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This post was guest-blogged by Vittorio Pazzini. Follow him on Twitter (@vittoriopazzini)

Well, that was a bit of an underwhelming end to an otherwise triumphant season.

Like most “one last job” situations, Saturday’s mission for Samp revenge went horribly wrong. We didn’t avenge the January loss, and we didn’t collect the set by beating every single team in Serie A. All we’re left with is… the championship.

Not so bad after all.

Now the real fun begins, as we enter the summer transfer market attempting to negotiate the rumors and the speculation, from the credible to dubious to the downright fraudulent.

Today we’re going to tackles those transfer rumors, take a brief, half-interested glance at the Sampdoria loss, try to squash our beef with Bologna, hear from Del Piero, visit the Pope and welcome an even tinier Giovinco to the world.

Surf’s up. Let’s get to it…

• Conte Laments Defeat, Celebrates Season

  I was hoping to avoid writing another “not our best match, but what a season we’ve had!” item for this column.

  Sadly, the season-ending defeat at the hands of Sampdoria has forced Antonio Conte — and by extension STTBS — to look once more on the bright side:

  Our mentality is our strength. Last year we started out aiming for third place and instead, thanks to hard work, we pulled off a miracle, because there were teams better equipped than us to win the title.

  This year, the core of our side remained the same but with the additions of Giovinco, Asamoah and Pogba, just to name those who have featured the most. We handled the pressure well, which isn’t something everyone can do. We did well to catch up with Milan last year and then keep the chasing pack at arm’s length this time around.

  All of this is as true as it was, say last week. Still, the defeat to Sampdoria must at the very least annoy Antonio Conte, as obsessed as he is with complete victory. Not only have Sampdoria provided two of our five domestic losses this season, but they remain the sole club unvanquished by the Bianconeri in this otherwise dominant season.

  The explanation for the loss involves the all too familiar story of offensive impotence, one which is no doubt the primary focus of this summer’s efforts in the transfer market. But despite the glaringly consistent inconsistency in front of goal, Conte demurred from addressing specific needs for next season:

  The defeats leave a bitter taste because even though we changed things around, we created a lot of chances and were also unlucky. By being more careful with our finishing, we could have scored more.
  It’s a painless defeat and, from a certain point of view, it’s better this way because it means we’ll have a lower points target to try and beat next year…

  Today we have to continue to thank each and every one of these guys for the sacrifice and work they’ve put in. Talking about the transfer market today would be disrespectful to them. The club will start to lay out plans for the future from tomorrow onwards.

  Finally, Conte spares a thought for Nicklas Bendtner, who finally got some playing time in a season defined by a long injury and bad vehicular behavior, only to break his wrist on a very nasty fall in the penalty area:

  I feel sorry for him because he’s been very unlucky. He’s been out for a lot of the season and today he got injured again. I wish him all the best because he’s an excellent footballer and a good guy.

  In the case of Bendtner, a lost season ended in an unfortunately fitting manner. However, in a much larger sense, the incident symbolizes the grand futility of the striker situation over the past few years, a phenomenon which we know is very disconcerting to Conte, no matter how much he extols the skills of his current forwards.

  It could — and should — serve as a dark warning for Giuseppe Marotta and company, a call for even more urgency in this summer’s efforts at strengthening the attack: It shouldn’t ever come to this.

  If next season ends with such a scenario, Scudetto or not, Marotta might be searching for another coach.

• Sampdoria Stats: An Old Story Gets Older

  Leave it to this current Juve squad to still be ruing missed chances even after scoring twice.

  The stats from the Sampdoria loss tell a very straightforward story, although the official site is a bit presumptive about what could have been:

  On another night, 24 shots on goal, 13 of which were on target, might well have enabled the Champions of Italy to round off a glorious term with a comfortable success.

  If past performances this season are any indication, taking 24 shots and putting 13 on goal “might” have led to a “comfortable success”—but probably not. This squad is capable of formidable lows in futility on their worst day.

  Much like their bravura performance in Turin in January, Sampdoria scored on three counterattacks, very much against the run of play in what was, possession-wise, a dominant Bianconeri performance (60 percent).

  Individually, Fabio Quagliarella, who opened the scoring, led all players with eight shots, followed by Emanuele Giaccherini on four — including a very nice curler to grab a goal back and make things looks a bit more respectable for posterity.

  Giorgio Chiellini has had several standout performance of late, statistically speaking, and Saturday’s was no different. He recovered 30 balls, completed a match-high 91 passes (followed by Martin Caceres with 70 and Andrea Pirlo with 68) and even fired a few strange, pinball-dangerous shots.

  A case of “too little, too late” is to be expected every now and then, but it was perhaps a more than likely result for a team specializing this year with “just enough, and left very, very late” victories.

  Here’s to a more potent attack next season — seriously, this time.



• Carrera to Serve Jail Time

  Very, very bad news for Juventus caretaker coach Massimo Carrera, he who performed so admirably in Antonio Conte’s absence earlier this season.

  You may recall that Carrera was on trial for manslaughter stemming from a bizarre road accident on New Year’s Eve 2011, in which Carrera’s car hit two women who were “inspecting” a different accident on the highway. Now, a verdict has been reached in the case, and Carrera has been found guilty of manslaughter. He will serve two years and six months in prison.

  Here are the details, courtesy of Forza Italian Football:

  Chiara Varani and Patrizia Paninforni, both 23 at the time, were killed after being hit by Carrera while inspecting an earlier accident on the highway.

  Carrera was never present at any of the previous hearings and has always challenged, through his lawyers, whether he was responsible for the death of the girls by requesting an acquittal on those grounds.

  According to his attorneys, there was no evidence that Paninforni was still in the vicinity of the Ford KA, which they were inspecting after an earlier accident, when Carrera’s Mercedes R class collided with the vehicle. They claim that her body was found lifeless on the ground elsewhere.

  With regards to the death of Varani, Carrera’s lawyers state that the coach could not have avoided the car that was stranded in the middle of the A4 in Dalmine Bergamo, regardless of visibility.

  An expert’s report had supported Carrera’s claims that he could not have seen the damaged car, however, the prosecution successfully argued to judge Bianca Maria Bianchi that he in fact did have enough time to notice the vehicle and avoid the crash.

  This is truly a terrible and tragic situation from all points of view. We at STTBS offer our condolences and sympathies to all parties involved. More on this story as it develops.



• Trouble with Bologna?

  You may have read that Bologna’s Alessandro Diamanti is currently being linked to Juventus.

  In many of those reports, the writer has a cited as evidence a cordial relationship between the two clubs, most likely referring to the Bianconeri’s loaning Manolo Gabbiadini to Bologna (it sure as hell isn’t the loaning of Marco Motta).

  However, the relationship is apparently much more complicated than that—and the treatment of Gabbiadini while on loan may have caused a breakdown in any meaningful communication regarding the status of Azzurri international Diamanti.

  Here’s Bologna’s sporting director Roberto Zanzi talking to Sky Sport Italia, via Football Italia:

  We received a formal request for Diamanti on January 31, but nothing after that. Juventus have never called Bologna. They probably contacted his agent, but they know it would be difficult to negotiate with us, so they never bothered. As of today, I’d say there is a very high chance of Diamanti staying with Bologna.

  The “difficulty” he’s referring to is as close to a direct acknowledgement of the tense relations that we are likely to get for the time being.

  Most of the frustration on Juve’s part has to do with the, well, frustrating trend for Serie A clubs to select past-prime, occasionally effective strikers to start matches, as opposed to offering minutes to the younger generation. It’s the type of decision that makes a Marco Verratti go to Paris Saint-Germain.

  Zanzi admits as much, without being particularly apologetic:

  We believe we did a good job working with their players. They probably don’t see it that way and it has created some friction. For the future we will have to make a few evaluations. If they are not happy, then we’ll make other considerations.

  One of the reasons behind the friction is that we did not use Manolo Gabbiadini as a centre-forward, but we have Alberto Gilardino, so Manolo did well to adapt. This shows how good he is rather than penalized him.

  That’s one point of view. The other is that while Manolo may have been versatile for Bologna, he was not seen as reliable. And why would he? He’s just starting out. So goes the Catch-22 of Italian football: You need playing time to prove your worth, but you can’t get playing time without proving your worth.

  Despite any encouraging signs, the switch of positions effectively curtailed Manolo’s development in favor of a “surer thing.” Gilardino scored 13 goals, but were those goals incapable of being scored by Gabbiadini? Sure, a veteran has his tricks, which would account for a few, but Gilardino is no world-beater, if he ever was, and Manolo’s promise deserves more playing time, especially for a team with little to play for.

  The key to someone like Gabbiadini (or Ciro Immobile at Genoa) moving back to Juve is scoring as many goals as possible. Even someone like Conte—who at times inexplicably seems to consider running and work rate to be more important than scoring—cannot rely on unproven forwards, especially with the heightened stakes engendered by his recent success.

  So the developments at Bologna sadly seem to favor another season on loan for Gabbiadini, and while that may have been the case even if Manolo had played more, the lack of minutes—and the potential goals scored therein—was probably fatal for his chances of being called up to Juve this season.

  Immobile is in a similarly discouraging situation at Genoa. Immobile had proven to be a volume scorer at every level of youth play and in Serie B, and chances are that were he at Juve, his scoring acumen would if anything improve, what with the superior service in the box. But without more playing time at Genoa (and better service when he does play), how can he prove he’s a good enough scorer to force Marotta, Paratici and Conte to take a chance on him?

  With neither club willing to take a risk — and with both being somewhat justified — how do you break through, unless you’re an outlier like Paul Pogba? And how can you have faith in yourself for long if no one comes along to believe in you and prove you were right?

  It’s a paradox — and Italian paradoxes are the very height of deceptive complexity and torturous sophistication.

  Ladies and gentlemen — calcio today!














• Del Piero Speaks!

  Last week, we reported a rare post-Bianconero public appearance by our beloved bandiera at the Agnelli exhibit at the J-Museum. Now we can add some audio to the visual.

  Speaking at a photo exhibition covering his career, Alessandro Del Piero was inevitably asked for his opinion on Juve’s recent success and their efforts to make the necessary leap in quality to compete in Europe.

  Alex began by explaining his absence from the Scudetto-clinching match with Cagliari at which tifosi chanted his name, expertly deflecting any perceived tension with the Agnelli family:

  I was unable to go to the stadium for the Scudetto match. I couldn’t find a ticket.

  Del Piero followed Juve’s progress this season from afar, and while he was impressed, he’s hard-pressed to say exactly how they can improve in the Champions League:

  I followed their progress from Australia and I’m very happy with their second consecutive Scudetto. They were fantastic and it was a great achievement. I don’t know what it’ll take for Juve to bridge the gap with the big European clubs. In order to win the Champions League you don’t just need great players and a great club, but also a different chemistry.”

  Just look at Borussia Dortmund, who until the last minute of the quarter-final were eliminated, so it needs other factors that you just can’t plan for.

  When asked who would be his rightful heir, in Italy or abroad, Alex had a smart answer for that, too:

  Nobody looks like me now, they’ve all got mohicans!

  They really do, don’t they?

  Reading Del Piero’s comments on the current Juve situation, seeing him join all of the other ex-Bianconeri with an opinion on the club, is incredibly bittersweet. Especially when you factor in his less-than-classy treatment from the club, the current striker malaise and what would undoubtedly have been another year of vital contributions.

  And even though he will always have the most exalted, celebrated place among former players since Scirea, it’s still terrible to see him engage for the first time in sideline punditry. I’d rather leave that to the likes of Gianluca Vialli.

  I know, I know — gotta move on and all that…

  (painful sigh)

• Lightning Round!

  Summer insanity has begun, and as Virgil did for Dante, we’re here to guide you through the various levels of desperate hellfire that constitutes the summer silly season…

  —Marca is reporting that Juve and Real Madrid are negotiating for Gonzalo Higuain, but that Marotta is trying to lower the price. I don’t know what’s more depressing — signing Real’s leftovers or not being able to afford their leftovers.

  —Giuseppe Marotta has admitted to Juve’s interest in Manchester City star Carlos Tevez, saying that while the younger Higuain has better market value, Tevez has a better contract situation and would be “easier.” I bet that’s exactly what Antonio Conte wants to hear after publicly agreeing to help Juve over the Champions League hump. “Easier” is how we wound up with Bendtner.

  —To make things worse, Juve are reportedly considering throwing in Stephan Lichtsteiner to knock down the price for Higuain. Right… because the folks at the Bernabeu love guys who are low-maintenance, work really hard and do a lot of running with minimal pomp and circumstance and hair product.

  —Other Lichtsteiner news: Arsenal are trying to lowball us for his services, offering £12 million. Upon hearing of the offer, Marotta replied: “I lowball you, you don’t lowball me. Do you know who I am? I’m Beppe Marotta! I was lowballing other GMs when you were going out with cheerleaders!” In related news, I hear The Godfather looks really good on Blu-ray.

  —Reacting to his club’s narrowly missing out on a Champions League place amid suspicious, soft-penalty-for-Milan circumstances, Fiorentina general manager Sandro Mencucci claims his side were “third on the pitch.” He may be parodying our slogan, but isn’t it great to not be the villains for once?

  —According to the official site, Nicklas Bendtner’s operation on his broken left wrist was successful. His attempts to get the phone numbers of two nurses failed.

  —Sebastian Giovinco’s agent, Claudio Pasqualin, is adamant that Seba will remain at Juventus and that contract will be renewed: “Sebastian is looking forward to reprising his role as the disappointing son who suffers from unrealistic expectations.”

  —Mauricio Isla has no idea where he’ll be next season. When asked if he can compete for playing time next year on the right wing, Mauricio rolled his eyes, pouted, then said in a huff: “Why don’t you ask Padoin? I swear Conte’s in love with that dude.”

  —Conte and Marotta received an award from Juventus Club RAI, consisting of journalists and workers from the Italian state broadcasting company. As per RAI protocol, the award was given by a very attractive woman in a room which looks like a 1960s idea of the future, while four creepy old men stared blankly at their computer screens.



• Juve Meet Pope Francis

  It appears that the best club in Italy automatically becomes the holiest as well.

  A contingent representing Juventus received yet another perk for winning the Scudetto: a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Although the whole squad was not invited, a diplomatic core representing the champions arrived in Rome on Tuesday afternoon for some holy recognition.

  Here’s a recap from the official site:

  President Andrea Agnelli, CEOs Giuseppe Marotta and Aldo Mazzia, manager Antonio Conte and captain Gianluigi Buffon spoke at length about the important role sport has to play in bringing people together.

  Also present at the meeting were Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, Substitute for General Affairs Giovanni Angelo Becciu and First Private Secretary Alfred Xuereb.

  Pope Francis, a well-known football lover and avid fan of Argentinean side San Lorenzo, was presented with Buffon’s goalkeeper jersey signed by the entire first team squad, along with a replica of the Scudetto trophy.

  This is apparently a first for Juve: The club have been guests of the Vatican on several occasions in the past, but this was their first exclusive audience with the Pontiff.

  While in Rome, Antonio Conte and Giuseppe Marotta met with media and Juventus Club Rai (see Lightning Round), while the entire delegation participated in “a celebratory supporters’ function” called Amici della Juventus at the Domus Marie Palazzo Carpegna hotel.

  In other Pope-related news, Francis reportedly performs exorcisms now. There’s hope for you yet, Mr. Moratti.

• 15th and 23rd Scudetti Anniversaries

  The Scudetto anniversaries are coming in thick and fast these days. This week in Juve history has brought up two more memories of past triumphs to complement this year’s championship.

  The first milestone was the 15th Scudetto, clinched on the final day of the season 40 years ago:

  Cestmir Vycpalek’s Bianconeri side celebrated their 15th Scudetto title on a dramatic final matchday of the championship season.

  The 1972/73 Serie A league campaign was heading towards a thrilling climax and, with just one fixture remaining, there were still three teams very much in contention. Milan were the frontrunners on 43 points, while Lazio and Juventus were both trailing by just one.

  All three clubs were in action on the road: Milan in Verona, Lazio in Naples and the Bianconeri in the capital against Roma. It would prove to be an unforgettable Sunday.

  The Rossoneri succumbed to an unexpected trouncing at the Stadio Bentegodi as they were handed a 5-3 defeat by the Gialloblu. Meanwhile, Lazio suffered a 1-0 loss against Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo.

  The stage was set for Juventus to put on a show. After going into the break a goal down against Roma, Zoff and co. hit back straight after the restart via a José Altafini equaliser. Vycpalek’s men continued to knock on the door for much of the second period and then finally, three minutes from time, Antonello Cuccureddu made the difference. The Bianconeri legend’s shot secured a nail-biting success over the Giallorossi which saw them pip Milan to the league title.

  It was one of the most hard-earned Scudetto trophies, but that made it all the more spectacular.

  Now cut to 1995, Marcello Lippi’s first season as Juve manager, and the 23rd Scudetto:

  Juventus ended the nine-year wait for a 23rd Scudetto title by recording a convincing 4-0 home win against Parma and taking an unassailable seven point lead with just two fixtures remaining.

  On 21 May, a packed house gathered at the Stadio Delle Alpi to witness the Bianconeri reclaim their rightful place as Champions of Italy. With a commanding seven point advantage over nearest competitors Milan and Parma and just three games left, the stage was set. And the hosts didn’t disappoint.

  Marcello Lippi’s side were looking to get over the line in a hurry as Fabrizio Ravanelli opened the scoring with just ten minutes on the clock. The celebrations then kicked off just before the interval when Didier Deschamps found the back of the net. The second period was merely academic, as Gianluca Vialli got in on the act and Ravanelli also doubled his personal tally to round off a resounding 4-0 win.

  Strangely enough from today’s perspective, Parma were fierce antagonists for Juventus that year. The Bianconeri fell to Parma in the UEFA Cup final, only to beat them in Coppa Italia final.

  And now they’ve re-signed Amauri. The ‘90s must feel far, far away for our Parmigiano friends.



• It’s a Boy for Giovinco!

  Finally, we at JuventiKnows would like to congratulate Sebastian Giovinco and his partner Shary on the birth of their first child, a boy, on Tuesday afternoon.

  A first Scudetto for his hometown club, and now a child. Now that’s a year!

  Benvenuto al mondo, Jacopo! Grandissima Seba e Shary!

That’s all for now. More transfer news and rumor control as it develops. A presto!

[STTBS]: Juventus News is a daily feature where the JuventiKnows editorial team discusses the JuveNews stories you need to read, without the “Messi signs for Juve on loan thanks to Nike” kind of nonsense. What does [STTBS] mean? You’ll have to guess that for yourself. We wouldn’t tell you even under pain of torture… (though we do take bribes)
 

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Juventus travelled to Sampdoria on Saturday for the final game of the 2012-13 season and bring an end to what had been a truly remarkable campaign. With the Genovese club already safe from relegation and the Scudetto sealed for the Bianconeri, there was very little to play for on either side. Here’s Adam Digby with the review of events from the final day.

MATCH ANALYSIS      by Adam Digby

Antonio Conte named a full squad for the last day of the season, resisting the chance to call up members of the club’s Youth teams and instead give one last run out to the men who had served him so well in his second year in charge. With Paul Pogba – suspended for his red card against Palermo – the only absentee, the coach chose to continue with Marco Storari in goal and a back three of Martin Caceres, Leo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

Seeing Simone Pepe’s name among those travelling to Genoa gave fans hope they might see ‘Speedy’ at some point during the game but he wasn’t even fit enough for a place on the bench as Mauricio Isla and Paolo De Ceglie were chosen at wingback. Simone Padoin and Emanuele Giaccherini flanked Andrea Pirlo in midfield while in attack, Fabio Quagliarella and Sebastian Giovinco were given a rare start together.

Sampdoria were also able to name a largely unchanged side with their impressive midfield of Andrea Poli, Angelo Palombo and former Juve man Marcelo Estigarribia all present. Striker Mauro Icardi – the man whose two goals helped the Blucerchiati to that incredible win at Juventus Stadium back in January started in attack alongside another key figure, Citadin Eder, who had scored and created important goals for Delio Rossi’s side.

Without an away win over Sampdoria since before the Calciopoli scandal and with no goals there since a 3-3 draw in September 2010, Juve started the gap determined to break that sequence. Giovinco had the first opportunity – after just two minutes – blocked by Shkodran Mustafi before Junior Da Costa was forced into a difficult save from Quagliarella’s long range effort. Palombo then did the same to a Pirlo effort, continuing the good form shown by the ‘Doria captain since Rossi restored him to the side after he became an outcast under Ciro Ferrara.

Chiellini. Quagliarella and Giaccherini all came close as Juve piled on the pressure and it wouldn’t be long before it would pay dividends. A brilliantly timed run from Quagliarella was met by an even better long ball from the mercurial Pirlo and the striker managed to control it perfectly before hitting would could well be his scruffiest shot of the season to beat the ‘keeper at the near post.

Just as it looked like the Bianconeri were going to seize control of the game however, referee Andrea Gervasoni somehow decided to awarded a penalty when Icardi jumped over a stranded Chiellini and handled the ball. Eder converted the spot-kick to bring Sampdoria level despite them barely registering a shot on target before that point and even the most blinkered anti-Juve observer would struggle to justify the decision of the match official.

Chiellini made a crucial intervention from Eder moments later and Lorenzo De Silvestri’s header bounced over the bar when the defender was left unmarked at a corner. Eventually, Juventus reestablished control, forcing Shkodran Mustafi to clear a Quagliarella effort off the line and Chiellini then headed narrowly over from a corner as the first half drew to a close.

Andrea Poli almost scored immediately after the restart but again Chiellini was in the right place at the right time to stop him having a simple tap in. Quagliarella, Padoin and Giovinco all wasted excellent chances to restore the lead before Eder and De Silvestri both drew good saves from Storari as the game became much more open.

Just as the match was developing into the of encounter you would expect from two sides who were already ‘on the beach’ Icardi would once again break the Bianconeri. Estigarribia broke forward on a superb counter-attack and stroked the ball across the box to serve up an unmissable chance for the talented young striker who was so surprised he almost fell over! He sadly didn’t and Sampdoria took a lead they might have lost in the 78th minute when the officials once again managed to make an inexplicable decision.

The referee gave a penalty but, after consulting with his assistant, changed his mind. That enraged Chiellini who seemed set to spontaneously combust. Looking at the replays only reinforced the feeling the defender was right to be so angry, even without taking the penalty given to Sampdoria. Conte then showed the world that he didn’t care about the result as he sent on Rubinho to join Nicklas Bendtner for late appearances.

The latter would last less than fifteen minutes, falling awkwardly and leaving the pitch with what was later diagnosed as a fractured wrist. Having used all their substitutes, Juventus were forced to play with ten men but still managed to score yet another goal through Giaccherini. It was an identical strike to his goal in the same stadium v Genoa but wasn’t enough to prevent the last game ending in a loss.

LE PAGELLE     by Adam Digby

Marco Storari 6.0 - Made very few saves and did well on those he had to make yet the game saw him concede three goals.

’80 Rubinho s.v. - Made no impact on the game put seemed happy to finally make his debut.

Martin Caceres 7.0 - Very little to do down his flank as Sampdoria pressed down their right almost the entire game. Much like his last few appearances he completed an incredible number of passes, this time misplacing just one of the 76 attempts he made.

Leonardo Bonucci 6.0 - Not his best game as he appeared to just coast throughout ninety minutes which perhaps should have been handed to Luca Marrone instead. A solid performance but one which typified the drop off in intensity and effort that was evident across the entire team.

Giorgio Chiellini 9.0 - He made the same amount of tackles (3) and interceptions (2) as his Uruguayan team but look back at Caceres’ report and then consider that 43% of Sampdoria attacks came down Chiellini’s side of the pitch. He completed ALL 100 passes made today, a remarkable performance from the big defender who showed everything great about his game here despite a penalty being awarded against him.

Mauricio Isla 5.5 - Average performance today from a player who had begun to show his best over the last few games. Saw plenty of the ball when Juve were in possession but wasted it with poor crosses often and was also at fault on Sampdoria’s second goal.

Simone Padoin 6.0 - Worked hard as always but when your raison d’être is effort it is impossible to thrive when playing in a meaningless game such as this. Padoin has proven throughout the season he is a valuable reserve and events of today should not cloud that judgment.

’74 Stephan Lichtsteiner 6.0 - Like the man he replaced, he lacked his usual intensity and a calm Lichtsteiner is really no Lichtsteiner at all.

Andrea Pirlo 7.0 - To paraphrase John Keats, that pass for Quagliarella was a thing of beauty, the Bearded Genius is a joy forever. He was not at his best after that but was still the pick of the midfielders on show.

Emanuele Giaccherini 7.0 - La Repubblica described his goal as being ‘as beautiful as it was useless’ and it is hard to disagree with that assessment. Put forth the effort we have come to expect from him but made it impossible to see why both Conte and Italy coach Cesare Prandelli continue to bestow so much faith in him.

Paolo De Ceglie 6.5 - Delivered some quality crosses from the left – connecting with nine of his thirteen attempts – only to see Quagliarella and Giovinco waste those resulting chances. A shame to see that his Juventus career could end this way.

Fabio Quagliarella 7.0 - A good showing from another who may have been making his last appearance in Bianconero. Was as unfortunate not to add to his opener as he was lucky to see that first shot roll in.

Sebastian Giovinco 5.0 - Was tempted to just write ‘ugh’ because this was a game which – even allowing for the general apathy on show from almost every player – showed everything wrong with a striker who turns 27 in January. Should be entering his peak years but is still as inconsistent as he is flawed.

’74 Nicklas Bendtner s.v.- Did nothing then broke his wrist. The end.

Antonio Conte 6.0 - Gave players we’ve seen very little of a run out but failed to bring the best from the combinations he chose, perhaps by design. The highly motivated and driven coach won’t lose sleep over this display, he’ll point to the tricolore on the front of next season’s kit and smile. Job done.

ANALYSIS WRAP-UP      by Adam Digby

I was tempted to skip this section as there is very little reason to assess such an insipid performance but then I realized I could use it to discuss the reasons for the apathy on show. While it is very easy to demand constant effort and quality – and God knows Twitter will attest to just how many Juventini were doing that today – to do so after what we have witnessed over the past two years is tantamount to being Interista.

Yes, THAT senseless. The coaching style of Antonio Conte demands focus in each and every game just as he displayed throughout his own stellar playing career. We saw that in games such as the away win in Pescara, sandwiched as it was between the two legs of the Bayern Munich Champions League Quarter Final. The team selected that day was heavily rotated yet still delivered the same standard we have come to expect from this incarnation of the Bianconeri.

It did so because the coach allows no excuses, no hiding places and absolutely will not tolerate anything less than 100%. What we saw in Genoa today was what happens when such a driven group of men have achieved their goals; they put their feet up, grab a beer and undo their belts. That gust of wind you felt two weeks ago? The collective exhaling as Conte took his foot off the gas.

What follows means three simple things for Juventus, both as a club and the squad itself. Firstly, the events which unfolded at the Marassi can, will and should in no way be used to judge any of the players. If a certain player was deemed surplus to requirements a month ago – think Quagliarella or De Ceglie – nothing they could have done in Genoa would have changed that mindset.

Secondly it teaches us that Conte can and does allow his players to relax when everything he asks has been done. It is a simple fact but one which will earn even greater trust from his players as he isn’t going to hammer them into the ground for no reason. Lastly and most importantly it allows the coach to point to the performance as an indicator of what will happen when the players do not give their all for the cause. That in turn tells us one thing will be waiting for the squad when they return for pre-season training; the Mister and his trusty nailed baseball bat.

Together they will ensure once again that the men blessed enough to wear our shirt do so knowing what Juventus means. Lo spirito lives on and always will.

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This post was guest-blogged by Vittorio Pazzini. Follow him on Twitter (@vittoriopazzini)

Welcome back, everybody.

Our triumphant season is officially over on Saturday, as Juventus face Sampdoria in Genoa in what is all a formality — the calcio equivalent of paperwork.

But as we’ve taken pains to mention this week, this particular fixture, rendered all but meaningless by the conclusive table results, has one possible selling point: It’s the chance for Conte’s squad to avenge what was perhaps the most humiliating loss of the manager’s reign thus far.

Juve’s 2-1 loss in Turin to Sampdoria during Hell Month (or according to the Roman calendar, January) was humiliating enough to haunt Antonio Conte for the rest of the season, and was arguably the catalyst for the Bianconeri’s domination of the rest of the campionato. Perhaps destroying Sampdoria would be a good idea.

In today’s STTBS, we’re going to prepare for the end of this season, as well as the beginning of the silly season. We’re going to talk transfers (and generally scratch our heads), have an official visit with the Mayor Turin, try to avoid eye contact with Nicklas Bendtner, ponder historical anomalies, get some advice from the Kaiser, and report a rare sighting of our much loved, much missed bandiera.

On to the news…

• Conte Stays (Unofficially)

  It looks like we’ll have Antonio Conte for the foreseeable future, barring some eleventh-hour disagreement over negotiations.

  Following a three-hour meeting with Giuseppe Marotta, Fabio Paratici and Pavel Nedved, president Andrea Agnelli and Conte briefly confirmed to the media what we’ve been waiting to hear since Juve went down to Bayern. From Football Italia:

  ‘We have planned the 2013-14 campaign together,’ said President Agnelli.

  Conte added: ‘We will continue building.’

  While the gist of the meeting is certain, the details are murkier. According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, any number of points were discussed, and as usual, the pink paper felt at liberty to make some claims regarding any agreements reached.

  La Gazzetta starts by claiming that Conte will sign on until 2016, at €5 million a season.

  As far as personnel is concerned, they report that Conte has asked for a whopping seven or eight new players; a feared “lack of hunger” is given as the reason for such turnover, which seems a bit paranoid on Conte’s part, if it’s true. Conte has also asked for “more input in terms of identifying targets and on which players can be sold.”

  Atop his wish list are two “international” strikers — quite reasonable, as the current crop of Italian strikers are very underwhelming (as Juve goes, so does Italia). Moreover, Conte insists that one of those strikers must be, in the charming translation of Football Italia, a “fox in the box” (I imagine Marotta will consult his Dr. Seuss books before making any judgments).

  As far as restrictions are concerned, Conte apparently wants to keep Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba at all costs. That’s a no-brainer, but where’s Marchisio in all this? Part of me thinks that’s just either the Gazzetta or Football Italia trying to fuel transfer rumors for our Principino. Of course, that’s exactly what will happen.

  Juve are reportedly amenable to all of Conte’s suggestions but one: a reunion with fitness trainer Giampiero Ventrone, who worked with Conte at Bari and was also part of Marcello Lippi’s Juve squads. Whether it’s a personality issue, past associations or something more, Agnelli and Marotta seem to be against it. Interviews with Ventrone have a slight whiff of persecution when the topic is broached (at least it reads that way to me), but nothing concrete has been discovered.

  Leo Bonucci, for one, never had any doubts over Conte’s extension, although his use of marital metaphors casts the whole business in a less-than-harmonious light:

  There was never a whiff that the marriage born two years ago between Juventus and Conte could end. That was confirmed by the events of yesterday.

  It is only normal that discussions take place in certain situations, but they are more than welcome if they are constructive. Like in all big families, you argue, you discuss, you come to an agreement and marriages continue.

  Assuming the translation is roughly accurate, I find it hard to believe that Leo has a go-to marriage metaphor for any occasion. If he felt the need to express the situation in terms of a marital spat, it probably has some basis in reality—at least for Leo. So how serious was this “argument”?

  Whatever happened, Leo seems genuinely convinced that Juve are moving forward as one:

  We are ambitious, we want to keep winning and I think the decision made by the club and the Coach is the one that suits everyone. We want to keep building something important, and we want to keep dreaming.

  At the end of the day, it’s obvious that any disagreements between Conte and the management are matters of degree—mainly the degree that Agnelli and Marotta are willing to take Conte’s thirst for winning seriously—even to the point of taking a financial risk or two.

  We knew the day would come when Juventus would finally make an attempt to cast off their post-2006, second-class-citizen status and make a play for European glory. Conte is simply asking Juventus to follow through.



• 8 Bianconeri Called Up for Italia

  Cesare Prandelli has named his 31-man provisional squad for the Confederations Cup in Brazil, as well as for the preceding friendly and World Cup qualifier—and unsurprisingly, it’s another ItalJuve.

  Juventus have the biggest influence on the squad makeup, boasting no less than eight members: Gigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Emanuele Giaccherini, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Sebastian Giovinco.

  The Bianconeri Nazionali will report to the Italian training camp at Coverciano on Monday. Before the Confederations Cup, there’s a friendly with San Marino in Bologna on Friday, May 31 and a World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic on Friday, June 7.

  Following those fixtures, Prandelli will have to cut down the roster to 23 men for the Confederations Cup. I imagine it will be no small task for him to do so—but not in a good way, considering the crapshoot involved in keeping faith with any of the forwards listed below. Even Balotelli, the lone striker on the list whose talent is undeniably transcendent, has his infamous problems of temperament.

  As of now, two things of certain. One is that any success the Azzurri have will be based on a collective approach, as it usually is. The second is that any success the Azzurri have will be owed in no small part to their Bianconeri core. BRAVI RAGAZZI!!!

  Here’s the 31-man list:

  Goalkeepers: Agazzi (Cagliari), Buffon (Juventus), Marchetti (Lazio), Sirigu (Paris St. Germain)

  Defenders: Abate (Milan), Antonelli (Genoa), Astori (Cagliari), Barzagli (Juventus), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), De Sciglio (Milan), Maggio (Napoli), Ogbonna (Torino), Ranocchia (Inter)

  Midfielders: Aquilani (Fiorentina), Bonaventura (Atalanta), Candreva (Lazio), Cerci (Torino), De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Giaccherini (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus), Poli (Sampdoria)

  Forwards: Balotelli (Milan), El Shaarawy (Milan), Gilardino (Bologna), Giovinco (Juventus), Osvaldo (Roma), Sau (Cagliari)

• Turin Turns Out for Champions

  It what will hopefully be a common annual occurrence, the Bianconeri were given an official reception at Turin’s city hall, which was presided over by the city’s mayor, Piero Fassino, and the chairman of the city council, Giovanni Maria Ferraris.

  Fassino opened the proceedings by emphasizing the undying connection between Juventus and the city:

  Thank you on behalf of the city of Turin. Your success is firstly down to the team, which has dedicated passion, sacrifice and professionalism, but also down to the city itself. The worldwide image of Turin is represented by Juventus

  But like everyone else in the Ju-niverse, the mayor also hoped to celebrate an even greater Bianconeri achievement in the near future:

  We’re happy with your result, which consolidates the record of league titles won in Italy, consolidates your supremacy in Italian football and also consolidates the hope that other successes will follow, starting with the Champions League.

  Andrea Agnelli responded in kind, elaborating on his club’s identification with Turin:

  I have a strong affinity with this city. When we play in Europe and people talk about Juventus, we’re referred to as Juventus Turin, because the name of our team is automatically linked to the city.

  Agnelli received a “celebratory plaque” from Fassino and Ferraris, while the players and staff received individual medals. In return, Mayor Fassino received a more personalized gift from Antonio Conte and Gigi Buffon: a No. 2 Juve jersey, “representing the amount of Scudetto titles lifted since the mayor assumed office.”

  I wonder where Fassino ranks on the list of mayors with the most Scudetti, and whether he feels any pressure to move up the list.

  Are there any mayors who were historically “bad” for Juve? And could they be personally culpable, even in the slightest?

  Maybe an unfavorable zoning law or municipal budget appropriation led to a defensive lapse?

• Sampdoria Updates

  Oh, right, I forgot — there’s a match on Saturday.

  Not only that, but as we mentioned in the Reservoir-Dogs-inspired STTBS earlier this week, the gang is getting together with a view toward revenge. Sampdoria — who humiliated Juve in Turin at the beginning of the January — must go down.

  The Bianconeri have been hard at it this week, conducting the usual series of rigorous training sessions, including athletic and ball-possession exercises, tactical rehearsals and matches on reduced-size pitches, many of them conducted in front of hundreds of die-hard fans.

  As for team selection, the rationale will likely be a mix of tactical considerations and strategic showcases for players who may be on the trading block.

  Conte may allow himself to be influenced somewhat by Cesare Prandelli’s needs for the upcoming Azzurri matches, but according to La Gazzetta, four of the eight Bianconeri called up to the Nazionale could feature from the start — including Pirlo, which mystifies me (give him a rest! The season is over!).

  La Gazzetta has Pirlo accompanied in midfield by Emanuele Giaccherini and Arturo Vidal, while Mauricio Isla and Federico Peluso could start on the wings. In defense, Martin Caceres and Luca Marrone could be joined by Giorgio Chiellini (although he should probably be rested, too, considering he receives more Azzurri playing time than Leonardo Bonucci).

  The paper has Alessandro Matri and Sebastian Giovinco up top, which seems likely, as both will be given the chance to make a final impression before meeting their calcio destinies this summer. Fabio Quagliarella should feature at some point, making a rare Nicolas Anelka even more doubtful.

  As mentioned last time (and for the past two weeks) Paul Pogba will be serving the final game of his suspension. Sadly, it’s also the final game of the season. Otherwise, Conte has everyone at his disposal.

  Saturday evening will likely see a struggle between exacting revenge for the January defeat and giving into the natural torpor that accompanies the end of a successful season. There’s no official reason to play well here — which is probably why we should anyway.

  We are the champions, after all.

• Gervasoni Refs Sampdoria Match

  Andrea Gervasoni of Mantova will preside over Juve’s last match of the season against Sampdoria in Genoa on Saturday. This will be his 100th Serie A match, and his first featuring both clubs.

  And as they do with most officials, the Bianconeri have a sterling record under his whistle, winning eight and drawing two of the last ten matches, including the most recent, a 1-0 victory at Catania last October.

  Gervasoni’s linesmen will be Filippo Meli (uncomfortably close to Felipe Melo) and Roberto Iannello. Fabrizio Posado has been named as fourth official, his chief task being to explain to anyone who will listen how entirely meaningless it all is.

• Previous Samp Encounters

  Juve’s history away to Sampdoria is a true anomaly: an almost total deadlock in terms of results.
  Over 54 matches, the record stands at 18-18-18.

  In fact, according to Juventus.com, when playing in Genoa the two sides are separated by a single goal. Tantalizingly enough, they don’t say who’s on top. Let’s say it’s Juve.

  The official site offers memories of two separate occasions on which Juventus played Sampdoria on the last day of a Scudetto-winning season:

  There have been two previous occasions on which Juventus have concluded victorious campaigns away against Sampdoria, first in 1950 and then again 27 years later.

  In 1950, the Bianconeri recorded a 0-4 success in Genoa, thanks to Ermes Muccinelli’s first-half strike and Giampiero Boniperti’s six-minute hat-trick in the closing stages. This was the club’s first Scudetto triumph since the infamous ‘Quinquennio’ period, which yielded five consecutive league titles between 1930 and 1935.

  In 1977, just four days after Juventus’ first-ever UEFA cup victory, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men travelled to Liguria to lock horns with Sampdoria. The full two points were paramount to ensure a 17th Scudetto title, as Torino were hot on their heels in the table, trailing by just a single point.

  At the halfway stage in their respective matches, the two Turin sides were tied at the top of the table. The Granata had established a comfortable 3-1 lead over Genoa, while Dino Zoff and co. were still locked at 0-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

  However, nerves were eased just past the hour mark as Marco Tardelli’s whipped cross was neatly tucked into the back of the net via a Roberto Bettega backheel. Back-to-back titles were sealed in the dying stages when Roberto Boninsegna drove a low shot into the bottom corner with 84 minutes on the clock.

  In contrast, the Ligurians, featuring future Bianconeri manager Marcello Lippi in their starting lineup, suffered a shattering defeat and were consequently relegated from Italy’s top flight.

  Torino challenging for the Scudetto? The ‘70s were a wild time. As for the present — and aside from the present need for revenge — we shouldn’t be level with Sampdoria in any respect — or with anyone, for that matter.

  Let’s make it 19-18-18.



• Agnelli Family, Buffon, and Del Piero (!) at J-Museum

  You know you’re part of something when a museum hosts a nine-decade retrospective of your family’s greatness. Or when you own the museum itself.

  Andrea Agnelli and John Elkann represented the Agnelli family at the opening of the J-Museum’s new exhibition covering the dynasty’s association with Juventus.

  The exhibition, entitled “Il lunedì si parlava di calcio” (“On Mondays we used to talk football”), covers a staggering 90 years of calcio history featuring the two great Italian institutions—though if anything, the show proves that the two are virtually inseparable.

  Elkann, the relatively silent partner in the Agnelli-Elkann tandem, spoke of his pride at an association, both personal and professional, which is close to a century old:

  It’s a wonderful exhibition which shows how strong the bond is between our family and Juventus. We’ll enjoy this magnificent present given to us by Andrea, knowing that a great future lies ahead, still together.

  Agnelli, as you’d imagine, was more forthcoming on the subject, offering a pocket history of the partnership. The common denominator of this very uncommon dynasty? Winning:

  It was July 1923 when Edoardo Agnelli became Juventus president. Following him were Gianni, Umberto and now myself, but what I would most like to point out is that Juventus won before each of us and will continue to win afterwards.

  In 90 years my family has won 30 Scudetto titles, an extraordinary average, but the best triumph will be the next one. Aside from the ‘Quinquennio’ team, we are yet to see a Juventus side win three successive titles and that’s precisely the new target we’re now aiming for.

  The J-Museum’s chairman, Paolo Garimberti, explained the rather esoteric, personal title of the exhibit, not mention a bit quaint as a phrase. But you would be quaint too if you existed in 1923:

  ‘On Mondays we used to talk about football’ may seem an eccentric title, but that’s how it was in 1923. Football was a big ritual observed on Sundays and people spoke about it on Mondays, at the bar, reading the paper.

  However, that’s where it all ended, whereas football today is spread out across seven days a week. Times have changed throughout the 90 years the Agnellis have been associated with Juventus, but there’s a common thread which runs throughout—the ability to innovate, which, unsurprisingly, is the theme of the exhibition.

  Meanwhile, Lodovico Passerin D’Entreves, the show’s curator, added:

  It’s the concept of innovation that the Agnellis have managed to bring to each of their companies. That’s also what they did in the world of sport: innovate to win.

  Captain Gigi Buffon personally delivered the 31st Scudetto to the museum for posterity, commenting on the tradition of winning fostered by the Agnelli family at Juventus, as well as his wish to contribute even more than he already has to that legacy:

  It’s the history of a club that has won all the most prestigious trophies. The link between Juventus and the Agnellis is the longest lasting in sporting history and there have been many triumphs over the past 90 years. That’s what truly counts.

  San Gigi will likely be at the club for two more years, and thus those two years will be presumably the last chance he has to complete his trophy collection by winning the Champions League. It must be frustrating to get to be so close, even if our campaign was not as impressive as a quarterfinal berth would suggest. The gap in quality between Juve and Bayern Munich is obviously something that’s haunting many at Juve, especially Gigi:

  We hope to bring home another prestigious trophy as soon as possible. We all saw how Bayern have become an example to follow in Europe, but we have the desire to improve. We’ve been chasing the European dream for years. Ability and also an element of good fortune are what’s required to get there.

  Buffon was also forced to reassure fans that Antonio Conte will stay, as despite an agreement all but in place, there remains the actual signing of the extension, and thus room, however slight, for disappointment. Still, Buffon believes it’s only a formality:

  We all know how dear the club is to the manager. He’s got a well-established relationship with the president and that’s why I don’t think he’ll have any problem in staying with us.

  And finally, Buffon only casually mentioned that ALEX DEL PIERO was in attendance, which as far as I know marks the first time he’s been at a Juve event since he left (I heard some tifosi were chanting his name during the Cagliari match, but I’m not sure if he was actually there):

  It was a great pleasure to hug Alessandro again. We’ve messaged each other over the past few months and today I saw he was in good form. He hasn’t gone to hibernate in Australia but to try and help his team improve with his great professionalism.

  Talk about keeping a low profile at a high-profile media event. I can’t find a single quote from our bandiera from the event, and the official site mentions him only in passing, as if instead of receiving a visit from the best player in Juve’s entire history, the club received a visit from, say, Zdenek Grygera.

  For his part, it seems as if Alex was not only gracious enough to attend — despite the strange, slightly bitter way he left the organization last year — but to make sure the focus stayed on the Agnelli family. Classy as ever.

  Of course, it has to be said that Del Piero’s class and elegance are in no small way shaped by the culture of Juventus as envisioned and embodied by the Agnellis. I guess the real lesson here is that class is a continual process and not an end in itself. Despite a few mistakes along the way, the Agnelli family must have the right idea, and their hearts must be in the right place. After all, you don’t continually win and produce so many elegant players like Boniperti, Scirea, Del Piero and Buffon without a commitment to class.

  That’s the Agnelli legacy, one that is continually evolving and innovating — an immense, ongoing contribution to calcio and Italian culture.



• Lightning Round!

  From the sublime to the ridiculous. Wipe that extra class off your sleeve from reading the Agnelli item and help yourself to more silliness and speculation—before the real fun starts next week. Andiamo!

  —Juventus has made an agreement with Italian fashion company Trussardi to supply suits for next season. The company will provide “a fully customized Juventus suit and exclusive waterproof jacket. Added accessories include a personalized wash bag, suit carrier and lightweight suitcase.” Say what you want about grinta, but there’s nothing more spiritually devastating than knowing you’re about to get your ass kicked by 11 very high-maintenance dudes.

  —Those unrepentant fabricators at Tuttosport are persisting with claims that Juve has made a bid for Fiorentina’s Stevan Jovetic, despite Giuseppe Marotta categorically denying the existence of such an offer. And… the Summer of Magical Thinking has officially begun. Make a wish, everyone!

  —Speaking of Beppe: Marotta is already treading carefully with his statements on the transfer market, claiming that there will probably be no substantial change this summer. Said Marotta: “‘Substantial’ is a big word; I don’t think that will happen. We want to improve gradually.” So basically, instead of the seven or eight signings Antonio Conte has requested, we’re going to get Fernando Llorente and a new snack machine at Vinovo.

  —To recap the last hour: Gonzalo Higuaín is coming to Turin. No, he’s not. Yup, he’s not. Wait; now he is… nope, he’s not.

  —Andrea Pirlo has dismissed rumors that he may go to Real Madrid: “They’re not as good in real life as they are on PlayStation.”

  —The agent of Sampdoria’s Spanish midfielder Pedro Obiang has stated that Juventus have not made an offer for him. Is that an attempt at reverse psychology? And who is he, again?

  —For the pre-Sampdoria press conference, Antonio Conte sat with the media and asked questions of his medical staff. The staff had no scientific answer to Conte’s burning question: “How can we all sleep more intensely?”

  —A Twitter poll has revealed that only 8.2 percent of Juventini would like to see Nicklas Bendtner start in the last match of the season. The 8.2 percent likely include those poor girls Bendnter made a pass at in the middle of the Scudetto ceremony. Most definitely if they looked up his stats afterward… it’s even less flattering than you thought, eh, ladies? (editor’s note: sadly, this is probably also the last time we will use that Bendtner Bender pic… sad because it’s hilarious.)

  —Luciano Moggi has suggested that Juve sell Mirko Vucinic. Said Moggi: “He’s about as consistent in front of goal as I am a likable person.”



• Make Juve’s Motto

  Now here’s a much better social media gambit than that Harlem Shake video contest.

  You may have read in a previous episode that the new Juventus uniforms are reportedly to feature no stars or phrase like “31 SUL CAMPO.” In fact, even the inside of the back collar will not feature Giampiero Boniperti’s famous saying, “Winning isn’t important, it’s the only thing that counts.”

  What it will say is up to you — provided it is “equally poignant.” From the official site:

  Juventus fans have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tie their name to the club forever following the launch of ‘Made by Your Passion’ on the Bianconeri’s official Facebook page.

  By activating the ‘Made by Your Passion’ application on the club’s Facebook page, every Bianconeri fan has until Wednesday 22 May to submit five phrases, in Italian or English, each up to a maximum of one hundred characters.

  The submissions will then be whittled down to five and subsequently put to the public vote between Saturday 25 and Tuesday 28 May.

  The winning message will be displayed inside the collar of the club’s official matchday shirts to be worn throughout the entire 2014/15 campaign.

  I think they mean 2013-14, no? Anyway, what an opportunity!

  Unfortunately, all I can come up with right now is “Secco Survivors.”

  Back to the drawing board.



• The Kaiser Speaks to the Kids

  I imagine that when Giorgio Chiellini gives you advice, you take it.

  Yesterday, the Kaiser was interviewed by Paolo Rossi for the latest edition of the Formazione Juventus lecture series, designed to impart some wisdom to the younger generation — in this case, to the kids from the Bianconeri Pulcini 2002 squad.

  Giorgio began by extolling the joys of self-directed study (perhaps not what the instructors wanted to hear):

  (Studying) has never been a problem for me, it was more of a grind when it was something I had to do, today I’ll study quite happily. I struggled a bit in the fifth year of ‘Liceo’, my football career really took off as soon as I gained my diploma. Studying is something I find easier when I’m away with the team, or in the matchday buildup to the game itself. I struggle when I’m injured, being away from the pitch creates added tension.

  Chiellini is famous for his intensity on the pitch and is certainly one of the better Bianconeri examples of perseverance through the inevitable changes in fortune and status in the course of a footballing career:

  Motivation and desire are two fundamental aspects, even more so than natural talent. Sacrifices help you to develop, regardless of the stage you’re at in your career. Fortunately I was born into a family where sport has always been important and I grew up with its values. My first-team experience with Livorno at the age of 16 was crucial for my professional career. I was pretty much a kid when I arrived and then became a man.

  When I made my Serie A debut in Rome, playing against people like Totti, Montella and Cassano, I was catapulted into a completely new world as far as I was concerned, and I really burst onto the scene at Juve. Playing under Capello, alongside many top class players, enabled me to improve even further, right up until I established myself on the international scene.

  In keeping with the collective ethos at Conte’s Juventus, Giorgio chalked up the Bianconeri’s recent success to a total group philosophy, perhaps the most important lesson for a group of kids who probably are interested in scoring than maintained the majority of ball possession. But surprisingly, Chiellini didn’t shy away from identifying a darker energy behind this all-for-one, one-for-all effort:

  These successes have been down to the strength of the group, because nobody wins by themselves in football, not even Messi. Last year’s Scudetto was built on anger. The defense was the same as the one that finished seventh the year before, made up of myself, Barzagli and Bonucci. In less than two years we’ve become one of Europe’s tightest rearguards.

  Instead, this year’s Scudetto is down to quality, organization, but also the desire to retain our title.

  The session ended with a Q & A, where the discussion became more trivial, and thus more fun:

  My best goal? I scored it for Fiorentina against Parma, a shot from outside the area. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to see it again, it’s not even on YouTube. The best strikers? Ibrahimovic and Eto’o. Why the King Kong celebration? I worked on it with my friends, I wanted something that nobody else did and characterized me, and the Gorilla was the perfect choice.

  Overall, it seems the kids were even more well-behaved than usual. Notice how in the class picture NOBODY is fooling around and ignoring Giorgio, as they have in similar pictures for past guests.

  That behavior might be fine for Federico Peluso, but these kids know from real authority.

• 11th Scudetto Anniversary

  We leave you with a look back at the Bianconeri’s 11th Scudetto, which was clinched 53 years ago this week. Those were the days when men were probably men, and each win was worth two points.

  From Juventus.com:

  The 1959/60 championship season drew to a close with the club securing championship glory following a 3-1 home win over Milan.

  Juventus approached the fixture on 49 points, six more than nearest rival Fiorentina’s tally of 43.

  The Viola stumbled to a defeat against Sampdoria in Genova, while Omar Sivori, who would go on to become the season’s top goalscorer with 28 strikes, added a double to Giampiero Boniperti’s solo effort in a 3-1 win over the Rossoneri.

  In an era when two points were awarded for a victory, the eight-point gap provided the hosts with an unassailable lead and sparked rapturous Scudetto celebrations in Turin.

  Ah, remember when our top strikers scored 20-something goals with regularity?

  I can’t think of a better memory to end the season, and a better wish for next year.

Ciao for now. Sampdoria’s on Saturday; let’s end the season on a high note. Then we can start worrying in earnest about next year. So it goes.

See you next week!

[STTBS]: Juventus News is a daily feature where the JuventiKnows editorial team discusses the JuveNews stories you need to read, without the “Messi signs for Juve on loan thanks to Nike” kind of nonsense. What does [STTBS] mean? You’ll have to guess that for yourself. We wouldn’t tell you even under pain of torture… (though we do take bribes)
 

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Here we are, at the end of yet another calcio campaign. It’s remarkable how fast the year went, but as a middle-20 something, every year seems to progress faster than the last. It seems like yesterday that Juventus trained in Chatillon and we wondered what the season might bring. Would we retain the title? How would our return to the Champion’s League go? How long could we remain unbeaten?

It’s been a beautiful year. There’ve been loads of memories made – the crushing win over Nordsjaelland after losing our unbeaten record at home to Inter. The 2-2 comeback at Stamford Bridge. The destruction of Zeman’s Roma. The 3-0 mauling of Chelsea at the Juventus Stadium. Marchisio’s double in the Turin derby. Going to Donestk uncertain of qualification. Losing at home to Sampdoria with a man advantage. Matri’s brace against Cagliari as a substitute. The Celtic matches, the Bayern matches. Every season is truly an unforgettable one, but this one particularly so.

This year was a season of consecration for Juventus. The team established its dominance in Serie A, showed its power (and weaknesses) in Europe, and for figures like Conte, Bonucci, Chiellini, and many others, it was a year that proved their quality beyond all doubt. There are players that didn’t prove themselves this year, and they may leave, but they leave as Italian champions and time will look kindly on their tenure at Juventus.

The aim this year was a good run in Europe while retaining the Italian crown, and Conte and co have duly delivered. The first phase of the Conte/Marotta/Agnelli project was to re-establish Juve’s dominance in Italy and get back into the Champion’s League. The next step is to maintain domestic dominance while becoming a legitimate perennial contender again in Europe, a big step.

But there’s one small step left to take care of. Juventus have beaten every single team in the league except for Sampdoria, having lost at the Juventus Stadium in January. It was the first match back after the winter break, and it seemed Juve had finally broken the January curse. The team was up 1-0, Sampdoria had a man sent off, and the team was cruising to an easy win at home. But it wasn’t to be.

A disastrous debut from Federico Peluso and a rare bad performance from Gianluigi Buffon handed Sampdoria all 3 points. The Genoa-based club had a new coach, Delio Rossi, and tore Juventus apart on the counter-attack. Both goals came from the left flank, and it started a period of poor form for Juventus that only really ended with the Celtic tie. It’s time for revenge.

Sampdoria

It’s been a very turbulent season for Sampdoria. The storied club was relegated the same year they played in the Champion’s League preliminary stages, but bounced back into the top division quickly. The club secured Ciro Ferrara as coach, who had turned around the Italian U-21 squad to a dominant competitor once again, but like his tenure at Juventus, a stunning early start led to a crash.

Ferrara’s Samp started out with 3 wins in a row, then lost a stunning 7 games in a row. They picked themselves up with 2 wins, but 1 draw and 2 losses followed and Sampdoria, hovering in the relegation zone, was forced to make a change. Ferrara was sacked before Christmas, and Delio Rossi was brought on board. Shortly after, Sampdoria owner and patron Riccardo Garrone passed away.

Rossi immediately got an impact, with his side defeating Juventus as mentioned in an energetic and counter-attacking manner. They’ve had a reasonably successful season since and comfortably will avoid relegation, currently sitting on 39 points. Considering the minimum for the club was avoiding the drop, mission accomplished.

If it wasn’t for the extraordinary drop in form under Ciro Ferrara, Sampdoria could’ve achieved a lot more. They aren’t a relegation battling team, but one put together well. There are “competent” Serie A players who are reliable if unspectacular, as well as young creative or pacey talents. It’s no surprise that Serie A big clubs are after a number of Sampdoria’s players.

In midfield, Juventus and Milan have been linked to both Andrea Poli, who briefly spent time at Inter, as well as Obiang, who many consider to be a potential Pirlo successor. Up top, former Serie B capocannoniere Eder has settled in nicely as well as Mauro Icardi, a fast finisher who Juventus courted in January, and will likely sign for Inter this summer. It’s a team with solid veterans (Palombo, Gastaldello) and young talent, similar to how Palermo performed highly under Delio Rossi a few years ago.

Another name of note is Marcelo Estigarribia- the Paraguayan winger was on loan last season at Juventus, and while he didn’t do enough to warrant a transfer, the wingback held his own and scored a few important goals here and there. There was little talk about his departure, but he left as a champion of Italy.

Juventus

The Bianconeri are already on vacation. Having drawn Cagliari 1-1, the team can no longer surpass the points record won by Fabio Capello back in 2005-2006. The only remaining record would be defeating Sampdoria, the only team left in the league unbeaten by the Bianconeri.

Since officially winning the title, Conte has practiced a fair amount of rotation, and that will certainly continue. Players like Giaccherini, Padoin, Peluso, De Ceglie, Isla, Giovinco, Matri, Quagliarella, and Marrone will get some playing time, but their futures are undecided. Giaccherini, Padoin, and Peluso are all very much “Conte’s men” and so will likely stick around, and Isla’s price tag, potential, and recent playing time suggests he will be confirmed as well.

It very well might be a last hurrah for Quagliarella, Matri, Giovinco, De Ceglie, and Marrone, all of who are heavily rumored to leave the club this summer.

Quagliarella is certainly on his way out – despite being a solid goalscorer, he’s completely fallen out of favor since his outburst vs Alessio during the Milan defeat in October. De Ceglie and Marrone have to consider their futures, the former’s age means he will likely be sold off, whereas Juventus will try and maintain a stake in Marrone. Giovinco and Matri are both probably 50-50 to stay; Conte believes in Giovinco and will keep him unless a decent offer comes in, and Matri has somewhat proven himself in Conte’s eyes in the 2nd half of the season.

While it’s uncertain if either Vidal or Pirlo will play, do not take it as a sign of their departure. Real Madrid is supposedly interested in Pirlo if Ancelotti arrives, and everyone under the (Middle Eastern) sun has been eyeing Vidal, but surely a key component of Conte’s big meeting with Marotta & Agnelli was insistence that key parts of the team must stay with the team.

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Champions of Italy! I Campioni Dell’Italia Siamo Noi! The JuventiKnows TeamEATS Full-Service-Smackdown Kitchen is ablaze in Tricolor decorations as we close a triumphant season with a special trip to Sampdoria on Saturday for victory (and revenge).

2012-2013 was a long and tough season with it’s own moments of heartbreak; a first-ever home loss, an early Coppa Italia exit, an end to our Champions League dream… But just as in real life, only with both the good and bad can there be growth. And make no mistake, we have grown.

While winning the scudetto is a prestigious accomplishment, to win back-to-back titles is another challenge entirely. Despite all the challenges endured since last summer (both on AND off the field) Juventus have emerged victorious. And we can rejoice.

We live in glorious times. We are currently watching our beloved Lady grow-up once again, as she writes another chapter for her history book continuing a new tradition under a new stadium, management, players, and leaders. Embrace these moments and enjoy them, because this kind of magic does not happen often. And don’t worry about that elusive Champions League dream:

Can you dig it? But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. We still have a season to close out with a Saturday trip to Genoa’s Sampdoria.

This week we’re making a pasta dish in the Genovese style, which is to cook vegetables with the pasta water. I’ve never had pasta prepared this way, but I really like the method. It adds an extra heartiness to the pasta, which works really well with the all the vegetables ingredients. There’s also a color theme going with a special twist to the recipe, as we’re using green, white, and red ingredients in honor of our new latest Scudetto.

Pair this dish with champagne. #31.

This recipe is also a vegetarian dish, which should please the many of you who request more vegetarian dishes via twitter (@TeamGREASE btw) as well as my vegetarian guests at the home kitchen. If you absolutely must add meat, feel free to add some sauteed bacon chunks to the mix before you serve.

This week’s music is an awesome video tribute to this season’s Serie A Title win. The video was created by Colosimo99 and his work is some of the best Juve YouTube videos out there. Check it out.

Let’s get cooking.

Difficulty: Easy, Price: $12.00, Time: 40 minutes

Directions

1.Add 6 qts of water to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Remember that a watched pot doesn’t boil, so stop standing there like an interista and keep moving. We got work to do.

2. Wash all the beans and peppers, which means to rinse them under cold water. And use fresh ingredients. This ain’t no A.C. Milan.

3. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes, about 1/4 inch. Set aside, just like Napoli’s dreams.

4. Cut the ends off of each string bean, and then cut in halves. Set aside, just like Lazio’s dreams.

5. Remove the stems and inside seeds from the peppers and cut into strips. Set aside, just like Fiorentina’s dreams.

6. At this point hopefully the water is boiling. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until tender, just like Roma’s hopes for next season.

7. Blend the parsley with the pine nuts and a little olive oil in a food processor to make the pesto paste. You can also skip this pesto business if you want to, it’s not critical, much like Palermo staying in Serie A.

8. Once the potatoes are cooked add the pasta. Check the cooking instructions on the box, and at about 4 minutes before the end of the specified cooking time, add the green beans. PS: Chievo sucks.

9. Drain the water from the pot, keeping 1 cup of the pasta water on the side. Add the raw peppers and pesto sauce and mix everything together. Slowly add a little bit of the starch-infused pasta water to get the creaminess you prefer. But if you’re a Granata fan, chances are you like it dry and crusty.

10. Top with your favorite cheese and Consume. Finish your meal in exactly 31 bites. No less.

Special thanks to everyone who enjoyed TeamEATS this season, especially all the many guest chefs! Can’t wait for next season.

Taking part in TeamEATS this week? Post pics of your dishes in the comments section below.

Mangiare è l’unica cosa che… Conte!

Back by popular demand, TeamEATS is a culinary guide to cooking and consuming the opposition. Each week, we pick a recipe from the home cuisine of Juve’s upcoming adversary, put on the kitchen apron and… cook it and eat it. Buon Appetito!
 

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This post was guest-blogged by Matt Statto. Follow him on Twitter (@ilStatto)

The 2012/13 Serie A campaign ends here. Sampdoria and Juventus go head to head at the Marassi and will both be wanting to put on a show for the supporters to round off what has been a successful season for both sides. Sampdoria have enjoyed a good campaign in which they’ve shown great character to stay in the top flight in what has been their first season back in Italy’s elite, having been promoted from Serie B last season.

Sampdoria begun the season under the stewardship of former Juventino Ciro Ferrara, but he was soon moved on as part of the ever-ongoing managerial merry-go-round. Replacing him was the experienced Delio Rossi, who took up his first managerial role since his controversial stint with Fiorentina, where the fiery coach punched enigmatic midfielder Adem Ljajic in the midst of a touchline bust up, leading to Delio Rossi’s sacking and a 3 month ban. Delio Rossi’s appointment in the end has proven to be justified, seeing his side over the line and onto the list of teams guaranteed a place in Serie A for 13/14, despite a faltering end to the campaign which has seen Sampdoria go 11 games since their last victory.

Bursting on the scenes this season, Mauro Icardi – the ex-Barcelona la masia product – has taken to Serie A with aplomb, scoring 9 goals and becoming a significant part of Sampdoria’s success throughout 12/13. For a player of his inexperience, his level of performance has been very impressive, taking to Serie A at a rate much more rapid to one which you come to expect of a player of his tender years. A move to Inter is expected to follow for the 20 year old Argentinian forward.

May 12 2013: Lazio 2-0 Sampdoria

In Sampdoria’s last fixture, they headed to the Olimpico to take on a Lazio side aiming to pip Udinese into securing European football for 2013/14. Having secured Serie A football for a second season just the week before, Sampdoria didn’t have an awful lot to play for and this was perhaps representative of the relaxed nature in which they performed against the men from Rome.

Delio Rossi lined his side up in a 3-5-2 formation based upon short passing with patient build up in attack. Playing through the technical and creative duo of Enzo Maresca and Andrea Poli, Sampdoria were able to gain the stronger foothold when it came to retaining the ball in the middle of the park and this was the basis in which they based their structure and performance whereby retaining possession allowed their two wing backs in Simon Poulsen and Matias Rodriguez to be able to push forward beyond the midfield to support the front two in the final third of the pitch.

Lazio’s coach Petkovic chose to field a counter attacking 4-4-2 formation which on a few occasions this season has proven to be his alternative structure when deciding to go with two natural strikers, as opposed to just the one when he uses his more regular 4-1-4-1 in what has been a successful first campaign for the Serbian coach. As usual, retention of possession wasn’t high on Petkovic’s agenda as he went with his familiar strategy of high tempo counter attacking to try and catch the opposition on the break, before dropping off into a compact and well drilled defensive structure when without the ball.

As mentioned above, Sampdoria were the team who were in control of the tempo of the game. Lazio’s dropping off allowed Sampdoria’s back three the time to split wide across the width of the pitch in order to create space in which to build from the back, whilst also stretching Lazio’s forwards apart from each other so Enzo Maresca could drop deep to receive the ball from Gastaldello who had the responsibility of being the middle centre back. Sampdoria’s patience from the back was very good and their looked to be a strong element of control on the ball, with their players appearing relaxed and comfortable – representative of a game whereby the pressure was off for Delio Rossi’s men.

Both Maresca and Poli are players who excel with the ball at their feet and they struck up a good combination here, appearing very much on the same wave length and showing good understanding of one and other. Maresca was by far the deepest of the two and was instructed to make the first pass forward from the back, but Poli also showed regista tendencies from his position left of centre, playing a number of enticing balls into the channels and just generally retaining possession via a combination of good passing and good decision making. By sacrificing an additional midfielder, Lazio were unable to close down all three of Sampdoria’s midfielders at one, which meant Samp always had an outball when looking to make an extra pass in midfield.

Where Sampdoria struggled mostly though was in their ability to create chances in the final third. As is often the case with newly promoted sides and/or provinciali, Sampdoria lack consistent quality which can make the match winning difference. Icardi has had a good season, but is certainly not a player who can yet carry a team’s whole attacking burden and with both of Sampdoria’s first choice wing backs – Estigarribia and De Silvestri – being out, they lacked that same level of threat from the wide areas, which can deem the dominance a 3-5-2 can give, irrelevant. Andrea Poli did his best to provide for the forwards, laying a few chances on a plate for Icardi and Sansone, but barring the odd bit of terrible luck, Sampdoria’s finishing left plenty to be desired.

Both of Lazio’s goals came via what has been Sampdoria’s Achilles heel this season – lapses of concentration and individual errors. Both goals shouldn’t have been allowed to happen, but they did and were both very preventable. The first was from a poor corner which wasn’t cleared competently, this was followed up by a terrible piece of marking by Poulsen who didn’t attempt to get tight to Floccari to bundle the ball home. The second was a silly decision from Gastaldello to dive in on Onazi, which whilst the awarding of a penalty appeared a tad soft, it was the naivety in which the Sampdoria centre back stuck his foot out which left the referee with a decision to make. Lazio and Sampdoria were fairly even sides throughout in terms of chances created, but whereas one side has an excellently marshaled and regimented defence, the other struggles to cope with any sort of pressure from overloads, especially on the break, where gaps are aplenty.

Keys To A Juventus Victory

Depending on the mood in which Juventus turn up, may well depend on the way this fixture results. With the season very much winding down to an imminent conclusion, the minds of players on both sides could well be on their summer vacation and not on this fixture. There is still opportunities up for grabs though and a number of the fringe Juventus players expected to get a run out may well be looking to prove a point to Conte, or put themselves in the shop window ahead of this summer’s transfer mercato. The likes of Isla, De Ceglie, Caceres etc. have all founded opportunities to play at a premium this season, so will no doubt be looking to put in good performances to impress those watching and assessing their involvement.

In order to come up victorious, it’s important for Juventus to maintain a high tempo when without the ball in order to upset any rhythm Sampdoria’s midfield may look to instigate. Sampdoria do fine in possession when they are able to play the ball unopposed, but struggle when the opposition gets in their faces and looks to press them intensely and intently. This has been a key feature for Juventus under Conte and even with little to play for, you’d still expect a degree of intensity from Conte’s men which will really upset the flow of Sampdoria’s midfield, stifling them and allowing Juventus to dictate the game themselves.

Of course, as I mentioned, Sampdoria do struggle to prevent individual mistakes and defend when the opposition is on the break. Whilst Juventus aren’t predominantly a counter-attacking team, elements of the counter attack have crept into Juve’s game in the final third of the season, whereby energy levels have dropped due to a level of fatigue, allowing the opposition more of the ball than they’ve come to expect in the earlier parts of the season and indeed in 11/12 before that. Juventus, if incisive and clever should be able to punish Sampdoria by overloading on their back three with Vidal making vertical runs beyond their midfield line to provide penetration from deep. The more pressure from different situations Sampdoria are put under, the more likely they’re going to be to make those individual errors.

In what will surely be a battle of 3-5-2 vs 3-5-2, the individual battles all over the field are what can count the most though and Juventus stronger individual in every position means that it’s highly likely Juventus will have the quality to take the victory if the players are focused on winning the fixture. The battle out wide can be important in terms of setting up which side dictates the game and who is able to play out from the back, as generally the more adventurous the team’s wing back, the further back it pushes the counterpart for the opposition, creating isolation for the opposition’s forwards. Former Juventus squad player Estigarribia is sure to give Isla a needed test with the Paraguayan’s energy and work rate being a key part of his game, constantly looking to get forward to support his two strikers. Mauricio Isla has been due test against a decent opponent who will look to out-do him at his own game and the Chilean will have to continue his recent good form to get the upper hand.

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This post was guest-blogged by Vittorio Pazzini. Follow him on Twitter (@vittoriopazzini)

This is it, friends. Time to round up the gang for One Last Job.

That’s if the Bianconeri can be persuaded to actually show up on the last day of the season, as many of them are probably still hung over from celebrating for the past week-and-a-half, and the rest are extremely busy packing for whatever exotic vacations they’re about to take.

Still, there might be more of an impetus to succeed in this particular meaningless match: Juve are facing the very last team to hand them a loss in Serie A.

Sampdoria humiliated Juventus in January, handing the Bianconeri a 2-1 defeat at Juventus Stadium behind a brace from young upstart Mauro Icardi. It was an embarrassing moment, the memory of which gave Antonio Conte fits for the rest of the season.

Now it’s payback time (again, fingers crossed).

In today’s STTBS, we’re going to hail our conquering heroes, listen to Agnelli’s plan for further conquest, deal with the latest batch of transfer rumors, congratulate the Primavera — and maybe, if we get around to it, plan some sweet Samp revenge for 11 partied-out leoni whose minds are probably on a well-deserved vacation.

It’s so crazy, it just might work — but seriously, no big deal if it doesn’t.

To the news!

• UPDATE: Sampdoria Match Moved to Saturday

  The end of the season comes a bit earlier than scheduled, as the Juve-Sampdoria match has been moved up to Saturday, according to the official site.

  Apparently, the stagione is enough of a foregone conclusion (our Scudetto and the three relegation teams have already been decided) that the FIGC didn’t feel it was necessary to have all teams playing their final matches at the same time.

  Thus, the two clubs will be the first in Serie A to complete their schedule, freeing us up to enjoy what passes for final-weekend fireworks: the struggle between Milan and Fiorentina to lock up that third Champions League spot.

  Meanwhile, Antonio Conte and the boys are shaking off their trophy-ceremony hangovers and finally starting to think about Sampdoria. After three full days off, the squad returns to Vinovo on Wednesday to begin preparations for a payback which will hopefully close out the season on a righteous, if slightly vengeful note.

  Of course, since the Bianconeri haven’t even started training, it’s far too early to speculate about team selection and tactics. What we do know is that Paul Pogba will be serving the last match of his three-match suspension. Otherwise, Andrea Pirlo, who sat out on Saturday, will be back in the fold, as will be everyone who is physically fit to play.

  For the sake of novelty, I want someone new to score on Saturday; I’ll accept a goal from anyone who hasn’t yet scored.

  And for some strange reason unbeknownst to me, I’d like to officially see what Nicolas Anelka can do. Maybe it’s because I remember hearing his name over and over again in those Champions League broadcasts from years past. Or maybe it’s because despite not playing at all, he maintains a very high rating in FIFA 13.

  Why? It’s not like he lit up China with his 3 goals in 22 matches.

  Is it because he’s ex-Chelsea, and thus gets to be overrated for longer than usual (even by Premier League standards)? I don’t know.

  I’ll even settle for a nice little piece of skill, a nifty pass—anything that even hints at living up to that 81 rating.



• Conte Celebrates Scudetto, Looks Forward to… Rest

  Maybe it’s the heightened tension of a successful Scudetto defense, or perhaps it was the Kafkaesque ordeal he had to endure earlier in the season at the hands of Palazzi and his goons from the FIGC.

  Whatever it is, Antonio Conte’s traditionally intense demeanor has lifted in the past few weeks — if by no other discernible evidence than his willful submission to being thrown into an ice bath after the Palermo match and his running a gauntlet of playful slaps (re: light hazing) on his way to accepting his Scudetto medal.

  For the moment, Antonio Conte is content — and he seriously deserves to be. And as per usual, in what has practically served as a mantra this year, he owes it all to his players — and even singles out one for high praise:

  The players are always the stars of the show. They’ve done extraordinary things, showing constant desire to fight and improve. Pogba’s surprised me the most, today he’s a different player from the one that joined us in the summer.

  Of course, leave it to the press to ruin the fun and sense of accomplishment by comparing it to past Juve squads. Conte’s had enough practice with the big-market media by now to deftly sidestep those questions:

  We can be compared to Lippi’s side as far as determination’s concerned, but I’d say our side is generally different to all the others, including the teams led by Trapattoni and Capello.

  Finally, after this weekend’s match, Antonio has decided to dedicate the next six or so weeks to carrying out his next all-important mission — doing absolutely nothing:

  We enjoyed another wonderful day today, celebrating with our supporters and relatives. There’s another game to go and then we’ll enjoy our holidays. I’ve had three busy summers and need to take a break and recharge the batteries. A lot of energy will be required to enjoy another season like the one we’ve just experienced.

  And next year will be intense — even by Antonio’s standards.

  GRAZIE, MISTER!!!



• Scudetto Celebrations: Tomorrow’s Memories Today!

  Despite the draw with Cagliari, Juve and their families and friends managed to stage a Scudetto celebration joyous enough to dispel whatever disappointment remained from falling short of Capello’s record.

  Minutes after the final whistle, talk of the Champions League, 92 points and “top players” faded into the background. In its place was a second-consecutive trophy ceremony at Juventus Stadium, which in its young life has seen nothing but domestic triumph. That old Scudetto feeling may be a familiar one in Turin, but No. 31 is state-of-the-art and up-to-date.

  And in keeping with modern times, memories just won’t wait. Indeed, several Bianconeri were eager to reflect on the season immediately after the ceremony.

  San Gigi Buffon is celebrating his first Scudetto as Juventus captain, but despite his obvious pride at the achievement, he still considers himself one of many capable leaders on the squad:

  I’m happy, because it takes a long time to become captain of a team. But winning two years in a row means the squad has many leaders. I’m referring to Chiellini, Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal, Bonucci.

  Of course, this season’s achievement came with a lesson in humility at the hands of Bayern Munich, and amidst the current celebration, Gigi was keen to point out the very uphill challenge Europe represents next season and beyond:

  To do that, both we and other European sides need to improve in order to catch up with Bayern Munich, who are currently two steps ahead of the rest. What’s more, if they win the Champions League, they’ll strengthen the team even further, so it will be a difficult task. Having said that, winning competitions like the Champions League can depend on luck: one less mistake, an extra save or a more favorable draw.

  Kaiser Giorgio Chiellini recovered from a few nagging injuries just in time to mix it up for the last few matches. For Giorgio, retaining the Scudetto was a matter of determination and resilience to the various setbacks that are unavoidable over the course of a season:

  The reason why we’ve sealed this Scudetto title so early is because we’ve never given up over the course of the campaign. We faced Bayern, the best team in the world, but never lost sight of our objective. The defeat against Inter was a slip-up that brought us back down to earth and after a sticky patch in January we set off again. We deserve this title.

  Above all, Giorgio credits Antonio Conte with providing the vision for a project which is still very much in the ascendancy:

  We’re in the thick of our cycle, of which he’s the main architect. We want to develop together and continue following him. Throughout our two-year journey, we’ve made a great deal of progress. No one thought we’d be able to win as early as last year and then go on to achieve back-to-back Scudetto titles.

  We’ll need to do well in the future to keep on improving, day after day, match after match. We know that it won’t be easy. Winning again isn’t just about personnel, it’s also about the desire to achieve certain objectives.

  Claudio Marchisio seemed a bit reserved at the trophy ceremony — reserved bordering on sullen. I sincerely hope I’m reading too much into it, and I still have every reason to believe that Claudio’s treating all of this Manchester United talk as just that.

  And granted, he’s not the most demonstrative of players at the best of times. His post-ceremony statement — though I’m sure it is genuinely felt and honestly expressed — is in keeping with the diplomatic tone (classy, slightly boring) of Juve captains past and present, a lineage which will hopefully one day include our Principino:

  The supporters have enabled us to enjoy another exciting day, they’ve come here in numbers to celebrate with us. We wanted to win for them and for the record, but this draw doesn’t take anything from a team that has been doing great things for two years.

  Simone Pepe, whose season was almost entirely lost to injury, still offered a joyous take on the second Scudetto triumph — especially as this season also saw the birth of his daughter:

  This year I’ve won two Scudetto titles, one today and another six months ago.

  Still only 29, Pepe insists that he has much, much more to contribute, and he hopes it’s with Juve:

  It was a great success and I still feel part of it even though I’ve hardly played. The manager, staff and teammates have always been close to me and the fans have continued to applaud me. I’d also point out that even though I’ve only played 20 minutes, I’ve done well in the past. But now I want to repay all this support. I’m doing rehabilitation and hope to be ready for pre-season in July. I’m 100% raring to go.

  What do these four men have in common? Besides being confirmed champions, they all share the total dedication and spirit of self-sacrifice which is the very essence of Conte’s Juve.

  They can stop shots, mark opposing forwards out of the match, help dominate the midfield while scoring timely goals, or simply cheer on their teammates from the bench, but all of their contributions are vital to this culture of success in Turin, at once timeless and thoroughly modernized.

  It’s a new Old Lady — same as she ever was.



• Agnelli and Conte: No Ordinary Ambition

  We Juventini are normally an impatient bunch, even if the wilderness years post-Farsopoli adjusted our expectations quite severely. All it took was one Scudetto to automatically turn our thoughts to Europe, and one humbling loss to a European giant to make us demand nothing short of European dominance.

  Andrea Agnelli knows us pretty well, which is why he took time out from celebrating his much-deserved success to let us know that he knows what we really want, and that neither he nor Antonio Conte plan on shirking their share of the responsibility:

  Our Coach knows the ambitions of the supporters. Winning for Juve looks normal now, but it is not. Conte and I have talked about the future and we have explored various different situations – but nobody knows what will happen for certain. We would all like to be sure of winning the Champions League, but that’s not how it works. Our ambition however, remains the same.

  Rest assured, amici: Agnelli is working on it. Who knows how long it will take, but we tifosi should be encouraged by the swift yield of domestic success and European overachievement under Agnelli and Conte, which suggests that things are moving steadily and assuredly towards Continental glory.

  Plus, unlike many club president/manager tandems, Andrea and Antonio have no lack of rapport between them. In fact, they seem relatively chummy:

  Conte is always round my house and we often talk about the past and other things.

  Do those “other things” include how to squeeze more money from the Elkann family?

  Agnelli recently gave a larger, more comprehensive interview with Sky Sport, touching on the abovementioned points as well as other subjects including his personal and professional growth as president, the ongoing fight to clear Juve’s name from the events of 2006, and of course this summer’s transfer strategy.

  Check out the complete transcript here.

• Cagliari Stats: Uhh… Whatever

  Not much to crow about this weekend, but then again, this match was destined to be eclipsed by the celebration to follow — not to mention that it was meaningless in the first place.

  Saturday afternoon was atypical of an underwhelming Juve performance, at least for this season. Usually, the Bianconeri would struggle to break a 0-0 deadlock and finally scrape a goal or two in the last 20 minutes, flattering to deceive. This time, Victor Ibarbo’s opener for Cagliari in the 12th minute added a low-level urgency for our boys; the need for a comeback.

  The match was typical in one respect: Sadly, once again the opponents were able to convert their only shot on target.

  Even Juve’s majority of possession (58%) was not as high as we’re accustomed to seeing. They had a 72.6% pass-completion rate—not bad—but landed a whopping 20 shots on goal, with five forcing saves, only one a goal. That’s the kind of profligacy which, in an important match (or even semi-important), would certainly raise an alarm or three throughout the known Ju-niverse.

  Individually, Mirko Vucinic and Arturo Vidal and Mirko Vucinic led Juve players with four shots each, with Emanuele Giaccherini just behind them on three.

  Meanwhile, Giorgio Chiellini once again made the most completed passes (63), though he didn’t have Andrea Pirlo’s competition this weekend. Leonardo Bonucci (61) and Giaccherini (53) were right behind the Kaiser.

  Luckily, there is one more match to erase the memory of this weekend’s damp squib—although the trophy ceremony has mostly done the job already.

  I personally only remember cute, bewildered kids staring into space, as their Bianconeri parents do their best to convince them that this is supposed to be not only fun, but a highlight of their young lives.



• Lightning Round!

  The season’s over, and everyone and everything is fair game. You need us now more than ever, amici!

  Here is our twice-weekly assortment of the true, the dubious, the poorly worded and the downright unfortunate from the highly suspect world of calcio media.

  —Arsenal are apparently closer than Juventus to an agreement with Real Madrid for Gonzalo Higuain, although Juve have reportedly agreed to personal terms with the player. And so begins the Battle for the Privilege of Being Underwhelmed.

  —Giorgio Chiellini has expressed his delight at the prospect of playing with good friend Alessandro Diamanti: “Alessandro is a great player. He’s turned out to be decisive for the national team despite playing for Bologna, and we know how difficult it is to make an impact at a provincial team.” He makes it sound like playing for Bologna is some kind of disease to overcome. If you want the transfer to go through, Giorgio, lay off on the “Bologna as poor footballers’ orphanage” angle. And shave Diamanti’s head, for heaven’s sake. If I want to see that haircut, I’ll go watch Amauri or the Counting Crows.

  —Luciano Moggi on Juve transfer talk: “Diamanti has proven to be a player who solves the matches and also has the right DNA for Juve; he is a warrior. Higuain is a good player, but has nothing of the DNA sample.” You’re probably right, but just stop talking for a while and let us figure things out for ourselves.

  —Update from last week: Brazilian club Flamengo warned Juventus to complete the paperwork for 18-year-old Mattheus Oliveira by this past Monday, a date which seemingly passed without an announcement of a deal. Which brings up a very scientific question: If the Ju-niverse collectively shrugs its shoulders, does it make a sound?

  —Alessandro Matri on his future: “I don’t know my future, but at the moment my permanency here is certain.” So at this moment, you’re here forever, but that could change tomorrow? Congratulations, Ale! You took a simple question about the transfer market and managed to destroy the space-time continuum.

  —Fiorentina hit man Luca “I Miss You” Toni claims that his Viola teammate Stevan Jovetic is “unhappy” in Florence. Really, Mr. Jovetic? You know how you can really piss them off this summer? I’ll tell you the details later, but it involves a very short move in a northwesterly direction…

  —Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino Raiola is confident that the big Swede will stay at PSG next year, despite rumors of a return to Juventus. Raiola claims that Ibra and Juve recently came to a secret mutual agreement referred to as “Who Needs This Shit?”

  —Andrea Pirlo on Conte’s supposed departure: “Scared of losing Conte? I think it’s a surreal situation. We’ll certainly see him in the summer.” Poor Andrea, having to answer these inane, speculative questions. The season’s over; let the man grow his beard in peace. And let the beard maintain its Twitter presence.

  —Bad Play of the Week: Nicklas Bendtner hitting on those poor women in the middle of the trophy ceremony. You almost have to admire the sheer nerve of someone who, having had practically no hand in this year’s success (and having disgraced himself in Denmark with his DUI conviction), still had no reservations about using such a joyous occasion as leverage for a casual pick-up. I said “almost”… he’s a total creep.

• Primavera Beat Little Milan to Win Ostuni Tournament

  Marco Baroni’s Primavera squad have been on a virtual tear recently, ripping through the Città di Ostuni tournament as they warm up for the Final Eight of the national playoffs set for June in Gubbio.

  Their latest victims were Mini Milan, who fell 4-2 to our Bianconeri brethren—and those two goals were mere consolation prizes after Juve went up 4-0.

  Here’s the official summary from Juventus.com:

  After roaring to a 4-2 semi-final victory over Parma, Marco Baroni’s side produced more of the same at the final hurdle, overcoming potential championship rivals Milan by the same scoreline.

  Edoardo Ceria celebrated his recent call up to the national side by netting a double, while Joel Untersee and Matteo Gerbaudo made the success even more resounding ahead of the Rossoneri’s late consolation efforts.

  Baroni will have every reason to be satisfied with his team’s killer instinct in front of goal throughout the Puglia-based tournament, having witnessed 21 goals in five games.

  With another piece of silverware in the bag, the Primavera will now hope to round off a superb season in style when they line up in Gubbio for the Final Eight.

  The draw for the quarterfinal stages—to be played on Saturday 1 or Sunday 2 June—is to be made on Friday, with Baroni’s young guns set to face one of Fiorentina, Torino, Milan or Chievo.

  Milan is only the latest scalp for the U-21s, who in addition to the aforementioned semifinal victory over Parma laid waste to Bari (5-0), Taranto (6-0) and Fidelis Andria (2-0) in the group stage. Parma was brushed aside courtesy of a brace from Stefano Beltrame (who should start this weekend, in my opinion, because why not?) and a goal each from Jose Cevallos and Leonardo Bonatini.

  Look at those goal totals, then ask yourself: Why are some of these kids not playing in these final junk matches? Say what you will about the upgrade in competition at the senior level, but how could the U-21 forwards’ finishing be any worse than our current attack?

  I hope Vucinic and Giovinco get the revised memo: As below, so above, fellas!

• J-Museum Opens Agnelli Exhibit

  And finally: To coincide with the festivities surrounding the 31st Scudetto, the Juventus Museum has launched an all-new interactive exhibit chronicling the long, illustrious collaboration between La Vecchia Signora and her famous patrons, the Agnelli family.

  Here’s the official description of the exhibit:

  On 24 June 1923, Edoardo Agnelli, son of FIAT founder Giovanni Agnelli, took up the presidency of Juventus, commencing an unrivalled 90-year family ownership of a football club.

  The considerable achievements of the Agnelli family throughout this period are celebrated in a unique exhibition to be unveiled this evening in the presence of club directors and playing staff at Juventus Museum.

  Entitled ‘On Mondays we used to talk about football. Agnelli – Juventus: 90 years of black and white passion,’ the attraction charts the intriguing story of the four family members at the helm of the club, from Edoardo, Giovanni and Umberto, all the way through to today’s president, Andrea.

  A main focal point of the exhibition is the constant process of innovation championed by the Agnellis, both on and off the field of play.

  Along with an in-depth look at the vast collection of silverware amassed by the team under the family’s stewardship, plenty of emphasis is also placed on the crucial decisions which contributed to football’s overall development on a worldwide scale.

  Famous quotes and anecdotes selected by Lodovico Passerin D’Entreves and Juventus Museum chairman Paolo Garimberti accompany visitors along the 90-year journey, while photos, videos and interactive multimedia content bring the main characters to life.

  Taking pride of place amongst the wealth of artefacts on display is Michel Platini’s Ballon d’Or award, a precious gift afforded by the legendary Frenchman to Giovanni Agnelli.

  The exhibition will be open to the public from tomorrow, Wednesday 15 May, until Sunday 1 September. Those visiting Juventus Museum are able to access the display at no extra charge.

  For those who just wish to visit the exhibition itself, the €5 entry fee will go towards ‘Crescere Insieme al Sant’Anna’, a charity project devised to raise funds for the reconstruction of Sant’Anna hospital’s neo natal ward.

  Sure seems comprehensive — no small task, considering there are 90 eventful, world-conquering years to cover.

  In related news, a new exhibit called “Juve: The Secco Years” is now on view in Alessio Secco’s storage locker in Modena.

  The show, which is billed as “a multimedia extravaganza,” consists of a few old contracts, a lock of Amauri’s hair in a zip-lock bag, and Alessio himself, who will gladly explain “his side of the story” every half-hour, followed by an a cappella version of Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” which one blogger calls “deeply disturbing.”

That’s all for today. Stay tuned later in the week for the latest on Sampdoria 2: The Reckoning, transfer rumors and more.

A presto!

[STTBS]: Juventus News is a daily feature where the JuventiKnows editorial team discusses the JuveNews stories you need to read, without the “Messi signs for Juve on loan thanks to Nike” kind of nonsense. What does [STTBS] mean? You’ll have to guess that for yourself. We wouldn’t tell you even under pain of torture… (though we do take bribes)
 

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Juventus hosted Cagliari on Saturday afternoon in a game which kicked off with the Bianconeri having already secured their second consecutive Serie A title and the visitors comfortably safe in mid-table. Here’s Adam Digby and Aaron Giambattista with the round up of events from Turin.

MATCH ANALYSIS      by Adam Digby

Antonio Conte and his staff had attempted to focus the players for the final three matches of the season by discussing the records they had a chance to break should they maintain the winning streak until the end of the current campaign. Doing so would see them reach 92 points, surpassing the total earned by the 2005-06 side led by Fabio Capello.

After the huge turnover of players for Wednesday’s win over Atalanta in Bergamo, Conte again made heavy changes to his starting XI as he was forced to cover for the suspended Paul Pogba and Andrea Pirlo in midfield. That meant the Bearded Genius finally got a rest as newly crowned Fans Player of the Year Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio returned in midfield.

With a fully restored backline of Andrea Barzagli, Leo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini in front of Marco Storari, Luca Marrone also kept his place after a good previous outing but moved in his natural midfield role. The same was true of Mauricio Isla and Emanuele Giaccherini – with the latter sliding over to left wingback – while Sebastian Giovinco joined Alessandro Matri in attack.

The visitors had an almost fully fit squad to choose from and were mathematically without a chance of either a European place or relegation, not a bad situation for a team who never knew where their home games would be held from one week to the next. Mauricio Pinilla returned to the lineup alongside Victor Ibarbo after his three-match ban was reduced to two on appeal earlier this week. They abandoned their 4-3-1-2 formation and mirrored the Bianconeri’s 3-5-2 with former Juve man Albin Ekdal starting alongside the highly regarded Radja Nainggolan in midfield.

After a sluggish opening it would be Ibarbo who shook the game into life, racing almost the length of the pitch following a Juve corner and finishing under Storari who could do very little to stop the flying Columbian. Despite Marchisio chasing him for the entire run, it was a halfhearted Barzagli challenge that allowed him into the box and the defender would soon be replaced by Martin Caceres as he seemed to be suffering with a muscular problem.

Nainggolan almost doubled that early lead as his angled shot flew across the face of goal before Juve’s first real attack of note saw referee Gianpaolo Calvarese choose to give the Bianconeri a corner despite Giovinco being felled at the edge of the box by Davide Astori. That chance was the first in a flurry from the home side as Matri had the first real shot on target, drawing a smart stop from Michael Agazzi in the Isolani goal.

Giovinco then had the crowd on their feet as his excellent free kick curled over the wall only to crash off the crossbar with the ‘keeper little more than a spectator. Nicola Murru made a great block on Matri before Pinilla forced Storari into making a superb stop but he was adjudged to be offside in what proved to be the last action of the first half.

As the game restarted, Giaccherini – once again making good use of his energy and drive – burst forward and was unlucky to see the talented Agazzi turn his low effort around the post. It was a sign of things to come as Juve, clearly inspired/scared to death by Conte’s words at the break were hugely improved in the second forty five minutes.

Marchisio made a smart cross to Vidal, who in turn headed back across goal, presenting the simplest of chances for substitute Mirko Vucinic to tap home the equaliser. The Chilean midfielder has ended the season in fantastic form, adding an assist to the five goals he has over the last six games, fully deserving of that pre-match award. He nearly doubled Juve’s lead just minutes later as he threw himself at another good cross from Giaccherini, missing by mere inches.

Marchisio then went one better, missing narrowly with a chested effort as he strove to connect with a ball from the impressive Isla, who drove an good effort just over the bar. In added time, Mirko almost came up big in a meaningless game as his shot missed by inches. The full time whistle meant just one thing; it was time for the Old Lady to collect more silverware, long may it continue.

LE PAGELLE     by Aaron Giambattista

Marco Storari 5.5 - Could’ve done better on Ibarbo’s goal, he didn’t react too quickly. Otherwise rarely troubled by a Cagliari offense that has already reached salvation. Zero shots on target after his goal.

Andrea Barzagli s.v - Beaten very easily by Ibarbo for Cagliari’s only goal, and unfortunately pulled up with an injury in the action. Got a round of applause for a superb season as he subbed off.

’14 Martin Caceres 6.5 - Looked very comfortable coming on for Barzagli, had the experience to manage his role well. The defense adjusted itself with Caceres on and he was able to push up the flank a bit more than Barzagli typically does. A good 75 minutes from the Uruguayan, who looks to be confirmed for next year’s squad.

Leonardo Bonucci 6.5- Very little to do for Leo all match. Without Pirlo in the lineup, he played the regista position a bit more than normal and did well in that role.

Giorgio Chiellini 6.5 - Physically dominated his flank, intercepting the most amount of passes on the team and claiming the 2nd highest amount of tackles. Cagliari didn’t threaten too much, and he imposed himself in their absence.

Mauricio Isla 6.0 - A quieter display than the one against Atalanta, and his rust showed, but the game was positive overall, if only that he managed a full 90 minutes. Nearly scored a goal with a screamer. It’s a shame Juventus waited to play him until the Scudetto was sealed, but that’s in the past.

Claudio Marchisio 6.5 - Great to see him back in his normal role as a “mezz’ala” in center midfield, and Claudio felt as well, looking a lot more comfortable. Ran the midfield well in the first half, aside from being easily beaten on Ibarbo’s goal, in the second half he was looking to break forward in attack. A key man in the 3 man midfield.

Arturo Vidal 7.5 - In the first half, Vidal looked like the only Juventus player who cared that a football match was on show, tackling and playing with energy and grinta. Another dominant display, and again, King Arturo was decisive in attack, providing a golden assist for Mirko Vucinic to bury. Has been unstoppable in the Spring, which shows both the folly of selling him but also continually interests certain buyers and their deep pockets.

Luca Marrone 6.0 - His passing and playmaking ability is why he’s been used as a vice-Bonucci, who often sprays passes from deep in defense, and that’s why he was chosen as vice-Pirlo today with Pogba and Pirlo both suspended. Nothing terribly illuminating, but did not look out of depth at all.

Emanuele Giaccherini 6.5 - Got a bit of playing time in a role that Cesare Prandelli used him against Spain in Euro 2012, which was his Azzurri debut. In the first part of the game, his crossing was simply poor, but he improved as the match went on. Giac was hit-or-miss when taking a man on, but managed to create danger from the left flank. Could’ve had a goal.

Alessandro Matri 5.0 - Scored a beautiful goal against Atalanta to secure 3 points, but against his former club, did not manage the same performance. Matri’s revival started against Cagliari a few months ago, when he bagged a brace during a poor period of form for Juventus, but was starved of service today and his few actions weren’t terribly impressive.

’71 Fabio Quagliarella 5.5 - It’s kind of sad- in his brief substitutions on the pitch, regardless of the game importance or score, Fabio will always try his best, probably to impress Conte. Same thing today- neither team seemed to care much about the scoreline, and despite subbing on, Quags tried to get a goal. Had a solid block on a set piece.

Sebastian Giovinco 6.0 - Played a very stereotypical Mirko Vucinic game today- created space with his energy and dribbling, without ever really creating a good chance for himself. Nearly scored a great goal on a free kick.

’52 Mirko Vucinic 6.5- Came on and scored a tap-in from a great Vidal assist. Tried to threaten the goal further but was largely unsuccessful. A great impact sub from Conte.

Antonio Conte 6.0 - Practiced a fair amount of rotation and aside from an Ibarbo golazo, Juventus looked comfortable if a tad unmotivated. Cagliari didn’t ever threaten the Bianconeri much, which is testament to both their lack of desire and mediocre form as much as Juve’s casual dominance.

ANALYSIS WRAP-UP      by Aaron Giambattista

Cagliari have to be one of the most boring sides of Serie A this season, though their stadium situation of course has filled the newspapers. Their team looks like one “just” good enough to stay in Serie A, but do little more. Last week saw them “battle” Torino in one of the most boring Serie A stalemates in recent memory, with both teams tacitly agreeing to a draw.

So not surprisingly, this wasn’t a terribly exciting game. Both sides seasons are done, Cagliari satisfied with their safety, and Juventus celebrating another Scudetto. There was a bit of rotation which led to some reserves attempting to prove themselves, but this was another game where neither objected to a 1-1 draw.

Conte’s already thinking ahead. After the trophy presentation, he said the Scudetto is done, now it’s time for vacation, and Marotta surely agrees. The season hasn’t quite finished, but if there’s one thing we can take from Juventus-Cagliari, it’s that the planning for Juventus 2013-2014 has already begun…

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“Lame Duck” refers to figure in American politics who towards the end of his or her tenure of holding an office. The term is commonly used for those in Executive positions who have lost reelection, decided not to seek another term, or, due to term limits simply cannot, yet remain in office for a statutorily proscribed period of time until the new term begins and a replacement can assume the office. The 22nd Amendment thus technically renders Barack Obama a Lame Duck, despite the President having won reelection less than a half-year ago.

The description is synonymous with various conflicting sentiments from activity (for example a lame duck Legislature held by a party that recently lost the latest rounds of elections, and is trying to pass as much legislation as possible before having to relinquish power) to indifference (a lame duck Governor who is at the end of his second and final term who is more concerned about preparing for the next corporate chairmanship than grasping onto the rigors of the State Capital).

What does this have to do with Juventus, you ask? Having clinched Serie A weeks ago for all intents and purposes, the team made it officially official last Sunday with four games remaining. With a second successive championship clinched, European Qualification sewn up for what seems like an eternity, and a summer market set to begin, it’s very easy for fans to have that same Lame Duck feeling that some of even the most ardent Democrats might feel around this time in 2015. One must thus wonder if, after consecutive drab 1-0 victories (albeit the second one by the “B” team), whether the squad feels like Lame Ducks themselves.

Perhaps, but probably not with a coach like Antonio Conte, who has the opportunity to break the team record for most points ever in a Serie A season. With that, Juventus will allow Serie A’s favorite vagrants Cagliari to shack up in Turin for a night, hosting the Sardinians at the Juventus Stadium tomorrow evening.

Juventus

The tactics have been virtually static all season long, and thus nothing looks to change during this Lame Duck session of calcio. Conte will undoubtedly field the standard 3-5-2, however only a matter of personnel is left to be determined. With that reports are mixed as to whom will be given a start, and where. At this point, squad rotation would be nothing short of useful both in terms of providing a well-needed rest to players who performed so admirably on three fronts over the long and grueling season, and allowing some of the players on the cusp a chance to get some sorely needed playing time. With that, I would hope to see the likes of Isla, Giovinco, Peluso (at LWB, please God, not at CB), and Marrone, although reports are mixed. Sky Sport had reported earlier that Giovinco is expected to start along with Marrone, who would be in the center of the back-three. However, other sources see Marrone back in Midfield, undoubtedly because Pirlo and Pogba are both suspended.

Then there’s the issue that, despite the “Lame Duck” status, there is still a bit more left to play for. If Juventus want to beat Fabio Capello’s record of 91 points from 2006, they need to win both their remaining games. Plus, the Serie A award ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, so Conte may want to give his first-teamers the opportunity to be on the pitch for it.

Cagliari

Cagliari are firmly entrenched at the middle of the table with 43 points, currently in 12th place, and have literally nothing left to play for. Talk about Lame Ducks.

Considering the entire context surrounding this game, I do not expect Juventus to take the game too lightly. Last weekend’s winning of the Scudetto reopened the old wound about whether the tally stands at 31 or 29. Considering the current 91 points record was earned during that fateful 2005-06 season, withi Fabio Capello of all people at the helm, the fans will certainly want to see that number breached. Add to that the fact many of the players will be motivated to try and prove that they deserve first-team consideration and, well, perhaps we’ll see a campaign worthy of one with reelection right around the corner.

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This post was guest-blogged by Vittorio Pazzini. Follow him on Twitter (@vittoriopazzini)

Welcome back to STTBS, unofficial home of the Post-Scudetto Hangover!

As predicted, Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Atalanta was not pretty — with the noted exception of Alessandro Matri’s beautiful strike from an equally beautiful Andrea Pirlo pass.

Otherwise, events on the field were underwhelming to say the least, while events off it did an admirable job of maintaining Serie A’s image as the poor relation of world football (see below).

Nevertheless, despite radical squad turnover and its attendant pitfalls, Antonio Conte’s men came away with another three points towards this season’s adjusted mission to rewrite their record books (again, see below).

Our penultimate opponent is Cagliari, who will visit Juventus Stadium on Saturday evening. While the Isolani have little to play for, nestled comfortably as they are in the middle of the league table, they are still a Serie A team, and thus should be respected, if certainly not feared.

Today, we’ll prepare for Cagliari, review the Atalanta match (and slap a few tifosi on the wrist), officially check out next season’s kits, deal with the usual assortment of transfer rumors and media rot, and confirm what we already know to be true: that Juventus is the very key to happiness and contentment.

This way to everlasting bliss!

• Latest Cagliari Updates

  Our Bianconeri are cramming for Cagliari, as they have only one true day of training to ensure they stay on pace to best Fabio Capello’s record of 91 points, set during the 2005-06 season.

  Conte will be missing two very exceptional midfielders on Saturday, as Andrea Pirlo picked up his tell-tale yellow card on Wednesday, while Paul Pogba has to sit in a corner for the rest of the season.

  Pirlo’s suspension sees the number of borderline ban-boys at five: Leonardo Bonucci, Paolo De Ceglie, Alessandro Matri, Simone Padoin and Federico Peluso.

  At the moment, there is little word from Turin as to who will feature on Saturday evening. We can assume from Conte’s patterns this season that he will stay with the “hot” striker, in this case Alessandro Matri. Fabio Quagliarella could receive another start, especially to attract potential suitors, although it would be much more novel to see a rare Nicholas Anelka start, no? In any event, let’s just hope it isn’t Vucinic — we’ve seen enough of him this year.

  Luca Marrone once again acquitted himself favorably in defense at Atalanta, while Martin Caceres made a few conspicuous blunders. Should Conte want to keep things shuffled, either Andrea Barzagli or Leonardo Bonucci (or both) could return, but it would perhaps be more instructive to keep young Luca active as the season winds down.

  The situation on the wings is relatively chaotic, as with the obvious exception of Stefan Lichtsteiner, a season-long spate of injuries, infrequent use and spells of poor form would mean that anyone from Mauricio Isla, Padoin and Caceres to Peluso and Kwadwo Asamoah could benefit from more playing time.

  Finally, the central midfield selection is perhaps a bit easier to handicap, as Pirlo and Pogba’s absence could mean Claudio Marchisio’s return to his natural role alongside Arturo Vidal and Emanuele Giaccherini, who impressed on Wednesday.

  And speaking of Giaccherini — our own @TeamGREASE had to beg off watching Wednesday’s match live, on the very day that our man Emanuele impresses for the Old Lady. Moreover, he claims he may not be watching the Cagliari match live as well…

  I’ve never seen them in the same room together. Just saying.








• Juve and Atalanta Fined for Tifosi Trouble

  Good work, asshole tifosi — you’re nothing if not reliable.

  In what is becoming a depressingly routine occurrence, Juventus and Atalanta were both fined €50,000 apiece for the actions of the more Neanderthal sections of their respective tifosi, whose antics caused an eight-minute delay of Wednesday’s match.

  The tone was reportedly set before the match, as a group of Atalanta supporters threw objects at a bus of traveling Juve tifosi. The fighting escalated following a delay in play, apparently caused by a malfunctioning of the referee’s electronic communication system. Par for the course in technology-averse Serie A, the short window of boredom was pounced on by the belligerent fans.

  JuventiKnows’ own Adam Digby summarized what happened next with no lack of panache:

  The supporters in the stands became understandably frustrated at the stoppage and, as Calcio fans do, began to amuse themselves by throwing things at each other. It began with some unsavoury chanting, progressed to firecrackers before ending with chunks of the stadium bathrooms being launched across the barriers. I’m sure somewhere in Italy there is an age old adage to describe what being hit by the porcelain from a toilet bowl means but it would undoubtedly only be lost in translation!

  The so-called Disciplinary Commission reported that five people were injured in the fracas.

  Now, I have two questions regarding this latest piece of “fan theater.”

  The first: Why all this focus on wrecking bathrooms in Serie A? Don’t you think such scatological metaphors are a bit on the nose (no pun intended)?

  It’s bad enough that these “supporters” are behaving a step below a pack of wolves, but they seem to want to spell out their most primitive urges on one of the quintessential hallmarks of civilization itself. Trashing the visitor’s restrooms at Juventus Stadium has evolved in record time to be a pastime in all but name. I bet Napoli fans even have specific songs to sing while they do it.

  And second: If reports of the home side’s tifosi’s antagonism are to be believed, then what are Juve fans doing taking the bait from a group of Atalanta supporters? We just won the damn championship for the second year in a row! Plus, we poached two of their better players (Padoin and Peluso) and turned them into two of our average players.

  What else do you want from the good people (and the assholes) of Bergamo? And if there’s an answer to that question, then how is that Scudetto behavior?

  Normally, I would simply end an item such as this one with the traditional Ron Burgundy admonishment to “stay classy.”

  But I’m afraid it’s all too little, too late.



• Alessio Aims for Capello’s Record

  Juve’s win over Atalanta puts them within striking distance of the current Bianconeri record for points amassed in a Serie A season.

  That record belongs to Fabio Capello’s 2005-06 squad, which racked up 91 points on the way to a Scudetto that would unfortunately in a matter of months become victim to that nefarious plot of Shakespearean proportions known as Calciopoli.

  But no matter. The record has been set, and it must be broken.

  Conte’s No. 2, Angelo Alessio, spoke briefly of the squad’s adjusted mission following the Atalanta victory:

  We’re going to try our very best to beat Capello’s record. This evening we managed to win a very difficult match. Credit to the lads who always train really hard and ensure they’re in shape for the game.

  Alessio was keen to stress the danger posed by Atalanta, but he could easily have been referring to the respective threats of Cagliari and Sampdoria, the final two clubs standing in the way of the record:

  Over the last two years, this group has been amazing and really embraced the club’s hard-working culture. Coming here and winning against an Atalanta side fighting for survival was no easy task.

  Of course, as Angelo knows firsthand, this season has been filled with difficult tasks, not least Conte’s unjust ban to begin the season.

  Still, Juve have endured and even thrived, which is a testament not only to Conte’s expansive vision and careful planning, but also to the unsung work of caretakers Alessio and Massimo Carrera, who performed with distinction in Antonio’s absence.

  Grazie mille, guys!

• More Broken Records?

  In addition to the club’s personal points record, Juve also have the chance to break no less than four other calcio benchmarks. According to the Fanatix website:

  If the Bianconeri win those remaining fixtures, at home to Cagliari and away to Sampdoria, then they will be the first side in Serie A history to beat every other side in the league at least once. Currently Sampdoria are the only side missing from the full set, but Antonio Conte’s side will need to triumph over the Sardinians as well if they want to achieve the other Italian records.

  These records would include the most wins in a row and the most overall victories in a single league campaign — honours that have been held for 81 and 63 years respectively. Currently the most consecutive wins in a Serie A season stands at 10 matches, an achievement secured by Juve themselves way back in the 1931/32 season.

  Also, the Italian champions have won 27 league matches so far in 2012/13, but two more victories would see them break a record that has been held since the 1949/50 season — also by them.

  Lastly, two wins would ensure that the Old Lady stay 11 points ahead of Napoli – regardless of their rivals’ results—and that would be the biggest points gap between first and second ever seen in Serie A.

  The previous record was set in the 1994/95 campaign by, of course, Juventus.

  Now that’s a season — and a club — for the ages.



• Matri’s Mitra Shoots Only for Juve

  As with last season, this year’s triumphant campaign has nevertheless seen a troubling continuity concerning the lack of continuity in scoring among Antonio Conte’s forwards.

  One of the victims/culprits in the striker platoon is certainly Alessandro Matri, whose wonderful goal on Wednesday evening could not help but evoke what we could be seeing on a more frequent basis. And Alessandro knows that he was, and is, capable of providing more of this “goalscoring” thing:

  It was definitely a great goal today, but I preferred the one I scored against Chievo because I struck it better.

  It would be uncharitable for any Bianconero to bemoan another Scudetto win, but the truth is that many squad members — and I’m guessing Matri is one of them — perhaps wish to have been more involved in what has been another historic season. Yet Alessandro is choosing to look for a personal bright side to what must have been a frustrating season at the best of times:

  It’s been fantastic because we’ve won the Scudetto, but also positive from a personal point of view. Obviously a striker looks at his own statistics, but all things considered, I think I’ve got a good goals to minutes played ratio. Everyone wants to play all the time but we know that’s just not possible.

  Perhaps no Juventino, with the possible exception of Fabio Quagliarella, has been involved in more transfer rumors this season than Matri, and thanks to Antonio Conte’s frankly bewildering choice of attackers from week to week and the subsequent restlessness of everyone involved, there may be more than a little truth to many of them.

  But despite the erratic playing time and the always precarious future, Matri states in no uncertain terms that he wants to stay in Turin:

  I want to be a part of this group of strikers. This constant talk of top players has somewhat overshadowed the great work of our attackers. Obviously you need the quality of champions to be able to win in Europe, but I think that after two Scudetto titles, people should give credit to those who have helped achieve them.

  Strong words, and honestly, not easily corroborated by the stats this season, where our top scorer was a midfielder. Still, one must account for Conte’s system, which now famously demands its attackers to constantly press and expend energy perhaps better suited to attempts on goal.

  In any event, Alessandro’s heart has consistently been in the right place ever since his move to Turin, which in these days of ever-shifting footballing loyalties counts for something. And if he can pull off a few more magnificent finishes like the one on Wednesday night, he may find himself off the trading block.

  Here’s hoping.



• Juve Reveal Next Season’s Kits

  It turns out that the person with the well-polished banister and staircase was on the level!

  A few weeks ago, STTBS shared a picture of the prospective uniforms for next season, which were either complete fabrications or strategically leaked prototypes. Today’s official unveiling will prove them to be the latter.

  Surprisingly — or maybe not, given the uproar over the issue — Juve’s shirts will reportedly make no mention of any previous championship history, excepting the current Scudetto itself. The club seems to be taking the “We don’t need to say we’re winners” tack.

  Here are the details, courtesy of the Gazzetta dello Sport via Football Italia:

  Juventus will reveal their new strips for the 2013-14 season on Friday, but there will be no stars or Scudetto motto. Next season’s shirt will not have ’31 on the pitch

  The Nike home shirt will, rather obviously, remain black and white, but the central stripe will apparently be black rather than white. The away jersey is set to be yellow, while this season’s black away will become the club’s third strip for next season.

  This approach begs the interesting (though admittedly trivial) question: Could this refusal to acknowledge history be construed as a sort of weakness? Should our Vecchia Signora fly in the face of controversy, or is she right to keep a low profile? Is Juve kowtowing to the calcio establishment, or are they expertly playing a longer game?

  Should we win the Scudetto again next year, the question of stars will be rendered moot. Still, it rankles a bit to have to deny history, no matter how objectionable it might be for others.

  But screw ‘em. There’s no time like the present — and we’re champions NOW.

• Lightning Round!

  —He speaks! We finally hear from Fernando Llorente, who praised Juve for their 31st Scudetto, adding: “Although I’m focused on Athletic right now, there is something very important waiting for me in the future.” Yup. It’s called “constant physical exertion and intense scrutiny.”

  —Gigi Buffon on defending the championship: “Managing to win while knowing everyone is sitting there just waiting for you to make a mistake and the pressure of the people on your shoulders is not easy.” I’m still waiting for San Gigi to add, “Of course, I make it look incredibly easy.”

  —Former Brazil international Bebeto is calling for Juventus to finalize a move for his young son Mattheus Oliveira, lest another club, say, Real Madrid, swoops in. Apparently, Oliveira’s club, Flamengo, have frozen him out of the squad. First Llorente, now this kid. Do you think we’ll ever sign someone who has actually played a bit before joining us? It’s like we’re a support group for Victims of Club Politics.

  —Marcello Lippi graciously acknowledged the influence of his Juve squads on Sir Alex Ferguson’s coaching philosophy at Manchester United. “Strangely enough,” said Lippi, “He didn’t ask for much advice after the summer of 2010.”

  —Despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, it appears as if Manchester United are still making a play for Claudio Marchisio. I can see the pitch now: “So not only would you be in a new country, speaking a new language and uprooting your family, and not only will you have to leave your hometown club and abandon a potentially legendary legacy, but you’ll be playing for a club that just lost one of the most successful coaches in history, whose successor will almost certainly be much worse.” Ah, sweet, terrible temptation!

  —Antonio Conte claims that when he was first approached for the Juventus job, he advised Alessio Secco not to buy Diego, saying, “You all know what happened.” Can’t write a better (and bitterer) punch line than that.

  —Conte also recently stated that Diego Maradona is the best player of all time, remembering that when he marked him he always played with joy and had a “glint in his eye.” So that’s what they called it on the street in those days, huh? “Glint”?



• Juve=Happiness!

  This just in from JuventiKnows’ Obvious Bureau: “Juventus” pretty much equals “happiness.”

  An Internet survey project entitled “Voices from the Blogs” conducted by the Università degli Studi di Milano has revealed that upon Juve’s clinching of the Scudetto, “Italy’s happiness increased by seven percentage points.”

  The official website thus concluded:

  The survey therefore suggests that supporting Juventus is a simple way to achieve happiness. It’s a method guaranteed to bring success, as backed up by solid scientific principles.

  As if more proof were needed!

  Don’t we all look healthier than our rival tifosi counterparts? No dark circles under our eyes, no listening to more than the recommended amount of death metal, and (in the case of Interisti) no howling at the moon (and by “moon,” I mean referee designators)?

  But I digress. Here’s an official explanation of the project’s inner workings, courtesy of the Mothership:

  The ‘Voices from the Blogs’ is a technology used for Sentiment Analysis that has been in place since December 2012. The system functions by analyzing Italian internet activity such as tweets and assigning a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ tag to each post.

  The formula is simple:
  iHappy = (Number of positive posts ÷ Total posts) x 100%.

  In the aftermath of the Bianconeri’s 1-0 home victory over Palermo, the iHappy index recorded a seven percentage-point increase. There were notable increases all over the country, but particularly in Reggio Emilia (55%), Pescara (31.4%) and L’Aquila (29%).

  The only areas which registered a negative trend were those of Juventus’ main rivals, such as Naples (7%), Milan (4.7%) and Florence (1.4%).

  We all knew the latter three were a miserable bunch anyway. But it’s always nice to have proof.



• Grazie, Sir Alex!

  You all have heard by now the news of Sir Alex Ferguson’s impending retirement at the close of this Premier League season. The news was followed by copious tributes to the great Manchester United manager, and the reaction of Juventus was no different.

  Here’s an excerpt from Juventus.com’s tribute to Sir Alex:

  Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to end his 26-year spell at the helm in Manchester, Juventus Football Club recalls the words of admiration spoken by the great man about the Bianconeri.

  ‘Juventus were an example for my Manchester United. I had my players watch videos of Lippi’s team and would say, ‘Don’t look at the tactics or technique, we have that too, you need to learn to have that desire to win.’

  This quote provides Juve fans everywhere with a great sense of pride, not just because of the kind words, but also the fact that they all came from Sir Alex Ferguson, a true colossus of sport, not just of football or the Red Devils.

  Sir Alex moved to England in 1986 to take over from Ron Atkinson as manager of the Red Devils, with whom he would go on to achieve 24 major trophy successes: 13 Premier League, five FA Cup, four League Cup and two Champions League. These amazing statistics clearly demonstrate how successfully Ferguson managed to instill the aforementioned “desire to win” into his players as he guided them to the very pinnacle of the world game.

  Earlier this morning, at the age of 71 and with two fixtures remaining in the Premier League season, the Scotsman finally decided to call time on his glorious 26 year reign at Old Trafford.

  There have been many memorable clashes between Juventus and Manchester United over the years and it will be extremely strange not to see him on the touchline directing his troops when the two sides next meet. Thank you for the fond memories Sir Alex, it’s been an honour to share the pitch with you.

  All associated with Juventus Football Club wish Sir Alex Ferguson the best of luck in the future.

  As do we here at JuventiKnows. If it’s true that we’ve occasionally poked fun at Sir Alex here at STTBS (although to be fair, our humor was directed more at Paul Pogba’s frequent and seemingly gratuitous baiting of his former coach), it’s also true that our gentle jibes masked nothing if not the greatest respect for the great man and the standard he set for club football in Europe and, indeed, the world.

  Personally speaking, as someone only recently exposed to the unadulterated joy of football at its best, I feel remiss to never have witnessed a worthy clash between our two sides. More than part of me wished for a Champions League draw with Manchester United, if only to compare how far Antonio Conte had to go to follow in Ferguson’s footsteps.

  Conte could do worse than follow the Scotsman’s example — after all, one isn’t knighted for nothing (though Antonio is already a “count” — or “earl,” as Google translate sometimes has it). Suffice to say, our leader would be smart to emulate the glittering, rightly celebrated career of one of the most successful managers in the history of world football.

  Bravissimo, Sir Alex, and in bocca al lupo from your Juventino friends!

• Buon Compleanno, Barzagli!

  And finally, a very happy birthday to Andrea Barzagli, the best defender in Serie A, who turned 32 on Wednesday.

  The success of our defense over the past two years is most directly attributable to Andrea, whose uncanny sense of positioning and superior man-marking skills have locked up even the most talented of opposing forwards.

  Alongside Leo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Gigi Buffon, Andrea has made Juve’s defense as impregnable a fortress as is humanly possible.

  From the official site:

  As Barzagli celebrates his 32nd birthday, the Bianconeri faithful can do nothing but hope that he maintains the exemplary levels of performance consistently displayed over the past two seasons, because doing any better would simply be impossible.

  Our thoughts exactly.

  Tanti auguri, Andrea!

That’s all for this week. Cagliari visits on Saturday, and we’ll be back next week to finish this season and start worrying about the next one. We’d have it no other way.

A presto!

[STTBS]: Juventus News is a daily feature where the JuventiKnows editorial team discusses the JuveNews stories you need to read, without the “Messi signs for Juve on loan thanks to Nike” kind of nonsense. What does [STTBS] mean? You’ll have to guess that for yourself. We wouldn’t tell you even under pain of torture… (though we do take bribes)