I awoke in a sloppy haze, the flashes of sunlight creeping through my haggard curtains blindingly bright to the slither of reluctant acceptance that the dream realm was once more closed off and the Day must be faced. As is often the case I was riddled with sensations of unfinished business in the fast fading remnants of the magical realm of slumber where chimeras dwell and the soul soars naked, wild and free. The carousel of wakefulness began to turn and churn. Reaching for my phone my first port of call was RT.com alongside Informationclearinghouse.info and globalresearch.ca, the thinking man’s routine of extending one’s view well beyond the present confines of geography and the main stream media bullshit, to check for the latest moves of the brutal death machine of the Western Empire…and then to the Guardian football section and of course Juvefc.com, where I was first found to smile at the live scoreline of our old Mister Tinkerman taking on the presently less than mighty Mourinho. It seemed fanciful, the continuation of a fairytale, for plucky Leicester held a handsome lead over a behemoth of the game who have steamrollered so many in their path in recent history only to find themselves, suddenly undone…but by what??? What could be the reasons behind the continued collapse of Abramovich’s billionaire toy club?? Shaking my head in welcome bemusement, I yawned as I noted that we had drawn Bayern Munich in the Champions League…
Taking in the comments section as I focused intermittently on keeping the brutes in suits at bay in the office, I was left lacking eagerness to add my voice to the loudest chorus of discontent, woe and a bothersome tidal wave of doom-mongering. For what so many seem to feel is the end of our European campaign, I see as a wonderful opportunity.
Yes! Yes! Bayern and Barcelona are well ahead of the rest of the world, in terms of momentum of success and immense depth of talent. Yet I would be feeling equally radiant had we drawn the Spaniards. Less confident – because their attacking triumvirate is the most devastating in Europe – but still…radiant and even excited.
Those aiming to become champions are eager to test themselves against the very best, to lock horns with the established powers and stake their own claim for greatness. Now we have that chance. And whilst many see the two legged tie as a death knell for our ambitions in the elite competition until next season, I naturally assume we have a better chance over two legs in February, than if we face them deeper into the tournament.
Most top teams engineer their fitness programs to peak towards the end of the season, when they assume they will be fighting for the top honours. In Bayern’s case, they can be expecting to have the league sewn up well before the final. Yet in mid-February, they could possibly still be expending a lot of energy in the Bundesliga. It is preferable to come up against Bayern in mid February when they may still have something to play for domestically.
It was not so long ago that we were competing in the final, winning the Coppa Italia and powering our way to a magnificent fourth scudetto on the trot. We achieved this, arguably with the efforts of the players who remain at the club, more so than those who departed. Tevez and Pirlo were not spectacular in our run to the final and Vidal’s form was lethargic throughout his final innings at the club. It was the youthful exuberance and belief of Morata, the astonishingly quiet and powerful diligence of Marchiso and the winning mentality of Evra which gave us the greatest push. Alongside, of course, sterling consistency from Lichsteiner, Pogba and the rock solid defence in top form.
These players remain. And of those who have come into the fold we are starting see what wonderful new blood Beppe and his hatchet man Paratici signed with our hard earned gold. It has been an atrocious start to the defence of the scudetto. Mitigating factors have been suggested and discussed, yet of late, we have begun to taste once again the sweet ambrosia of success. Six wins on the bounce in Serie A is a tough task for any side. An unfortunate loss to Seville in which we very much deserved to win. Resounding crunching of Fiorentina. Results and form fuelled by the return to sharpness of Mandzukic and Marchisio, coupled with the blossoming excellence of Dybala and Sandro.
With Morata, Asamoah and Khedira still to find their rhythm and Pereyra soon to return to selection, we are only going to improve further. Four top class players to be added to a team which has regained the winning habit. In time to claw our way back towards title contention at home, and I believe, in time to mount a very serious challenge to the German Powerhouse come February.
I very much agreed with the majority of fiQ’s post, which rightly highlighted the need for our best players to be fit and in fine form (to stand a solid chance of progressing in Europe) as well as intelligently sounded out the experience and mentality of many of our stalwarts and even youngsters such as Morata. We have world cup winners in our starting XI. Internationals from Spain, Italy, France, Argentina and other national sides of solid reputation and potency. We have a wealth of experience and talent which is slowly coming together to form a new Juve, a new identity, one which none of us have known before.
Indeed, we are not the same side which reached the final last term, but that is not to say we are certainly a lesser side. We are simply different. Still finding our way, still recovering players from injury, whilst gathering winning momentum. None of us can say how we will look in February. I am naturally inclined to hope and assume that the Juve mentality Fino alla Fine is becoming imbued in the crimson rivers of the new recruits as much as it still flows strong and proud through the veins of our veterans.
Juventus has never been a team to fear any other. So why start now? We must and will respect Bayern, yet Respect is far removed from fear. They can and have been beaten. And will be beaten again. Perhaps by us. Why not eh?
This is a brilliant opportunity to test ourselves, to see how we far we have come on our journey back towards the summit of elite competition. What could we learn of our progress by playing Gent? Or through heading to an empty stadium in Kiev? Less, I suggest, than facing off against the very best Europe can presently offer.
The stage will be set for the making of heroes. For it will take a heroic performance, with a little help from Lady Luck, to emerge from the battle victorious. And for our younger players especially, what better way to earn your stripes? To announce yourself to the world as not just a player of potential, but one to be respected and talked of as a Titan. Dybala, Morata, Pogba, Sandro even Zaza must be licking their lips with excitement. For its these kind of fixtures which drew – at least the first four – to our club. Class players live for games like this.
In times of old, soldiers fresh out of training would dream of fighting a real battle, of proving themselves to both their compatriots and themselves, of throwing themselves into combat against the finest warriors the world knows if to not usurp, then to match them, slash for slash, gouge for gouge…Do we have that zeal in the ranks? I believe so.
Do we have a manager who is tactically adroit? I believe so.
Do we have the means to shut out any offence outside of Catalunya? I believe so.
In short, I believe in this Juve and all Juves past and future. I must do. For belief is part of true love.
So please, wipe away the tears, put away the shotgun, for there is no need for such drastic despondency. Join me in relishing the battle that awaits us, which I suspect will transition to the players and club as a whole, for who knows, maybe Dybala is reading this very forum…And if so, what would he rather find? Confidence and hope or expectation of defeat before a ball has been kicked, an ankle mangled by a beautiful Chiellini scything challenge?
Of course its tempting to time travel to Seville, or even to Monchengladbach, yet to what end! No value can come of such meanderings. We are where we are and true champions rise to the challenge, not crawl into the shadows.
This could be the making of a Juventus returning to the top table. Where I believe we belong.
We have…a chance. The only question is whether we will take it.
Wise words and much needed ones at that. A logical, calm and sensible argument for why we need to be afraid of the scary Germans and their apparent embarrassment of riches. I’ll never understand displays of pessimism prior to a ball being kicked, a tackle being made, or a goal being scored. The true beauty of this game, beyond the comradery and sense of belonging that a person can find in following a club….the true beauty, is that anything can happen over 90 mins…..and it often does.
Last season were written off heading into the group game with the Greeks. 3-5-2 gave way to a bold 4-3-1-2 and when we needed him most, Big Fernando forced them into an error and we progressed into the last 16, priced at 33/1 to win the damn thing.
Then it was dortmund that we stood no chance against….then it was the ‘Monaco that had eliminated Arsenal’ that we couldn’t beat….then it was the nou-Galacticos….Even against Barca, we had our moments to make that game our own.
Write this team off at your peril – Don;t be a Juventus ‘fan’, don;t even be a Juventus ‘supporter’….be a Juventino – That unique breed that lives apart from the rest. We say ‘Fino alla Fine’ for a reason.
Damn gutter’s and your words have me so PUMPED UP. I can’t wait for Bayern!!!
Okay tonight’s derby first but still. I suppose my mindset is a lot more gung-ho than the risk averse fan since I started supporting Juve thanks to Edgar Davids. That stands for something, right?
Davids is a brilliant reason to have sworn your allegiance to the cause, my friend…for me it was years before the dutch pitbull appeared that I shed a skin and found black and white covering my body…Even at 39 years of age, playing for Barnet in the fourth tier of English football, the old dog hadn’t lost his bite…
‘Discipline was a major problem for Davids in the 2013-14 season. He was booked in each of the first eight league games he played, and he was sent off three times in those first eight games’
Hahaha what a legend. In true grinta style he came out of retirement to help out as a player.
“Marco van Basten did it at an amateur level and there are a lot of coaches that started low,” he said.
“We will see if I have the capabilities of reaching the highest level. Do I want that?
I saw [Pep] Guardiola and [Frank] Rijkaard when they started and saw them age with grey hair.
I’m too good looking for that so I want to stay here.”
Savage
abbiamo cuore a strisce, fino alla morte
Great article. I really appreciate all the work you guys put into this great site. Thank you. Keep up the good work 🙂
“We achieved this, arguably with the efforts of the players who remain at the club, more so than those who departed. Tevez and Pirlo were not spectacular in our run to the final and Vidal’s form was lethargic throughout his final innings at the club. It was the youthful exuberance and belief of Morata, the astonishingly quiet and powerful diligence of Marchiso and the winning mentality of Evra which gave us the greatest push. Alongside, of course, sterling consistency from Lichsteiner, Pogba and the rock solid defence in top form.”
This. So much, this.
We also had some good luck … Although we dominated Borussia Dortmund and got by Monaco with relative ease, The 2 legs with Madrid could have gone either way .. Real missed some spectacular opportunities early in games that could have put us away .. We were clinical and played solid in those two legs, but really, the tie could have either way .. I’m not taking anything away from our win, but I think you know what I’m saying .. We could have lost that round as easily as we won it.
As for Tevez, Pirlo and Vidal .. Those 3 were legendary for us and were all big losses… Anyone who down plays their effect and importance to the team over the last many years just isn’t calling it correctly ..
There is, of course, the ever-present element of luck. In every game, in every sport. Skill, preparation, intelligence, hard work and luck.
What I see happening with TVP, and why I agree with and highlighted that paragraph in particular, is the same thing that happens when a loved person passes away… you remember the good things. And only the good things. People have forgotten Vidal’s inconsistency in his last season… Pirlo’s exaggerated lethargy (more than usual, I mean) and the failed passes… Tévez, out of the three, was perhaps the one whose presence I missed the most, and was the most consistent out of the three in what he brought to the table. But, still, all of a sudden it seemed like those three players and them alone made Juventus what they were and took Juve to the CL finals and won us a Scudetto and helped us lift the Coppa after years and years…… which I don’t agree with.
The other reason why that paragraph spoke to me specifically is because it mentions what I think has made the real difference in this “new” Juventus post Conte: the group. The team. Juve plays like a team.. everyone is important, no one is indispensable. It wasn’t just losing Tévez, Pirlo and Vidal… it was also losing players like Llorente, Pepe and Storari, unused in the field but both huuuge presences in the dressing rooms. Heck, sometimes even during the game.. I remember Storari yelling from the sidelines even louder than Max did. It was losing all of them that made us struggle. Changing half of the team meant they were all new to Juve, and the old ones were new to their teammates.. the “feeling” of the dressing room probably changed. All of a sudden, Morata was our “old” attacker (old in Juve years, not actual age)…. the midfield was all new, too… Pogba was forced to be our leader in that position, a role completely unfit for him (you can tell the difference between how he played then and now, when the leadership is rightfully back to Marchisio, who is undoubtedly meant to be one). I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we “came back” after the retreat pre-derby.
Yes, TVP were awesome and gave their all to us and were a part of the TEAM that got us where we did… but they weren’t alone, and they couldn’t have done it alone, so let’s stop using their departure as a reason or as an excuse. Juventus is – and has to be!!! – more than three players. Win or lose.
Well said! I knew there was going to be a grace period where we would struggle until we settled in but it surprised me almost at how long it lasted. But alas the old lady will never stay down for long and even Gigi said that this is the best european Juve side he has ever played for which is saying a lot. We have the potential to be great and I expect Max to set us up well against Bayern and I just can’t see us getting blown out at this moment and even less so once february comes around and we have even more consistency/fluid play
I agree, it was longer than I thought it would last.. I think it’s because the players weren’t used to it and started to panic instead of to work. And even if at times it was frustrating, Max’s calmness really helped pull us out of the funk… his calmness, his intelligence and the club’s continued support, at least publicly. Then, slowly, the players started responding.. and bonding……. we’re not quite there yet, but for that we only need time.
I agree with you (and Buffon, :P), I think this group has a lot of potential. Like I tweeted when the season started, this new group feels like a long-term project instead of an immediate solution to get us titles. I think, regardless of what happens, we’ll be proud. And as much as I love winning, I honestly love feeling proud of them even more.
If we lose to Bayern because they are better than us then there is nothing to hang your head about and I can live with that and like you said be proud. It is the desire to win more than anything that separates Juve from their competitors so I am hoping that a little luck, some individual skill, and a lot of grinta will be enough to prove to the world that we are for real and beating Bayern would make it oh so sweet.
Ahhh adp, I wasn’t playing down their overall input, moreover I was focused on the champions league journey last term. When I felt other players were of greater importance to our wonderful voyage to the final. Pirlo’s pass which won us a penalty sticks out as does Tevez running hard and gritty, yet neither of those two, nor Vidal shone too brightly in the tournament. or rather, not as brightly as others. Yet I agree fully, their investment in the success of the last few years was immense and their departures have been felt, horribly on many occasions.
Thanks for the shoutout! Great article, really enjoyed the read and the points brought up.
All I’ll say is, calma and grinta. We need to feel like we’re back up there, back to our old mindset. It’s in our DNA!
Credit where credit is due, comrade! Your post stuck out with some great, essential pondering.
As you perfectly outlined, we have a wealth of experience, winning experience in the ranks and Morata – at least last season – due to his origins, is imbued with the same expectations of crushing all before him. Dybala has praise from everywhere, not just his compatriot, one of the greatest of all time, Mr Messi, yet appears to have a great mentality, keeping his eye on the ball, in all ways. Prepared to work hard and follow direction from the coach and likely the veterans of the side. Success breeds success.
Which reminds me of Nedved…and Torricelli…and Kohler…and Conte…all of whom had extreme determination. Dear Pavel eh! We could be winning a match 4-0 and yet he was angered by the final whistle, dragged off the field kicking and screaming, for he never wanted to stop. It simply wasn’t his nature to ever give in, or give up…
Aww man don’t make me more upset. This is mental torture. I had enough remorse thinking of Il Capitano last week, how I miss him playing for us before Sydney. Before long we’d be lamenting about dear Pavel, Trezegol, Camo…..
brb dying
Well that is enough encouragement for me to begin my piece on my own Juve story…which will appear as an article in the next quiet period, and I already look forward to finding what you proffer in response, mr fiQ!
As always, nice writing signor poet. I agree with every bit of it.
For me this is simply an early UCL Final, if we win then the players will face each and every game after it with huge morale boost and confidence, if we lost then we can concentrate on winning the Scudetto.
Linez! Old Chum! Not sure if you have been here before, but if not, welcome to juvefc…Im mighty pleased to find your lines and hope to see many more…
And that is exactly as I see the tie. There is growing belief in our ranks, as shown last night, when after we got a foothold on the result, we finally managed to control a game completely, barely gave any serious test to Rugani and Neto (which is a shame of sorts, but not one I will complain of!).
It is an exciting opportunity to test ourselves, and as you rightly point out, if we get crunched, we have the league to focus upon. As pessimistic as it may seem, my core aim for the season now is winning the league. For to do so, after such an atrocious start would be a magnificent achievement and set us up for yet more domestic domination.
Hope you are well, my friend.
I have been here before but never commented, I was referring to your writings in tdf and bwrao commentaries.
Exactly Mr. Poet, I… as we all do, hope that this growing confidence keeps on growing, I believe if these guys are on their best game, they could beat anyone.
Have a nice day.
As usual, brilliant post Mr.GP! I was pleasantly surprised to find a link to this article on BWRAO. I had no idea you had begun writing here! I still check your Dissolute Fox website often to see the latest well concocted game analysis or youth team report you have to offer.
I agree with everything you have to say! It of course isn’t good luck to get Bayern first up, but you know what, why don’t we just go for it. The unpredictable nature of Allegri’s current squad, filled with its experienced iron consistent core, and young flair players and game changers, on our day, if all the stars align, anything can happen. I’m excited about this game, the same way I’m excited about the “big 3” of Barca, Madrid and Bayern all getting decent teams first up. How awesome would the CL be if all three were miraculously knocked out in the R.of.16? Stranger things have been known to happen after all…
All in all, it is lovely to read your poetic warcries again. I hope all is well with you on a personal level! My regards and salutations!
Mr K! I recall you well…Great to see you, Linez and others appearing in these parts and long may it continue! I hope is well in your realm.
I’ll try offer a youth update soonish, yet have other plans. And I like your thinking…perhaps the stars will align.
Great result last night eh? Only caught the highlights, yet read plenty of reports. A bit of luck to get us going, then no turning back and I enjoyed the zeal of Zaza. That kind of bite and snarl is something we lack throughout the ranks. I also felt sorry for Molinaro, same old problems, as in, he didn’t intend to hurt Lichsteiner, just a clumsy challenge, poor bastard! He often seems to find himself on the wrong end of such challenges….which reminds me of another ex Juve monstrosity…Marco Motta, who seems, at 29…finished. However, I feel less sorry for Motta, as unlike Christian he often appeared to know he was going to mangle an opponent, but flew in, studs first regardless!
Wishing you well in all that matters most, and hope to see your presence here continue!
we need to win
This was such a motivating read. I take my hat off for you. Top quality reading.
Where have you been hiding all these years?
Cheers, Belgian. The response has been wonderful, and I am most pleased to have found the opportunity to once again pick up my virtual quill and let it dance across the screen with Juve as my focus and a wonderful audience to not just write for, but to share and exchange views and passion, and to learn from.
I have been writing for many moons, about Juve and global happenings mainly, often the two combined….was offering material for a few different sites over the years, yet lost a little love for that escapade last year, since when I have stuck to sharing my wares on my niche at thedissolutefox.com until an old comrade from the BWRAO trauma zone found me on facebook and encouraged me to contact Rav. Who is a sterling chap away from and involved with Juve matters. Very encouraging, full of praise and a damn good writer in his own right.
Sincerely I hope to remain and to do whatever I can to help the community here blossom.
I have to add…the community here is the finest I have found in the virtual realm. Intelligent, friendly, playful and clearly a widespread eagerness to find solidarity, as juventini of the same black and white heart.
Its rancidly hot here in Melbourne, yet I wish to make a start on my next piece, which I hope you will read and offer your own story in turn!
Cheers, TGP
Reading this I also felt more optimistic about facing Bayern and I think i voiced my negativity the loudest on that topic.
I really want Juve to go beyond the last 16, even if only for the prestige and to keep players like Pogba, Dybala, Rugani and so on motivated to remain at Juve.
And i too love this community, where well based discussions are easy to come by about a topic we love.
Plus of course Ravs amazing work for this site