve’s number 10. POGBOOM!
 




Juan Cuadrado vs. Torino

However, Pogba’s volley was cancelled when Cesare Bovo equalised for Torino. The Juventus fans had to wait until the dying seconds of the game to witness another goal by the Bianconeri. A touch of class by Pogba, a solid decision by referee Gianluca Rocchi to not blow his whistle for a foul on Hernanes, a perfect cross by Alex Sandro and the Colombian was there to hit the game winner, which started Juve’s historical winning streak.
 




Simone Zaza vs. Napoli

After winning 14 Serie A games in a row, Juventus host Napoli for a battle at the top of Serie A. It wasn’t a great game to watch but the Bianconeri came away with the win and jumped to first place in the standings for good. Simone Zaza scored the game’s only goal with a huge hit from outside the box just two minutes before the final whistle.
 




Paulo Dybala vs. Sassuolo

At this point in the season, Juventus were clicking on all cylinders. Dybala had established himself as the Bianconeri’s key players and was sitting at 13 goals, among them the game winners against Milan and Roma. However, the Argentine wasn’t done and scored his best goal of the season in a 1-0 revenge win against Sassuolo. Dybala set up a two-man attack with Cuadrado and finished it with a magnificent curling shot.
 




Here is Juve’s own top 10 selection:
 


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Juventus 2015-16 Season Ratings:
The Centrebacks


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/28/11799882/juventus-2015-16-season-ratings-the-centrebacks-chiellini-bonucci-barzagli-rugani


May 28, 2016

It would have been extremely difficult to type up these ratings had the 2015-16 season ended in October. Thankfully for Juventus, and much to the dismay of the other 19 teams in Serie A, the season is not three months long.

The Juventus defence was already being written off in the first few months of the season this year — tired, old, lackluster were some of the words that were used to describe a defence that formed the backbone of not only a four-time Serie A champion, but of the Italian national team of the past five years as well. The situation was so dire that the entire Juventus defence — Gigi Buffon included — was awarded the sarcastic Tapiro D’Oro trophy, which is awarded to a person or group of people who have have done something stupid, or just haven’t preformed to the level for which we are accustomed to.

It’s safe to say the entire peninsula was laughing at Juventus after years of dominance. And put yourselves in their shoes, it might be awhile before they are laughing again.

Flash forward to May and Juventus are Serie A and Coppa Italia champions with the centrebacks playing a key role in one of the most unlikely comebacks in the history of the league. Nobody would’ve predicted what transpired between November-May, but it is safe to say that without the play of the centrebacks — among other things — this season could’ve gone even further south extremely fast.

It’s tough to truly put ratings on the centrebacks because a) they're really good and b) they have one of the greatest keepers of all-time behind them who is always available to save the day when the BBC & Co. have an off day or play. Nevertheless, this group of players was phenomenal this year and you don’t keep 10 consecutive clean sheets by accident. Let’s face it, as much as Buffon receives all the accolades for clean sheets and defensive records, it certainly helps having this incredibly talented group of men in front of him.

Did I forget to mention Juve tied a record for least amount of goals conceded in a single season (20) matching the record of the great...Juventus of 2011/12.


Andrea Barzagli - 8.5

What can be said about Andrea Barzagli? You don’t get nicknamed "The Rock" and "Wallzagli" for just being okay on defence. Barzagli has been a pillar for years on the backline. I’m going to take this moment to kindly remind everyone that Marotta paid €300,000 for Barzagli’s transfer. €300,000! When you take into account the level of performance that Barzagli has played at for the past five years. This season in particular, Barzagli led the backline and contributed to the growth of future stalwart Daniele Rugani. There’s something to be said about a player like Barzagli who makes up for his lack of speed with superb positioning ability. It’s for this reason that Barzagli has played at such a high level even at the age of 35 and will probably continue to play at such a level until his retirement.

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
57% - #Juventus have kept a clean sheet in 71 of the 124 matches in which both #Buffon and #Barzagli played the full 90 minutes (57%). Wall.


Do you think Gigi likes playing with Barzagli? I sure do.


Leonardo Bonucci - 8.5

If it wasn't already clear that Bonucci has grown into a top European defender, the 2015-16 season put any doubt to bed. Whether it's his ability to lead the defence or his pinpoint long range passes that stretch out the other team's defence, Bonucci has proven he belongs on this historic Juve team. A player who literally emits the Juventus spirit and personality through his words and actions, he helped steer right the ship when it all looked lost (I'm going to repeat this at least one more time). His remarkable consistency and injury-free season was needed for Juve as it appeared that at least one player would go down to injury a week. His longevity in the teams lineup also contributed to Bonucci winning more games than any other Serie A defender this season.

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
6 - Bonucci won 27 league games last term, more than any other defender in the Serie A 15/16. Defender.


He also does cool stuff like this:



I'll admit my bias makes this the Juventus goal of the season for me, but only because I got to see it live!

Bonucci also made THE most critical interception of the season, in THE most critical game of the season. Things could've gone extremely different if it wasn't for this interception:




Giorgio Chiellini - 7.75

It was pretty difficult to rank Chiellini's season. When Chiello was on the field his quality and tenacity were as evident as ever, in fact if it wasn't for his injury streak this season Chiellini was as deserving of an 8.5 as Bonucci and Barzagli, but his inability to stay on the field affected that. Chiellini injury, Chiellini returns to lineup, Chiellini subbed after 30 mins. Rinse. Repeat. We've seen this before with Chiellini (cc: Euro 2012 final) a case can be made that Chiellini's aggressiveness and toughness are sometimes his downfall. His desire to always be on the field can sometimes contribute to his injuries not fully healing properly and thus, ending up in the infirmary again and again. Giorgio played 34 games overall this season, but only 21 in Serie A. His presence was missed this season, but it did open the door for the young Rugani to enter into the spotlight and learn the tricks of the trade with actual in game experience. Here's to hoping Giorgio can stay injury free in 2016-17 because Juve are going to need him if we are to accomplish a historic sixth straight Serie A title and maybe a big-eared prize.

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
2 - Since joining Juventus, Giorgio Chiellini has ended a Serie A campaign without scoring only on 2 occasions: in 05/06 and in 14/15. Stamp


And what a goal it was!




Daniele Rugani - 7.5

BREAKING NEWS: Daniele Rugani is susceptible to yellow cards!

After 53 career games, Rugani was finally booked this year. After an entire campaign with Empoli and almost an entire season with Juventus, Rugani finally saw yellow against Fiorentina, he followed that up by getting his next yellow card.. .the following game.

In all seriousness, this year was a little rocky to start for Rugani, but his ability to show for Juve as he got into 21 games this season in all competitions. As mentioned above, Chiellini's absence in the starting 11 provided Rugani with ample playing time in the second half of the season. His youth and inexperience did show at times throughout the season, but it was definitely made less evident having BBC and Gigi on his side to mask any deficiencies in his young career. Allegri's patience and calmness in working Rugani into the lineup was masterclass this season — similar to the work done with Morata last season and Dybala — and it's almost as if Allegri knows what he's doing? The sky is the limit for young Rugani and next season is an important one for a key cog in Juventus' future.


Martin Caceres - 6.5

Not much can be said about Caceres' season. His injury prone career has had many wondering what could've been for Martin and this season was no different. After suffering an Achilles tendon tear, Caceres Juventus season and career were ended simultaneously on Feb. 3. Caceres was certainly a likable player and got along with his teammates but what good are you to the team if you are always injured and unable to fill in when the 2nd string is supposed to fill in. Only 11 appearances in the 2015-16 season for Caceres in what was definitely his Juventus swan song. Beppe Marotta's recent comments to the media finally put his Juventus career to bed:

"Caceres closes his relationship with us on June 30.. He has always worked with professionalism, I don’t know where he'll go next."

It is safe to say that we wish Caceres the best of luck in his future endeavors after all his contribution to the rejuvenation of our beloved Old Lady and being a part of the pentachampions club. It goes without saying, however, that we hope Martin's career takes him outside of Italy, however unlikely, as it would be tough to see El Pelado in anything other than Black and White.


POLL

Who was the best Juventus centreback this season?

59% Leonardo Bonucci (38 votes)


38% Andrea Barzagli (24 votes)
3% Giorgio Chiellini (2 votes)
0% Daniele Rugani (0 votes)

64 votes total

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Five Juventus-related lessons from
the 2016 Champions League final


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/29/11807034/five-juventus-related-lessons-from-the-2016-champions-league-final


May 29, 2016

A few hours ago, Real Madrid won their 11th Champions League, a trophy Juventus have been coveting for years. Sure, there was no chance of winning it a few years ago, but thanks to the hard work of our management, coaches, and players, Juventus can aim for top European honours.

Last year, the Old Lady made it to the final, only to narrowly lose to one of the best teams that ever played the game. This year, Juventus were no more than five minutes away from eliminating Bayern Munich, but it wasn't to be. As a Juventino, I feel that we are close, and if we can fix some of our mistakes, and be a bit more lucky, we may get the trophy with the big ears.

So, without further ado...


Things I think I think, after the Champions League Final

1) Juventus needs champions. Juventus needs players that have walked the walk, players that know what it takes to win the Champions League and will anchor the team during those challenging moments. This is, of course, no guarantee. This year Patrice Evra, one of Juventus' most experienced players, made a crucial mistake in the Bayern game. Nevertheless, I honestly believe that our young team can benefit from some added experience. We have recently been linked with Mascherano and Dani Alves, and they would be a welcome addition to our team.

2) I'll take Domenico Berardi over Isco. Nevermind the cost, Isco at no less than €40 million and Berardi at €25 million, but there is so much more than that. Here are a few other things: Berardi is younger, Italian, more versatile, and in the last three seasons has contributed in a more consistent basis. Then there is the leadership aspect. Berardi at 21 is an undisputed quiet leader of Sassuolo. Isco has been with Madrid for years and seems happy riding on other's coattails. Is it easier to carry Sassuolo on your back than Real Madrid? Absolutely. But I just don't see the Spaniard as a player that will carry any team.

3) Danilo? No thanks. Juve certainly got the better fullback from Porto. Danilo was atrocious against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. Could he improve under Max Allegri? Sure. But if Alves is coming for free, I don't see how Danilo could even be considered.

4) Watching this Champions League Final should be mandatory for ALL Juventus players. One of Juventus' biggest issues has been confidence. Our players must watch this game critically and realize that they are in no way inferior to the teams that took to the field.

5) Álvaro Morata will do well to stay with the Bianconeri and the Old Lady will do well to keep him. Can anyone see Morata benching Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, or Gareth Bale? Not anytime soon. However, if he keeps his form at the end of the season, he can certainly carve himself some significant minutes with the Old Lady. The other teams where he could go won't be playing in Europe (Chelsea, Manchester United) or are inferior to Juventus (Arsenal). As far as Juventus is concerned, his speed, versatility and experience should not be underestimated.

This team is so close, fellow Bianconeri. A few good moves, a changed in mentality, continued growth from our stars, and a bit of luck and it could be us celebrating.

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Juventus 2015-16 Season Ratings:
The Wingbacks


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/29/11784794/juventus-2015-16-season-ratings-the-wingbacks-lichtsteiner-evra-alex-sandro-cuadrado


May 29, 2016

They were the roadrunners of Turin. Shapeshifters that transitioned from belligerent defenders to aggressive attackers and vice versa. Their curse was to run during every minute of the match, and that sacrifice helped the Old Lady to achieve the Scudetto and the Coppa Italia once again. Juventus' wingbacks aren't the most glamorous players, but they were essential.

Beppe Marotta failed to gift a trequartista with playmaking skills to Max Allegri. That's the reason the Livornian coach turned to the 3-5-2 formation during most parts of the 2015-16 season.

The equation was easy: if the bianconeri wanted to play with the 3-5-2, their wingbacks needed to dominate the flanks. If they failed to accomplish such mission, Juventus would be in deep troubles. It was as simple as that.

Luckily, Juventus had a solid and heterogeneous cast of players that managed the position with composure. Let's take a look at their season ratings.


Stephan Lichtsteiner - 7.5

The Swiss Express won his fifth Scudetto in a row with the bianconeri and completed another solid season. It's true that he had his lowest goals and assists total as a Juventus player, but it's undeniable that the departure of a certain bearded maestro affected his numbers. At the beginning of the season, Steiner was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia. He needed a surgery procedure and was out of action for over a month. He returned just in time to help his side to comeback in Serie A.

Stephan was arguably the most balanced wingback in Juventus roster. He attacked with fury and defended with poise; however, he sometimes failed to choose the right play on offense. Lichtsteiner hasn't lost a step despite being on the wrong side of 30. He'll continue to be one of Juventus' pillars in the years to come.


Patrice Evra - 7

Uncle Pat is a true leader in this Juventus squad. When the team suffered a slump in the early stages of the season, he helped the younger players to stay positive and calm. That's why you could never measure Evra's influence with statistics. The 35-year-old Frenchman made 35 appearances in all competitions this season and scored twice. He also performed occasionally as a center back. Patrice is the kind of veteran that uses his head to compete.

The problem with Patrice is that he can no longer contend with the European elite. As you remember, he struggled against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (by the way, a lot of people went completely ballistic with him after the match in Allianz Arena). Evra can handle seamlessly most of his competition in Serie A, but he'll pass the torch to Alex Sandro sooner than later.


Juan Cuadrado - 7

Juan Guillermo's dribbling skills were electric, but occasionally he was an anarchic player. Cuadrado had adaptation problems at the beginning of the season. He had a terrible 2014-15 with Chelsea and arrived in Turin rusty. He used to retain the ball excessively and performed a lot of erratic passes during the first half of Serie A. Then, Allegri used his magic and gave the Colombian discipline and confidence. That's why Cuadrado's game grew in the second half.

Cuadrado was the protagonist of at least three important goals for the Old Lady. He scored against Torino in the final minutes of the Derby della Mole to give his squad the victory, that game was one of the turning points of this past season. Later, he finished coolly an incredible play by Álvaro Morata against Bayern Munich (...and I don't want to say anything more about that game). Finally, he assisted Morata who scored the winning goal in the Italian cup final.

It looks like Cuadrado is returning to Chelsea this summer, as Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Colombian. Still, I have a hunch that a Cuadrado's comeback to Stamford Bridge would finish awfully. I really hope he stays in Vinovo.


Alex Sandro - 8

The Brazilian powerhouse was another mercato jewel for Juventus. He can be considered "the Cristian Molinaro's antithesis". Sandro's crosses were dreamlike and he was a force of nature in the left flank. The 25-year-old Brazilian made 27 appearances, he scored two goals and had four assists. Sandro's potential is extremely high. Yet, he was a little bit cocky on defense occasionally. He's a terrific athlete, but he needs to have a better awareness of his defensive assignations.

Alex Sandro is the present and the future of Juventus. Next season, he should have the lion's share of playing time on the left flank.


Mauricio Isla - s/v

"El Huaso" played nine minutes in the first match of the season before Olympique de Marseille signed him on loan. I believe he'll fulfill his dream of playing for Real Madrid shortly.

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May’s Monthly Juventus Thoughts:
Here Comes The Sun


If April wasn’t already quiet, then May certainly was,
after all the fun and partying, a snoozer...


http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/30/11800620/may-s-monthly-juventus-thoughts-here-comes-the-sun


May 30, 2016

Honestly, I struggled to find topics to write about for this post due to the lack of meaningful action in May. Besides the historic but super-tense Coppa Italia victory, there were only a few exhibition-style games that had a largely party atmosphere to them (except, of course, for that one special game). But after the rollercoaster season that was 2015-16, I think the players thoroughly deserved a gentle lullaby; after the awesome Scudetto-Coppa celebrations, of course!


Much ado about nothing

There’s no doubt that this month was extremely useful for one thing — gaining valuable insights about the fringe players of Juventus. As valuable as these insights are, they are equally dangerous. I compare the situation to that of international friendlies: Everybody wants to form conclusions about players based on these games, mostly because these are rare occasions where we get to see them play, but we are equally aware that these are merely friendly games.

Not only are they a very small sample size, but there’s also simply nothing at stake. Likewise, here we saw players that we don’t see that often — like Kwadwo Asamoah, Stefano Sturaro, and Roberto Pereyra — play in a small sample of games where many of us were quick to form judgments about them, some fair and some unfair, but were also somewhat aware that these games were probably not suitable barometers for how (in?)adequate the Juventus backup players are.

The truth is, people may see things differently, but they don't really want to.
Don Draper, Mad Men


But what else can we do? Can we extrapolate these findings to the players in general? Or should we restrain from any definitive judgment for now? Many of these players got some decent playing time but I think it’s fair to say that they failed to impress. Given that the transfer window is just around the corner, squad assessments are being made and transfer targets are being drawn up so the timing is really rather unfortunate. But if Juventus wants to remain a part of the European elite of football clubs, we cannot afford any passengers; every player must be an A-player.


We all have a price

It has been a season to forget for Asamoah, one of the veteran servants and most dearly-loved members of the squad. One injury after the other has robbed him of playing time and form due to which he really had no memorable impact on the team this season. It was no surprise then to read the rumours about his potential departure as good ol’ Antonio Conte is reportedly interested in his services.

It saddens me to say this, but when I thought about the scenario of Asamoah departing for a very handsome fee, I thought heck, everybody has a price. I really like Asamoah; I mean, who doesn’t? He seems like such a decent fellow and is very much part of the Juventus family now after his multiple years of service. He seems like the type of guy you just love to have around in a group. As a fan, you often form emotional ties with certain players, and for me Kwadwo is one of those players. So it feels like a form of emotional betrayal to consider him so dispensable. But such is life, and such is football. The benefits of receiving north of €25 million for him surely far outweigh the mostly emotional costs of seeing him go. Whatever happens though, the memories will always remain.

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.
Oscar Wilde



One of us

JD made a great point about an issue that might affect the upcoming transfer window: UEFA’s homegrown player quota. The issue fascinated me so I decided to do some research on it to see how it could apply to Juventus. After snooping around on the UEFA website, I managed to find the 100-page list of regulations and the part referring to player registration. Here are the two most important parts from page 40 of the document:

As a minimum, eight places are reserved exclusively for "locally-trained players" and no club may have more than four "association-trained players" listed on these eight places on List A… A "club-trained player" is a player who, between the age of 15 (or the start of the season during which he turns 15) and 21 (or the end of the season during which he turns 21), and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons (i.e. period starting with the first official match of the relevant national championship and ending with the last official match of that relevant national championship) or of 36 months.

An "association-trained player" is a player who [repeat conditions for club-trained players except] has been registered with a club or with other clubs affiliated to the same association as that of his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.

First of all, it’s important to point out that it is irrelevant where the players are from as this would violate EU laws of discrimination on the basis of nationality. So how does Juventus stand in light of this ruling in preparation for next season? Well, we have an abundance of association-trained players, as most other clubs probably do as well: Gigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Sturaro… and the list goes on. The issue is obviously the club-trained players, which is what people most commonly think of when they say homegrown players (myself included until I wrote this piece).

Let’s start with two slightly confusing cases: Daniele Rugani and Paul Pogba. Juventus have owned Rugani since he was 18 years old. This is the first season that he has actually started playing for the senior team, but assuming that he was still registered at Juventus while he was at Empoli for his loan/co-ownership, he should qualify as a CTP. Pogba, however, is a tricky one. He has been at the club since he was 19 years old but turned 22 in his third season at the club. If I understand the rules correctly, this means that he does not qualify as a CTP (had he turned 21 in his third season, he would have counted). Primavera goalkeeper Emil Audero is certainly a CTP so no problems there, while Claudio Marchisio obviously qualifies as well, but due to his grave injury, probably won’t be registered in the Champions League player list for the group stages.

You might be thinking, who cares? Well, the point of all of this is how this will affect the transfer window, if at all. Do we register Marchisio even though he would miss half of the group stages? Do we promote more Primavera players to the first squad instead of purchasing externally? Am I just an idiot that doesn’t know how to read and this entire thing is actually a non-issue?

Sidenote: Who knew that Audero was born in Indonesia and has dual-nationality? His full-name is in fact Emilio Audero Mulyadi. The things you learn, right? Thank you, Transfermarkt.com!


Can I kick it?

Given that the season has ended, I would like to encourage you all to step up and write quality guest posts like those of JD last month for the blog as well, if you so desire. The greater the variety of opinions and perspectives, the more fruitful and colorful discussions can be had on the blog. Other than transfer dealings, things are a bit quieter on the blog than during the season. So just get in touch with Danny and show us what you can do!


Finally, I would like to thank every single one of you for being part of the family on the blog for the 2015-16 season. As crazy and intense as this season was, it is always an absolute pleasure for me to experience all the emotional highs and lows of La Vecchia Signora with you all AND be allowed to air all my unusual ramblings on a monthly basis. Add to that the fascinating, although sometimes a bit heated, discussions in the comments section and I can say that it’s always an honour! Grazie a tutti!

Onwards and upwards it is then to the next season!

Fino alla fine, Forza Juventus!

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'Juventus have what it takes
to win the Champions League' - Vialli


The ex-Chelsea boss - who captain the Bianconeri to their last European success in 1996
- feels recent performances on the continent should give Massimiliano Allegri confidence.


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/champions-league/2016/05/30/24096172/-?


May 30, 2016

Former Juventus striker Gianluca Vialli believes the Serie A champions now have what it takes to go on and win the Champions League next season.

Massimiliano Allegri's side reached the final of the competition in 2015, but fell at the last-16 stage this season after a dramatic defeat to Bayern Munich as Real Madrid went onto win the tournament's final in Milan.

But Vialli - who captained the Bianconeri to the Champions League title in 1996 - believes the Turin outfit are very close to replicating that success after going toe-to-toe with Europe's best over the past few campaigns.

"I don’t think there is anything missing for Juventus to challenge Real Madrid," Vialli told Goal. "I think they have got the confidence now, the experience.

"They believe they belong to the elite of European football so believe in yourself is fundamental. They lost to an unbeatable Barcelona side, this year they went out with Bayern Munich but they were 30 seconds from knocking them out so I think that they are there or thereabouts with the rest of the top clubs in Europe."

Vialli's triumph 20 years ago was the last time Juve won Europe's premier club competition, but after five successive Scudetto wins there is a feeling it is time Allegri's squad took the next step and stamped their mark on continental football.

But ex-Chelsea boss Vialli is under no lillusions as to how difficult it is to win the trophy and stresses that luck with injuries and suspensions can play a key role.

"In the Champions League it is difficult because it is a matter of details and sometimes one week you play fantastic football for the whole season but that particular week you have got a couple of injuries, players suspended, you are not in top form and you get knocked out.

"You are still a great club but the Champions League is particularly difficult."

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Juventus 2015-16 Season Ratings:

The Midfielders

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/5/31/11813204/juventus-2015-16-season-ratings-the-midfielders-pogba-khedira-marchisio

 

May 31, 2016

Marco Tardelli, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Laudrup...Davide Baiocco. Those are just some of the illustrious names that have pulled on those black and white stripes and gracefully strutted their stuff for the Bianconeri (or ran around like a headless chicken in Baiocco's case).

After the departures of long-term cogs in the midfield engine, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, there was a giant question mark over the future of the Juventus midfield. Sami Khedira was the marque signing last summer. Mario Lemina, signed on loan with an option to buy from Olympique Marseille, was an unknown quantity to most. Then came the unexpected late signing of Brazilian playmaker Hernanes, after failing to secure the signature of a top-class trequartista.

To say that the season started off rocky would be an understatement. A lack of familiarity, injuries to key players, and poor form all combined to make the decision to let Pirlo leave and sell Vidal to Bayern Munich look like one of Giuseppe Marotta's biggest mistakes. But as players came back, and the midfield became more settled, things started to have that familiar feel as the midfield ran like the well-oiled machine that we'd become used to for so long.

Paul Pogba -€” 8.5

The mercurial Frenchman took over the iconic No. 10 shirt after Carlos Tevez's exit in the summer. After an underwhelming start to the season, where it appeared that the weight of that jersey bore on young Paul Labile, Pogba finally seemed to come to grips with his new increased responsibility. Unsurprisingly, this happened in the derby game versus Torino, which was when Juve's season effectively turned the corner.

Statistics wise, this was his best season in Juve colours, hitting double figures in both goals and assists in all competitions. He scored some brilliant goals (my favourite was this beaut against Chievo), displayed the skills that have made him one of the hottest properties on the transfer market, and developed an adorable bro-mance with Paulo Dybala. He still needs to become more imperious in European competition (only one goal and two assists in this season's Champions League), but this will come with time.

Sami Khedira -€” 7.5

Despite a continuation of his renowned injury problems, Khedira had an encouraging first season with the Bianconeri. He was brought in to add experience and his dynamism to the midfield, effectively replacing Vidal. He made twenty-five appearances across all competitions, and scored five goals and provided four assists.

Only 29 years old, Khedira still has some good years at the top level to give to Juventus, even with his persistent injuries. He can be an important cog for the future successes, as Sami has pretty much done it all, as a World Cup and Champions League winner.

Claudio Marchisio -€” 7

A season that started with injury problems for Il Principino, ended in the same vein. Like Pogba, Marchisio lost long time midfield partners and seemed to struggle a bit at the start of the campaign. But as the season progressed, Claudio, again like Pogba, came into his own and was consistent if unspectacular.

With the loss of Pirlo, Marchisio was permanently the team's new deep-lying playmaker. While he clearly does not have the quality of Pirlo, he does have decent vision and passing range. His statistics are not amazing —€” only two assists all seasons — but his abilities aid to keep play moving and he can play key passes that lead to goals. No goals this season was disappointing, but that has never truly been Claudio's role on the team and it's even harder with him playing further from goal, and he doesn't take set pieces.

His season-ending injury was the second ACL injury of his career. At 30 years old, one wonders how this may affect his abilities going forward. Here's to hoping an injury free one next season.

Mario Lemina -€” 6.5

The Gabonese international was very much an unknown when he was signed on loan from Olympique Marseille last summer. Personally, I'd only seen him a few times in action for the French club, and was never particularly impressed. But, here he was.

An injury-blighted first season, Mario did put in commendable performances when he got the chances, so much so that Marotta took the option to sign the young midfielder on a permanent basis. A tenacious, hard-working, box-to-box midfielder, Mario is also quite skilful and can make a defender look silly when needs be. Two goals (including a brilliant solo effort against Atalanta) in fourteen games is a pretty good return.

Looking forward to more from this youngster, once he can maintain consistent fitness.

Kwadwo Asamoah -€” 6

Another injury stunted campaign (this seems to be following a familiar theme) for the Ghanian resulted in a mere thirteen appearances between Serie A and the Coppa Italia. More often than not this season, he was deployed in his more usual midfield role to solid but unspectacular results.

If reports are to be believed, there is some interest in Kwadwo's services; most notably from Chelsea where he could reunite with former boss Antonio Conte. Marotta and co. will have to decide whether they want to continue with Asamoah, and give him the time to get back to being the force he was when he first joined, or to move him on and make something back from their investment. If it was me, given he's going to be twenty-eight this year, I'd move him on and reinvest that in a better younger version.

Stefano Sturaro -€” 6

The first full season for the mediano from Liguria saw some more playing time but pretty much the same in terms of performances. He had a couple standout performances, most notably when he came on against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of sixteen and added much needed energy and scored the equalising goal. Unfortunately, when he came on in the second leg of that tie, he did not have the same level of performance and even skied a sitter in extra time.

A good player to have as a backup, or as a tactical ploy, but he may probably be nothing more than that. Or I could be totally wrong and he could turn out to be the best midfielder in the world. Who knows?

Roberto Pereyra -€” 5.5

Blah blah blah injury-ravaged season blah blah blah didn't fully recognise potential yada yada yada. Sigh.

Pereyra's injury troubles meant we played without a trequartista for most of the season, and therefore mainly deployed 3-5-2. When he did play, the Argentine was average for the most part, rarely showing any moments of brilliance.

There are currently reports that West Ham are interested in the midfielder; another player who could possibly leave and be replaced (honestly, I've never really been a fan; for an attacking midfielder, his goals and assists output is far from impressive).

Hernanes -€” 5

Needless to say, the aging Brazilian is not who most Juve fans had in mind when we were thinking about possible signings for trequartista. But, that's who we got. C'est la vie.

Hernanes' Juventus career did not start out terribly. A decent display covering for the injured Marchisio against Manchester City gave some reason for hope. However, subsequent to that one game things went downhill. Remember that dumb tackle against Borussia Moenchengladbach that left us down to ten men? No? Well let me remind you!

A decent passing range and he has arguably performed better playing deeper than behind the strikers, but other than being able to do the slowest step-over you'll ever see, nothing moves you about watching Hernanes play (even his set piece deliveries were woeful).

At 31 years old, there is not much upside. He could do better next season, or he could do worse, or he could be the same. Who cares? Can Juventus sell him already? Bidone.

Simone Padoin -€” s/v

As great as he may be, didn't play in the midfield much this season.

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Juventus 2015-16 Season Ratings:

The Forwards

 

Jun 1, 2016

Juventus' striker department saw the biggest overhaul last summer. Gone were Carlos Tevez, Alessandro Matri, Fernando Llorente and Kingsley Coman. In came Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala and Simone Zaza. Hard to believe that Álvaro Morata was Juventus' most "senior" player up front.

That is probably why Juventus had such a hard time scoring goals in the opening matches. Dybala was not physically ready, Mandzukic missed three out of the first seven matches, and so with all the others, there was some fine tuning to be done.

As time went by, Mandzukic recovered and was able to insert his physical presence into the team, Dybala bulked up and found his strength dropping deep and running into defenders, Zaza carved himself a spot as a supersub, and Morata managed to get out of his funk as the season progressed. To this day, I am sure Massimo Moratti paid Morata's girlfriend to break-up with him. I don't put anything pass that guy, but I digress.

So let's see how they fared.

Simone Zaza - 7.5

The newest Italian addition to the front line did the best he could with the limited minutes he was afforded. Over the season he played 693 minutes, starting in merely five games in Serie A, three in Coppa Italia, and coming on as a substitute in 14 Serie A matches and two Champions League games. After all was said and done, Zaza scored eight goals and recorded two assists. That is one goal scoring contribution every 69.3 minutes.

Sure, some of the goals came when the games were already over, but other goals were pivotal. His goal to finish off Sevilla at home comes to mind; and, of course, the game-winning goal against Napoli.

He loses points for his hot head — nine yellow cards and one red card in such few minutes. Most importantly, most of these cards were unnecessary. Unlike some other players, Zaza was determined to make an impression every time he took on the field and I can appreciate that. I hope Juve get to keep him this summer, but if an offer of €30 million or more comes by, I wouldn't fault the management if they choose to sell.

Alvaro Morata - 7.5

Some may think this is low, since he almost got Juve to the Champions League quarterfinals, and won the Coppa Italia, but my biggest issue with him was his consistency. Morata played almost 2,000 minutes in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and assisting nine times. On paper, that looks good. However, he has seven goals from 1,450 Serie A minutes and  scored only five Serie A goals in 2016. For a center forward that is just not enough. His upside is. of course, his Champions League record — two goals and two assists in very important matches. Nevertheless, I think his style of play will really help Juventus as we look to win the Champions League next season.

One last thing not related to his numbers but to his style of play. Lately, he falls at every slight touch making his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression. I have never been a fan of that kind of player. C'mon, Alvaro, that crap won't fly in Italy.  Stand up and shape up.

Mario Mandzukic - 8.0

Apparently Max Allegri really wanted him at Juventus — and I can see why. Mario is such a boss, keeping defenses occupied while others score the goals. His strength and dedication more than makes up his slow speed. In over 2,600 minutes he has scored 13 goals and recorded six assists. Although his numbers are comparable to Morata's, he gets an extra 0.5 for being such a presence and being Juve's first line of defense. Also, unlike Morata, if you want to take down Mario, you have to stab him with a machete. It was unfortunate he played his worst match against Bayern, likely due to injury. His lack of speed allowed the Germans to push us closer and eventually win the match. If Juventus get players that can provide more service to the Croatian — I am looking at you, Domenico Berardi — I can see him bagging over 15 goals next season.

Paulo Dybala - 8.5

When Juventus paid €40 million for him, I was concerned. Two years ago, Juventus' management seemed ready to pay a large sum for Juan Iturbe, but the player ended up at Roma, calling this move a poor investment would be a huge understatement. Dybala could have turned out to be the same, after all his €40 million price tag was justified as an investment for the future. As such, you would think that he may bag 10-15 goals in his first season.

Instead, he scored 23 goals in all competitions and was one of the most utilized players during the season. He developed a great understanding with Mandzukic and Paul Pogba. Moreover, he is a genuine kid, with both feet on the ground, amazing attitude and a desire to become the best. It is no surprise he gets along with Pogba so well. I would have given him a 9 if he had scored a few more goals in Europe. His one goal in Champions League after 420 minutes of play is too little for a player of his talent. If he can learn to shoot with both feet and bag a few more goals in Europe, he will be coveted by every team. Thankfully, he seems happy to call Turin home for the foreseeable future.

Andrea Favilli - s.v.

One minute of match time is too little. He is apparently going on loan to some Serie B club next season. Hopefully I will be giving him a high rating in a few years after he comes back to Turin. One can only hope.

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Pavel Nedved: ‘Our next goal is

to win a 6th Scudetto’

http://www.juvefc.com/pavel-nedved-next-goal-win-6th-scudetto/?

 

Jun 5, 2016

Juventus director Pavel Nedved believes Juve can be competitive in Europe next season and sets a 6th successive scudetto as a target for the club.

Speaking to Czech magazine Ego, Nedved spoke at length about his day-to-day role at Juventus, his time in the national team as well as the upcoming EURO 2016 tournament.

EURO 2016 starts in few days, are you planning to go see some matches?

My summer plans are different, I’m going to be in the US.

Are you going to USA because of the Copa America or is it just your yearly holiday in Florida?

The season was very long and tiring so rest is needed. However, when Brazil will be playing a match, I will be visiting the stadium. I will be in touch with Paratici who is going to France. Of course, we have already began contacts with some players we are interested in. You have to do it earlier, before things get started. The tournament will be successful for some players while other will not play well. The price of those in form will rapidly grow.

You had a very successful EURO 1996 when your team made it all the way to the finals. Had Lazio bought you before the tournament it wouldn’t have cost them as much, right?

After a while, I found out that Zdenek Zeman wanted me long before the tournament had even started, but the club’s president Cragnotti didn’t believe him, so they waited for the EURO’s to start. Then, of course, my price went from half a milion to €3.5m. However, I was all ready for a move to PSV Eindhoven, there was already a preliminary agreement, but I ended up at Lazio.

How did it happen? Did Zeman contact you when you were in England (EURO 1996 took place in England) ?

He contanced me twice, it was all agreed on through my agent. Zeman convinced me.

Did you hesitate over whether moving from Sparta Prague to Lazio was the right decision?

I was convinced it would be better for me to take small steps. Like going to Netherlands first…. You know Zeman, he isn’t much of a talker, he emphasized the important. He told me I was ready to play in Italy and that he would prepare me for that. To be honest, I was a bit afraid to go straight to Italy but he convinced me. And I guess I’m glad he did.

When you were at the tournament, did you talk with Poborsky about the fact that you were talking with a Lazio coach while he was on the phone with Ferguson?

Not really, as the tournament was progressing, various information would emerge about a certain player in contact with Lazio, Manchester or Atletico. It was plesant. Though maybe it was for us, in that particular moment, too big, nobody could imagine what would happen if they ended up signing for a TOP team. It is too far in the past though…come on, it’s been 20 years (laughs)!

Many people are comparing your EURO 96 side with the current one where Czech Republic  will have many young players from Czech league. Do you see any similarities?

Of course, our players have nothing to lose, just like us. If they are hungry enough and they have the will to succeed I think they can go far.

The first match is against Spain. You can say that if they play that match 10 times, Spain would win 8 times and maybe there would be 1 draw or a win…

I think 9 out of 10 times, Spain would win…. but the one Czech win could come at this tournament. Our boys can enter the match with cooler heads than the opposition. They have to win whereas our players can only surprise. Spain can have also some players slightly fatiqued from a long season.

You know some of the players from Czech group very well. Did you speak with Morata or Mandzukic about the tournament?

We talked about it a lot, especially with Mario. Croats will be an extremely tough opponent, they have great players but they are very moody. They can have a day where they lose to Malta but they can sleep well and beat Brazil.

What about Turkey?

Their results are more constant than Croats but I think our team can play well against them. If there is the will, we can beat them.

Do today’s National Team players have the potential you had 20 years ago? Some say today’s players could only ‘wash your boots’…

I think it’s more like a tradition. Those before us were saying they were far better footballers than we were and that’s how it goes…Every generation has its own values, football changes, it evolves. It is nearly impossible to compare generations.

There are many examples from recent years when a young Czech player went from the Czech league to Bundesliga, they would end up on the bench or even in the stands. Many are saying it is due to lack of motivation. While Nedvěd wanted to become the best footballer in the world, many youngsters are now ok with having a lucrative contract and a shiny car. That’s enough for them. What is your opinion about it?

Of course, it is wrong mindset. You have to keep setting yourself higher goals. For example to become the best player in the team that you just joined. The right motivation is essential, you can’t do it without it.

Nowadays, many players are saying in pre-match interviews that they go onto pitch to have fun. We have never heard that from you.

That’s true. We didn’t go onto pitch to have fun, we went there to win. And if a player could enjoy the match while winning, it was a bonus. However, the main thing was the will to win the match.

Maybe that’s the difference between your generation and today’s one.

I don’t know… Though if I and my teammates wouldn’t step on the pitch with the intention of winning the match I certainly wouldn’t have fun. We wanted to win everytime. Even in friendlies. No discussion about it.

You are now a vice president in Juventus. How do you motivate players who have won the league 5 times in a row?

Winning 5 straight Scudetti wasn’t done in close to 80 years. But winning it 6 times in a row hasn’t ever been done! Obviously that’s our next goal. On top of that we also want to be successful in Europe. People say that yet again we won the Serie A, but this year it was extremely tough.

You experienced an awful start to the season. 3 wins in first 10 matches. What was going on in the club in that particular moment?

It is also worth mentioning what happened in the summer. In June we played a CL final and then 10 players from our squad went elsewhere including many key players like Pirlo, Vidal or Tevez who weren’t just great footballers but also important personalities and wonderful people. We tried to replace them. In the end it turned out we completed the squad well but the start was extremely difficult.

If the biggest Czech clubs were in the second half of table after 10 rounds, panic would prevail. What was happening at Juventus?

The main thing was the fact that we were all united. From Agnelli to Marotta we were all in strong agreement that we would back coach Allegri and not make a change. We knew difficulties would occur because of many changes in the squad, we didn’t panic and we stood by our decision. What happened in the following months would only show we made the right choice. It showed that Juventus is run by people who really understand football. And this is a very important thing.

In 2016 you only conceded 6 goals. A remarkable statistic…

Juventus is based on Italian defence with Italian players. This is our philosophy, we strongly feel that the core of an Italian team should be made by Italian players. Players who know Italian football tradition. And then we complete the squad with best players from all around the world.

Can Juventus’ defence be the key in the squad of Antonio Conte?

Buffon in goal, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini in front of him. I think that is strong formation, even for Conte. We know the guys aren’t immortal but I feel they are on top of their game right now and given their experience it will be very tough job to break them in the EURO’s.

How do you see Italy’s chances in EURO 2016?

They always go to tournaments with a minimal target being the semifinal. Their goals are always the biggest. I think the team is put together well. Italy lack great forwards compared to the past, players like Del Piero, Vieri, Inzaghi, but our young players aren’t bad either.

Italian clubs, with the exception of Juventus, are experiencing a downfall compared to the past but also Italian youth national teams have lost something from their edge. Has Italy made some mistakes in that matter? Could they be inspired by, for example, a Spanish model?

It wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Every country has its own values, its own football school and it’s not necessery to follow in footsteps of someone else. You need to hold on to your own basics, hold on to what made the country successful. And then develop it. Copying someone else is not the right choice. For young players, it is better to have everything in one place. What do I mean? We found out that young players in France or Spain spend more time on the pitch than our youngsters. That’s why we made the necessary changes. Our young players now go to school right in the training center and don’t spend time comuting to training all the way across town. Undoubtly it is a change for better, it helps the kids in developing.

Do you also keep an eye on Juventus‘ youth teams?

Absolutely. I go to see Primavera and even younger teams. We will always have talented players, it is about how much time you dedicate to them and how much time they get to spend on the pitch.

How many days a month do you spend on meetings?

Management board meets once or twice a month. For me, the everyday work is important, near the team and youngsters. I am basically in everyday contact with the coach and sporting director. Football always brings something unique, we deal with new things everyday.

Once you said that you see things on the pitch that others don’t, what did you mean by that?

Did I really say that? I guess I meant that I experienced a lot of big matches and when a player chooses a certain solution, many people judge it positively but I know, from my experience, that he could find even better solution. And that’s what I can be useful at, and that’s probably why the club still wants me.

Are you also able to sense problems between players?

Of course. My job is not being in the stands nor the office. My job is to be in touch with the team on an everyday basis and help solve the problems. You have to know when to motivate players and when to raise your voice. Knowing when to do what you need to have the experience of playing football like I have, and you need to always be with the team like I am. Going on the pitch once a month and thinking you’re doing the job is a terrible mistake.

How important is your say in the transfer market?

There are three of us who are responsible for the transfer market; Marotta, Paratici and I. President Agnelli supervises. He experiences it all with us but leaves the decision to us. He always says: ‘That’s why I have you here’. He brought me to the Juventus’ board. At the beginning he wanted us to be the best in Italy. That has been acomplished, now our goal is to be more and more competitive in Europe. I think Juventus is not doing a bad job, we played some great matches this year, however our idea is not participating… our idea is to win.

Can Juventus win the CL next season?

It as an extremely difficult competition, the smallest details are decisive. It is not like a domestic competition where it’s a long run. In the CL you either do or die.

Italian football is moving slowly compared to other top leagues. Only Juventus could keep up with modern trends from other leagues. You built a new stadium and tripled revenues…

We felt that we were losing pace with the rest of Europe so we decided to invest and build a new modern stadium. It helped us in many ways. However, I agree that Italian football is not what it was 10 years ago.

The Milan teams are negotiating with Asian investors, can it help them?

I guess so. It’s true they always belonged to the best Italian football had to offer, now they are noticeably missing there. Investors can help them but it will only highlight the specific role of Juventus who have been owned by the Agnelli family for more than 90 years. It is a rarity, not only in Italy. Italians are patriots and this value is very important to them.

The Agnelli family owns Gruppo Fiat. Have you ever visited one of their car factories?

Of course, I went everywhere; FIAT, Maserati, Ferrari… I visited them all and it was a valuable experience. I know executives from these factories, one member of Juventus‘ managing board is sports manager of Ferrari. I know they are in the shadow of Mercedes at the moment but still… We discuss football and everything about cars every time we meet, we really are a big family. Everything is connected.

Once you said that when your kids move out you could consider moving someplace else…

The idea is still there, however I have a contract with Juventus till 2018 and I intend to respect it. I only think  about what happens now. I have absolutely no idea what will happen after 2018. It is too far in the future.

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Rating Juventus’ transfers for the 2015-16 season

 

Jul 29, 2016

So, onto business. Danny gave me the opportunity to contribute a piece here at BWRAO, and it struck me that while we had done a pretty comprehensive ratings for our players for the season gone by, and had even done a wonderful rating for Beppe's many Bosman specials, we haven't yet rated Messrs Marotta and Paratici for their performance in last summer's mercato madness.

The 2015-16 season can be considered the start of the second cycle with the current management in place. The "five-year plan" outlined by Andrea Agnelli when he became club president in 2010, concluded with the most successful year Juve has had in decades in 2014-15, as new coach Max Allegri's wonderfully rounded and tactically diverse squad ended up one game away from doing the famed Treble. The summer that followed, featured the largest shuffling of squad personnel since Agnelli, Marotta, Paratici and Nedved took over in 2010. There was a need to reinvigorate the squad with younger blood, and as such, core veterans of the squad like Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Marco Storari and Simone Pepe left, while others like Arturo Vidal, Fernando Llorente, Angelo Ogbonna and Kingsley Coman sought different pastures on which to continue their journey.

Similarly, there were no less than 10 new players join La Vecchia Signora and don the famed Black and White stripes this past season. I will be rating these transfers from ten to one, with ten being the least impressive, and one being the most impressive transfer. Naturally, the primary factor being considered while rating these transfers is the performance of the player over the course of the season. However, other factors which I think are of almost equal priority, are the transfer fee paid for the player, and role in the squad. (No, stats is not the primary factor. Sorry, Semperty!)

Note: I am not including players who were redeemed, having previously been on loan with us, like Roberto Pereyra, and youth prospects who haven't played for the senior team yet, like Rolando Mandragora and Guido Vadala.

10) Hernanes (Purchased from Inter Milan for €11 million)

Surprise, surprise...

Shocked eh? After an entire summer spent searching for that elusive Mr. X that Max could employ as a trequartista behind two forwards, a search that included names such as Julian Draxler, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Domenico Berardi, Marotta was forced to settle with signing Hernanes on deadline day. Considering his age, a transfer fee of €11 million plus a potential €2 million more if certain sporting targets were achieved, and the club he came from, Hernanes' every touch of the ball was heavily scrutinized from the get-go.

Initially signed to provide Allegri with another option to play at the tip of his midfield diamond, Hernanes seemed to struggle with the tactical demands of the coach both in training and on the pitch. He didn't seem up to the task, and was quickly converted into a pseudo-deep-lying playmaker in the absence of Claudio Marchisio. Poor performances such as those in the 2-1 loss to Napoli at the San Paolo, where he gifted possession to Gonzalo Higuain, enabling him to score the winning goal of the game, and a red card that killed our chances to chase a victory away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League group stage, seem to best summarize his first six months at the club.

However, despite reduced game time following Marchisio's return to fitness, he showed much improvement in the second half of the season, including two very assured performances in the ill-fated Round of 16 ties against Bayern Munich. That said, those were two of the very few redeeming moments of Hernanes' first season in Turin. A summer that started with the promise of Draxler ended with Inter seemingly robbing Juve blind for Hernanes. It'll take more than the paltry return of one goal and assist each to convince me that he wasn't the worst transfer of the season.

Rating: 5/10

9) Norberto Neto (Signed from Fiorentina for free)

Who woulda thunk it, but Neto was signed to fill the very large shoes of everyone's favourite backup goalkeeper, Marco Storari. The traits that made Storari such an excellent member of the squad were his locker room presence and the fact that he could play a game for the first time in months without any visual signs of rustiness. Surprisingly, Neto made the decision to go from first-choice goalkeeper at one of Serie A's stronger teams to playing as Gigi Buffon's backup. He ended up making only eight appearances for the squad — three in Serie A (although 2 were the final two games of the season after the title was won) and five in the Coppa Italia.

He performed satisfactorily when given the chance, sans a pretty poor Coppa Italia semifinal second leg against Inter. However, it can be said that he doesn't exude the same sense of calmness and safety that Storari used to. I don't think he's a prime candidate to be a long-term successor to Gigi's Numero Uno jersey, but I do think he's quite the luxurious backup goalkeeper for a squad to be able to boast of. That said, considering his age, I wouldn't blame him if he left next season in pursuit of more playing time. He was an absolute bargain on a Bosman transfer, however, and it was a largely satisfactory season from him.

Rating: 6/10

8) Mario Lemina (Signed from Marseille on loan, with option to buy exercised at €9.5 million)

Alongside Hernanes, Lemina was the second player to become a Bianconero on deadline day. The 23-year-old Gabonese is a combative midfielder, who apparently impressed the management to such an extent when Juventus played Marseille in a pre-season friendly, that they decided to make a move for him. On his very first day, he introduced himself as a box-to-box midfielder, but Allegri was impressed enough by his technical abilities, he was soon given a shot at playing as the midfield anchor in Marchisio's absence.

He seemed like a very able deputy to Il Principino, until a long-term injury hampered his progress in his first season here. He missed a solid few months, but to his credit, he returned in March and fit into the squad quite seamlessly, impressing me immensely after Marchisio's season-ending injury in April. He is a very different player to Marchisio, though, and brings a more direct and physical presence to the midfield. He has shown glimpses of excellent strength, dribbling abilities, and an eye for goal. I, for one, am very excited to see him given an extended run in the team. Eighteen appearances, two very well taken goals, and the fourth highest WhoScored rating in the entire squad makes for a very decent first season.

I feel a little sad, though, because I feel like injury robbed him of the chance to have a higher place on this list. However, considering his age, potential and the relatively low fee we got him for, he could prove to be a very shrewd signing going forward. I am excited to see more of him.

Rating: 6.5/10

7) Juan Cuadrado (Signed from Chelsea on loan)

Ahh, the hardest player to talk about, and one of the most frustrating players I've ever seen. In an alternate universe where Forrest Gump is about Stephan Lichtsteiner instead of Tom Hanks, the movie's famed quote would be "Momma always said life was like Juan Cuadrado. You never know what you're gonna get." Cuadrado can both delight and infuriate in equal measure. He started the season off playing as a right winger in Allegri's unusual zona mista formation, before becoming Lichtsteiner's deputy at RWB after Allegri reverted back to the 3-5-2.

Capable of steaming down the right flank almost as well as the Swiss Express, and bamboozling his man with his quick feet, Cuadrado was more suited to play as a RWB than an out-and-out offensive winger. However, despite frequently finding himself in an excellent position to wreak havoc on the opposing defense, he was guilty of making the wrong choice, or just not delivering any serious end product far too many times for me to consider him an elite offensive outlet. In the first half of the season, I also found him a little counter-productive to our offensive system, as he was visibly on a different wavelength than his teammates. Where those around him played more directly and at a quicker tempo, he himself was a little guilty of holding on to the ball for far longer than needed, and just not being where his teammates needed him to be.

However, like many of Juve's signings this past season, he looked far more in-sync with the rest of the team in the second half of the 2015-16 campaign, and found a position suitable to his skill set as a wingback. Five goals and five assists in 40 games is a decent output, but you can't help but feel he could have almost doubled those numbers had he been more clinical in the final third. That said, he did have a knack for scoring vital goals, such as the winner against Torino that started our resurgence in the league, the equalizer against FIorentina, and the wonderful second goal in the second leg against Bayern.

While he was definitely a decent signing, I must admit I can't quite understand his signing. At a time when Max was clearly trying to implement his 4-3-let's see formation, and the only other wingers in the squad, Simone Pepe and Kinglsey Coman, were both on their way out, I couldn't quite fathom his addition. This further inspires confusion considering there was no option or obligation to buy, and with Anotnio Conte's imminent reign at Chelsea, he's highly likely to want to keep Cuadrado.

Even Conte's willingness to keep him aside, with Dani Alves incoming and Juventus not being able to negotiate from a position of power, I find it unlikely that Cuadrado will return to Turin. It was an interesting season to say the least, and thanks for the memories Juan, but I won't lose too much sleep if Juve can't redeem him. I do hope he stops going down under the challenge so easily, though. He does it Juan time too often for my liking. Okay, that's the last pun I make, I promise, the last Juan. Sigh. Puns are Juanderful.

Rating: 7/10

6) Simone Zaza (Purchased from Sassuolo for €18 million)

Over the past few years, Juventus have established a wonderful working relationship with Sassuolo, and with more than one of Juve's young prospects playing there to gain experience in the top flight, it should come as little surprise than one of their exciting young Italian strikers made the jump from the team in Modena to Vinovo. However, while many were expecting the versatile Berardi to be the first one to make the jump, it was his partner in crime, the battering ram of a prima punta, Zaza, who battered his way to Turin last summer. It speaks volumes of his confidence that the man reportedly asked for the no.10 jersey on his arrival, however the recently-turned 25-year-old from Policoro, ended up donning the No. 7.

A very physical and quick striker, Zaza possesses the kind of sheer physical dominance and dogged determination that makes Mario Mandzukic, a fellow summer arrival, such a nightmare for defenders to deal with. However, considering the calibre of the players in front of him, Zaza was reduced to having a bit-part role for most of the season. You can't fault the man's dedication, though. He played with bucket loads of heart, grinta, and near recklessness, every minute I've seen him on the pitch, whether the score was 0-0 or 4-0. Despite this, he scored a very impressive eight goals in only 24 appearances in all competitions, out of which only eight were starts. Some of these were crucial goals, like the vital goal that helped us leapfrog Napoli into first place in February, and the security providing late goal against Sevilla in the Champions League group stage.

He doesn't seem to have the same impact when he's a starter compared to as a substitute, but he seems to be very determined to prove he belongs at Juventus and deserves as a starting shirt, and I am very keen to keep him. He's young, a very suitable Mandzukic replacement, and his best years are ahead of him. I think we're yet to see the best of him.

Rating: 7/10

5) Alex Sandro (Purchased from FC Porto for €26 million)

Do you remember this lovely time when Paolo De Ceglie and Federico Peluso were potential starting left wingbacks? I do — and I don't know about you guys, but I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes in a cold sweat, having had vivid nightmares of the horror that was. But enough with the melodrama, for how times have changed.

Juve are now able to boast not one, but two elite left backs/left wingbacks in the squad. While Patrice Evra brought bucket loads of experience, leadership and winning mentality — both on the pitch and off it — to the squad, it was clear that aged 35, he's a short-term solution. With the near future looking secure, the management decided to focus on the long term at Left Back, and quickly moved to bring Alex Sandro to Turin from Porto, for a €26 million fee.

It took Sandro a while to adapt to the new surroundings and the demands that come with representing La Vecchia Signora, and the team's turbulent start to the season didn't help his cause either. Soon however, he carved a role for himself in the team, and that role was ‘Bomber down the left flank,' Possessing speed, power, Brazilian flair and dogged determination, Alex Sandro proved to be the perfect contrast to the steady and solid, but somewhat more offensively limited Evra.

Making a total of 32 appearances in all competitions, including 22 starts, as the season progressed and its rigors took their toll, Sandro found himself playing with increased frequency. While Mad Max preferred the experience of Evra for the majority of the "big games," the need to utilize him carefully meant that Sandro was given lots of time to impress on the pitch at other times. While perhaps not inspiring the same level of safety as Evra at the back, Sandro proved himself to be a dogged, determined wing back, with the stamina to rival that of our Swiss Express on the opposing flank. His decision making at the back is where he could maybe show some improvement, but I must admit that even I am surprised at the relative ease with which Sandro adapted to the tactical demands of the Italian league.

Focusing on the pros now, he is a real livewire in attack. There was a spell in late 2015 where he was racking up the assists, most crucially, a gorgeous exchange with Paul Pogba, and delightful cross into the box that Paulo Dybala converted brilliantly, which ended up being the winning goal of the game against Milan at home. Two very well taken goals, and three assists do give an indication, but not the whole story, of his offensive output. His blossoming synergy with Pogba on the left wing has been the orchestration for many goals, and expectations are high heading into his second term with the club.

That said, I do think the club could have negotiated a little better for a player heading into the final year of his contract, but Porto are notoriously difficult to haggle with, and the long term pros of this move more than justify his fee.

Rating: 7.5/10

4) Mario Mandzukic (Purchased from Atletico Madrid for €19 million)

In a move that might have been considered surprising at the time, but in hindsight, is wholly consistent with the club's growing ambitions, everyone's favorite, classy, dapper Spaniard, Fernando ‘El Ray Leon' Llorente left the club on the most amiable of terms, to make way for the 29-year-old Juggernaut that is Mario Mandzukic. At the time, when I thought of Mandzukic, I remembered the battering ram that went toe-to-toe with BBC for Bayern back in 2012-13, and who actually managed to give me the impression that Giorgio Chiellini WASN'T physically dominating a forward. Following a very successful stint at Bayern Munich, including that phenomenal treble from the aforementioned year, Mario swapped cities to Madrid, and Atletico Madrid. Following a moderately successful season, and another brutal contest with him, this time in the Atletico colors in 2014-15, Mario found himself on the move again, this time ending up at our door step.

It is very gratifying to consider our steady growth from Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella, to Llorente, and finally Mandzukic leading the offense. Mandzukic might not be an instant gamechanger, a-la Lewandowski or Suarez, but what he is, is the ultimate team player. With ferocious strength, a hardened never-say-die attitude, a supreme willingness to sacrifice himself for the team, a supernatural ability to bring those around him into the game, and a very smart positional awareness, Mandzukic formed one half of Allegri's undisputed starting offensive duo, with a certain young Argentinian who also finds a place on this list. Despite recent reports that he played through pain for a significant chunk of the first half of the season, Mario ended up making 36 appearances in all competitions, and contributed a very respectable 13 goals and five assists.

What is important to note, however, is that more than just his numbers, he brought bucketloads of grinta, a champion's mentality and loads of experience to the squad as well. He noticeably struggled with the rest of the squad in the first half of the season, where the demands of the Italian league, question marks over his fitness and the inconsistencies of the team's performance all played a significant role. However, crucial goals against the likes of Manchester City (home and away), Fiorentina, Milan and Lazio, and a blistering April, where he scored in four out of five games, testify to the fact that we'e yet to see Mario at his finest. The prospect of improved game time for Sandro, the addition of Dani Alves and Miralem Pjanic, and the continued emergence of Dybala, all point to Mario being capable of boosting his numbers for the upcoming season.

Rating: 7.5/10

3) Daniele Rugani (End of loan with Empoli, having been purchased from them for €3.5 million)

I debated long and hard over Rugani's standing in this list. I made three different rough drafts, and his position varied from fifth to third, and finally, I've decided to stick with the latter for a number of reasons. First and foremost, some history. Having been a member of the Juventus Primavera squad for the 2012-13 season, Rugani was sent out on co-ownership to Empoli in Serie B for the following season. He quickly developed a stellar reputation at the Tuscan side. He was voted "Defender of the Year" in Serie B that year, and the following season, having helped Empoli secure promotion to Serie A, he famously went on to play every minute of the whole season, without picking up a single yellow card.

His performances were equally impressive as his stats, as he formed a formidable partnership with Lorenzo Tonelli, and was rewarded with a spot in the Serie A "Team of the Year" for the 2014-15 season, next to a certain Leonardo Bonucci and Chiellini. So impressed were Marotta and Paritici with him, they hastened to purchase the other half of his contract in February 2015, for an astonishing €3.5 millio. He was allowed to remain at Empoli for the remainder of the season, before making his way to Turin for the season gone by.

Initially, Rugani struggled to find game time, making a meagre handful of appearances before the new year, as the struggles of the club forced Allegri to revert to the 3-5-2, and rely on the BBC defensive foundation. However, with the change in year, the addition of Coppa Italia games and a series of long term injuries to Giorgio Chiellini meant that Rugani found himself getting loads of gametime as the season wore on. He ended up making 21 appearances in all competitions, with the bulk of them having been from the first minute.

In style, Rugani evokes memories of the classic Italian defenders of the eras gone by. With a very impressive reading of the game and tactical awareness, he fits the Juventus philosophy that makes our defense so fearful. He also boasts impressive strength and aerial abilities, and impeccable positioning. His mentality, as evident by his patience and mature interviews, are also worth commending. He does need to work on his passing and ability to carry the ball out of the back however, and I've also found him a little uncomfortable against attackers who want to take him on 1v1. That said, he seems to be a mature professional, who recognizes the value of tutelage under BBC, and I think the club expects him to form the backbone of this defense for the next decade.

To clarify, the primary reasons behind my decision to place him at no.3, are his potential, the bargain fee at which we bought him, and the fact that our defense, while being our greatest strength, is also the region of the pitch that needs young blood the most.

Rating: 8/10

2) Sami Khedira (Purchased from Real Madrid for free)

Big Sami is a frustrating player. Not the Cuadrado kind of frustrating, however. The problem is getting him on the pitch in one piece. That said, once he's there, he is nothing short of world class. I've followed Khedira pretty closely since the Under-21 Euros of 2009, and was always shocked at how much the world seemed to underrate him. It seems oddly fated though. The year Pirlo left, our very own Il Principino, Marchisio, ended up being the perfect readymade replacement. And on similar lines, while Khedira technically took Vidal's spot in our line-up, he reminds me most of Marchisio circa 2012.

He came to Turin having a reputation of being a startlingly solid and reliable player, but it was his skillset that really blew me away. Capable of almost ghosting all over the pitch without appearing to expend energy, Sami proved to be a real difference maker at both ends of the pitch. His reading and positioning at the RCM position, enabled Pogba to really express himself on the opposite side. At the same time, he was often the second line of defense after the forwards, as he presses relentlessly. He has an uncanny ability to sniff out the right position at the right time, and his late runs into the box also evoked memories of a devastatingly effective Marchisio from a few years ago. Five goals and six assists in all competitions from only 25 appearances, highlight the deadly effectiveness Khedira brings when he plays. He is world class, period.

That said, his biggest weakness is that he simply has not been able to guarantee us game time with consistency, a fact that's proved to be bothersome because his stand-in's have had a pretty poor year themselves. His injury problems from his Madrid days have followed him to Turin, and we can but hope that the change in medical staff at Turin will improve his fortunes. That said, a world class midfielder entering his peak for zilch, what an absolute steal. May the fortunes smile kindly upon you Big Sami! We need you!

Rating: 8.5/10

1) Anrdea Favilli (Signed from Livorno on loan)

This brings us to number one... Andrea Favilli was signed from the Livorno youth squad, and took the primavera league by storm this past season! And I totally gotcha there didn't I?

I kid, I jest, please do not hate me.

1) Paulo Dybala (Purchased from Palermo for €32 million)

The real No. 1, da real MVP, the crown jewel of Marotta's shopping spree — La Joya himself, Paulo Dybala. After an extremely promising run with Palermo in Serie B in 2013-14, Dybala carried his team, and mammoth potential into Serie A the following year. So effective was he in his debut season in the Italian top flight, that Marotta swooped in like a hawk and signed the Cordoba native from under the envious gazes of some of Europe's top clubs, before Juventus had even played the Champions League final. On paper, €32 million plus a potential €8 million more in performance related bonuses might seem like a lot for a 21 year old with only one year experience in the top flight, right? Well, in hindsight, it seems like Marotta and Paratici struck gold.

Dybala is a natural. He was born to play football, to score goals, and to enthrall. Possessing blistering pace, fantastic control over the ball, dribbling abilities that exploit his low centre of gravity and a ruthless left foot, La Joya exploded in his first year in Turin. Allegri, being the brilliant groomer that he is, took his time easing Paulo into the squad, with minimum pressure. This was doubly crucial considering the struggles of the team early on in the season. As the team stabilized a little, Allegri unleashed Dybala on the world. Featuring 46 times in all competitions, Dybala rose to the occasion magnificently, smashing in 23 goals, with an impressive nine assists as well.

His first touch could use a little work, and he did seem a little daunted by the Champions League in his first year, but the sky is the limit for Dybala. With a composed head sitting on his shoulders, and strong determination to compliment his talent, he embodies the Juventus way. Expect Allegri to build a Juggernaut of a squad around this potential world beater, and considering his age, skillset, talent and mentality, €32 million — heck, €40 million even — seems like an absolute steal. I think both Paulo, and the fans, can see him leading this Juventus offense for years to come. What a great time to be a Juventus fan!

Rating: 9.5/10

If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me guys! I wouldn't have been able to summon up the courage to give this a go, had it not been for the encouragement and support my many friends here have provided me with. Please feel free to give me your most honest opinions, and any and all suggestions are welcome! If there are other topics you think are worth writing about, or I should tackle, please let me know!

Thanks, and Forza Juve!

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