Will Mirko have cause to celebrate (again) in the next Derby d'Italia?

Welcome back to my preview of Juve’s upcoming fixtures. In part two, we will look at Juve’s matches through March and the beginning of April. Juve face some strong sides, but the first rendition of these matches took place during perhaps Juve’s best run of form all season (late October through November). The first match up in part two is an away match at Fiorentina.

3/18/12: @ Fiorentina

Last time out, Bonucci scored the first goal of the game

Last meeting: 2-1 Juventus victory

Comments: This match should be interesting for two reasons. First off, Fiorentina have been the Jekyll & Hyde of Serie A this season. One week, the team beats Udinese 3-2 (remember, Udinese have one of the best defenses in the league – aside from Juve of course), and then they get owned 3-0 by Napoli. Of course, Fiorentina’s performance this season has also been dependent on where they are playing. The team has recorded just one win on the road, while they have six victories at home. Juve will be traveling to Florence for this match, so perhaps the ‘better’ Fiorentina will come out. Fiorentina also have the explosive Stevan Jovetic (who scored in the first match), as well as Riccardo Montolivo, so they must be taken seriously. Now, the second reason this match is interesting has to do with a certain ex-Juve player. Amauri, who has become a symbol of Alessio Secco’s unsuccessful tenure, will have a chance to ‘prove’ Juve wrong. Now, any logical person would say that Amauri (being a subpar player) could not break through Juve’s stellar defense. These logical people forget that there’s a bit of a history of ex-Juve players scoring against the club in heartbreaking fashion. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.

3/25/12: vs Inter

Vidal: Busting lace and taking names

Last meeting: 2-1 Juventus victory

Comments: This is the big one, isn’t it? While the games against Milan may mean more for Juve’s scudetto chances, the Derby d’Italia always has more intensity. As of right now, Inter are suffering an unprecented drop in form. Embarassing losses to Novara and Bologna seem to have resigned Inter to a lousy finish this season. Inter gave Juve a run for their money last time out, but now, without Thiago Motta (and with the giant hole he left in Inter’s midfield) the game may not be as competitive. That said, Inter certainly are a talented team, and they could have a new coach by the time this game rolls around. Still, as the teams stand now, Juve have the advantage. Time may change that, but this match should almost certainly be a very enjoyable one.

4/1/12: vs Napoli

How does one say "fatal hubris" in Italian?

Last meeting: 3-3 draw (Juventus comes backs from 3-1 deficit)

Comments: Oh boy. The first version of this match up was a real cracker. For starters, Juve gave up a penalty in the beginning, which was swiftly converted by Napoli star Marek Hamsik. He followed this up with an incredibly excessive celebration, including a run down into the ‘tunnel’ that leads to the outer edges of the track. Unfortunately for him, the penalty had to be retaken, and he missed the second shot. Hamsik later redeemed himself with a real goal, coming off of a header. Goran Pandev added another goal to put Napoli up 2-0 before halftime. It was perhaps Juve’s worst half of soccer all season. The second half was a different story, as Juve completed a gritty comeback, with goals from Matri, Pepe, and Estigarribia helping them earn a hard fought draw. The game was the epitome of grinta, and it was one of the moments this season where Juve showed they were the real deal. Of course, Napoli will be leaving one especially strong fortress (the San Paolo) to venture to another strong one (Juventus Stadium) and that could spell the difference. On the other hand, this Napoli side has really stepped up their game in the second half of the season. Expect a great match, with both teams looking to make up for last time.

That’s it for part two. I would add more matches, but I am weary of the many things that can happen over time to totally change the outlook of a match. Juve, or one of their future opponents, could suffer critical injuries or swings in form, and it’s hard to compare two teams when so much could change. Look out for part three (and four) on the horizon.

Prior to this season the last two Januaries have been more depressing than the Smith’s “Meat is Murder” album for Juventus fans. The team has finally ended its streak of annual winter blues by finishing January in first place alone in Serie A, while maintaining its undefeated streak. February has not been as kind to the Old Lady, as the bad weather in Italy and stingy defenses from smaller clubs have slowed down the team a bit. Overall I think most rational fans would have been thrilled with being told the team was a legitimate scudetto contender going into Sarturday’s showdown with Milan.

While Marotta got off to a very rough start as Juve’s General Director when he spent a combined 30 million Euros in the summer of 2010 to purchase Martinez, Motta and Krasic his next three transfer periods have been almost as impressive as the last 2 seasons of Breaking Bad. In January of 2011 he purchased Barzagli for essentially nothing from Wolfsburg and Matri for less than what Secco spent on Amauri. Barzagli has become a modern day Scirea and has been the most consistent defender in all of Serie A this season. His addition to Juve’s defense had the same impact that adding Giancarlo Esposito had to the cast of Breaking Bad (check out his amazing performance as Gus Frings one of the greatest  villains in TV history http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlM_MNyQWeQ&feature=related). Matri has scored 18 goals in his first 35 games with Juve making him the best striker for the club since Trezeguet. Last summer Marotta added Lichsteiner who along with Barzagli has been the main reason for the remarkable turnaround of Juve’s defense- the team went from conceding 31 home goals last season, to now having the best defense in all of Serie A. Marotta also added Andrea Pirlo who is well on his way to being the greatest Bosman transfer ever. While most of the Serie A clubs made only minor moves this January, Marotta has ensured Juve has quality depth at all positions for the scudetto stretch run without spending a fortune.

Let’s look at each of the major moves from January and their long term implications for the team:

• Martin Caceres. Caceres returned to Juve at the end of the January transfer period from Sevilla, he can be bought outright in the summer for 8 million on top of the loan fee of 1.5 million Euros. This is the second time Juve has acquired Caceres with the trademarked “try before you buy” Marotta formula. Caceres brings versatility to the club and his “grinta” should fit well with Conte. I would like to see Caceres starting at LB with Chiellini returning permanently to the middle of the defense ,especially after Giorgio’s strong performances versus Atalanta and Siena. A starting defense featuring Buffon, Lichsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini and Caceres, with Bonucci and a much improved De Ceglie as very solid alternatives, gives Juve its best and deepest defense since the days of Capello when the team had Thuram, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Montero and Tudor. I get goose bumps just writing this phrase. Grade: B+ if Caceres is bought outright this summer.

• Padoin/Pazienza. Getting Caceres meant the team would not be able acquire Guarin from Porto (who ended up joining Inter prior to injuring himself), because of the cap on non EU players a team can purchase each year. When half of Immobile’s ownership rights (more to come on that move) were sold to Genoa, I assumed Marotta had convinced Agnelli to go all out for the scudetto by purchasing Nainggolan from Cagliari, and that the 4 million Juve got from Genoa for Immobile would be used for that deal. Instead the team settled on purchasing Padoin of Atalanta for 5 million Euros. Padoin has two things going for him (1) his last name sounds like an inhabitant of a planet in Star Wars (2) Conte has previously coached Padoin during his unfortunate stint at Atalanta and blessed this move. Juve’s coach handpicked Giaccherini last summer and he has been a revelation. Padoin essentially replaces Pazienza on the roster, after Pazienza was loaned out to Udinese. Pazienza was a valuable member of Napoli last season by starting over 25 games, he was supposed to be a quality alternative in the midfield when Marotta signed him as a free transfer last summer. Pazienza however feel behind Marrone and Giaccherini on the depth chart and was quickly loaned off to Udinese. I do not have a huge issue with loaning Pazienza, but I would have preferred he was not given to a direct rival for a Champions League spot, Pazienza even scored a goal in his debut for Udinese and becomes more valuable for them with Isla’s recent injury. Grade: C- but becomes an F if Pazienza has a considerable impact on Udinese, and Juve finishes third losing an automatic slot to next Champions League. It becomes a historically bad move if on top of that scenario Immobile proves to be a legitimate striker in Serie A in the near future.

• Borriello. Due to the abundance of quality strikers at Conte’s disposal Quagliarella and especially Del Piero were barely able to see the pitch during the first half of season. For this reason I was beyond puzzled by the Fabio Borriello signing (he arrives on a loan deal with an option to buy in June for a total of 9 million euros) which happened right at the beginning of the January transfer period, while the team still needed help on defense and the midfield. My confusion ended when I saw Borriello tweeting messages to Boateng’s girlfriend, Italian show girl Melissa Satta, just one hour prior to the Siena game. Then I also noticed Borriello follows Matri’s girlfriend on Twitter and I realized Marotta is a genius (I feel like a reporter for Novella 2000 or US Weekly for writing this phrase). Not even Moggi would have been so Machiavellian in signing a player that can make one of the best players on your biggest rival for the scudetto jealous, and your starting striker more motivated. Borriello needs to be allowed to have his cell phone on the bench during games, so he can use Twitter while Boateng and Matri are actually playing. I also found out Borriello is now selling bracelets, if your girlfriend and/or wife were to come home with one of those or if you see her following Borriello on twitter I suggest making a doctor’s appointment and lighting a candle to Saint Anthony immediately. Grade: A but not due to Borriello’s performance on the pitch.

• La Pazienza di Paquato e’ Immobile. While Juve has done a very nice job developing young players in recent years, the team gives up on many of them too soon (Balzaretti, Criscito, Nocerino come to mind) only to buy more expensive replacements that do not perform as well. Some of these young players leave the club on very bad terms like Pasquato, who admitted his love for Milan once his loan to Torino was made official, and Giovinco who has scored as many goals as Matri so far this season. I do not have a big problem selling young prospects in trades for players that are a more certain long term investment, and that can be regular starters for Juve, but I certainly believe more could have been done with half of the ownership rights to Immobile who is currently leading Serie B in scoring (keep in mind Immobile is having a better season in Serie B this season than El Shaarawy had last year for my hometown team Padova). If Immobile was included in a deal to purchase someone like Armero from Udinese this summer or Nainggolan from Cagliari it would have been a much easier pill to swallow. I understand Pazienza wanted a chance to play regularly (I guess he was counting on the Vinovo curse when he signed with Juve without a realistic chance of starting) and was frustrated falling behind Giaccherini and Marrone but contracts work both ways. Think of all the attempts Marotta made at getting rid of Amauri, Toni, Grosso, Iaquinta the last two transfer periods. I know I am as repetitive as a Tom Petty song with this point but selling half of Immobile to essentially replace Pazienza, who was acquired as a free transfer, with Padoin is rather short sighted. Grade: D+ unless there is another deal in the works with Genoa for Immobile.

•  Iaquinta’s number 9 jersey. Iaquinta actually performed well when he was able to play (30 goals in 80 games) but his inability to even practice due to injuries reached a comical level this season. When his introductory press conference with Cesena was postponed due to bad weather, I assumed they were using the snow storm as a way to cover up the fact Iaquinta injured himself immediately opening joining the club. Assuming Iaquinta does not return to Juve from his loan with Cesena, the number 9 jersey is now available for a top striker in the summer. Here is the list of the potential names for the role according to the Italian press: 1) Higuain of Real Madrid. He is currently not playing much since he came in as a replacement 12 times out of the 20 la Liga games he has appeared in so far this season. 2) Suarez of Liverpool although I fear the only chance Juve had to buy him was when he was still playing on Ajax. 3)Van Persie of Arsenal, who is turning 29 this season and thus looking to sign his last mega contract. Of the three I think Higuain is the most realistic since Juve has great relations with Real Madrid and he happens to be the best fit for Conte’s scheme. There would also be a lot of upside with Higuain when you consider that while he is still young (he turns 25 in December of this year) he also has a lot of experience on a top club and on the international stage with Argentina. I think Suarez is a great player (allthough a pretty despicable human being) but there is a better chance the next Transformers movie wins a best screenplay award at the Oscars than him joining Juve since so many top clubs are now after him. There is a slightly better chance Van Persie may arrive than Suarez, but I am not sure it makes sense to offer a monster contract to an older injury prone player. Grade: B if Higuain arrives after Juve at least clinches a Champions League spot.

• Amauri- I can’t think of a player I was happier to see leave Juve than Amauri. I consider him the biggest transfer bust other than Ian Rush of last 30 years for Juve. While Rush at least was more than happy to return to Liverpool after just one season of playing in Turin, Amauri was like a psychotic live in girlfriend that would not leave your house long after the relationship ended. He finally accepted a transfer when Juve offered to give him the half million transfer fee it received from Fiorentina for him. Grade: A
• Motta- finally had his best game for Juve last Saturday only he happened to be playing for Catania whom he joined on loan. Grade: A

Juventus has a very tough rival in Milan for the Serie A title, but if the rossoneri make a deep Champions League run and keep losing against the Serie A elite teams Conte could match Lippi by winning the scudetto in his first year as Juve’s coach. Regardless of who finishes at the top of the standings, if the opening of the new stadium is followed by a return to the Champions League the team will be able to attract top players and finally end the years of mediocrity the fans got accustomed to after Calciopoli. In the meantime let’s just hope Borriello has spare batteries for his cell phone…

Follow me on Twitter @DavidAmoyal

Roberto Baggio turned 45 the day before Pirlo scored his first goal as a Juventino by converting a beautiful free kick. Pirlo trained with Baggio on shooting free kicks while both played at Brescia when Baggio was at the end of his career. I will always associate class both on and off the pitch with the name Roberto Baggio. Baggio’s dribbling skills were on the level of what we are seeing from Messi today. Here is a video with some of his highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eGGgQW2V-k

 I have great memories of Baggio’s 5 years at Juve and his great games with Italy. While the Old Lady is usually known for making stars out of lesser known players Juve broke the transfee fee record when it purchased Baggio from Fiorentina. Juventus had really struggled after Platini and Scirea retired, and Baggio’s purchase was supposed to make the club relevant once again after 5 mediocre years. Baggio first year at Juve was a huge disappointment, Juve had hired Gigi Maifredi to be the new coach and he was supposed to be Juve’s Arrigo Sacchi. While Baggio scored over 20 goals that season  he was mainly remembered for refusing to kick a penalty versus his former club Fiorentina (a penalty that De Agostini missed ensuring Juve would lose the game) and Juve did not even qualify for the Coppa Uefa ,the equivalent of today’s Europa League. Baggio did win a scudetto in his last season at Juve (the first Lippi year) but by then he was so injury prone that his understudy Alex Del Piero had become a star. While Del Piero had a much more longer and successful career at Juve than Baggio he certainly learned a ton on how to handle himself both on and off the field from the Divino Codino (Baggio’s nickname). While Baggio is considered to be one of the very best Italian players of all time, he ended up being a great bridge number 10 for Juve between Platini and Del Piero, two players that won considerably more thropies at Juve.

But what makes Baggio so special to me is the man he was off the field. He always showed a humility and a wonderful human spirit in a football world where ego and self promotion run supreme. Leaving Fiorentina was difficult for him, he knew the club benefited financially by selling him off to Juve. While as a Juve fan it hurt me to see him refuse to wear a Juve scarf when he was introduced to the press and seeing him refuse to kick a penalty versus his former club, it also showed me he cared deeply about Florence and his former fans. He also got married at a very young age with his boyhood girlfriend and you never read about him in the gossip column despite the fact he was by far the most famous Italian player. Baggio was also the first famous person I had ever seen in Italy practicing the Buddhist faith, and keep in mind in Italy the Catholic church is almost more powerful than the government.

In tribute to the great Baggio I am now chanting my favorite Buddhist mantra- Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.