An entertaining match all round, with Lyon leaving Turin with a very hard fought and ultimately deserved point. A decent european night for the neutral, and the french, not so great for the fans in black and white, at least on the basis of the second half showing…
Player Ratings
Buffon – Could do nothing for the goal, other than which was solid. 6
Bonucci – Showed some wonderful passing ability and marshalled the back line alongside Juve stalwart Andrea with aplomb until injury forced him from the fray. 7
Barzagli – Made some memorable, yet typical challenges though was also a little haphazard with the ball at his feet. I am unsure if he has the pace for a back 4. Time will tell, or we will revert to the 3-5-2. An average outing for the bearded titan. 6.5
Alves – Another who felt the effects of a very spirited Lyon performance, and could barely see out his right eye when the final whistle came. Unable to make inroads down the flank, and proved generally dependable defensively. 6
Evra – Brought us very little going forward which invited pressure down our left flank, with Pjanic in and out of the game and Sturaro still finding his feet (literally at one stage!). Clever at the back and given our ever growing injury list, his experience was vital in securing at least the point. 6.5
Marchisio – It remains simply brilliant to have him back. Rusty at times, superb at others. His re-entrance to the ranks has added quality to our side and he is only going to get better game upon game. 7
Sturaro – What I like about Stefano is that he always shows. Even when – such as in this game – it is clear that he is lacking sharpness. No surprise given his own lack of first team action and injury woes. No game he starts is complete without finding his name in the book. He won the penalty, with a smart run into the box, other than which made his presence felt, yet achieved little going forward. It was more comical than cringeworthy to see him not only lose the ball, but also his bearings late on…6
Khedira – Atrociously absent. Perhaps his worst showing in our colours. Big Sami clearly needs a break. rarely involved, didn’t break a sweat and was carried by the team from start to finish. With our midfield failing to find cohesion we cannot afford to be carrying any of their number, no matter their reputation. 4

Pjanic – Yet again proved prominent solely at set pieces, which were fairly decent. However, he is not earning his place on merit, its purely on his potential. This was an improved showing, and he truly gave his all, but we need more from the Bosnian. And quickly. 6
Higuain – Scored the penalty, missed a sitter, worked damn hard. This was not to be his night. Yet given his major contribution to the position we find ourselves in domestically and in Europe, he can be forgiven a sub-par showing. 6
Mandzukic – Worked like a spartan, battled and hustled at both ends, and miscued his best chance on goal. Given the absence of any other forwards other than an untested 16 year old, he stayed on when injured and was thereafter rarely involved in any meaningful offensive endeavour. 6
Lyon were good value for their point. Had they nicked it at the end it would have been harsh on Juve, for we didn’t play as badly as some seem to be wailing. When you have a side which is missing Chiellini and Dybala, including a Marchisio with close to zero match sharpness, Sturaro who is also seeking his rhythm, Mandzukic, who toils but finds little potency in the very area which should be his bread and butter, and then injuries strike to Bonucci, Mandzukic, ALves and Pjanic…indeed, there are plenty of reasons to be happy for the point and to remain confident of better things to come.
This is a tougher group than some realise. I am content to see us in line for qualification and who can say what will happen in Spain?
We ran out of steam in the second half, which is down mainly to fatigue and a squad stretched to the limit by injuries. Which are decided by Lady Luck, not Allegri. The injury list this season is somewhat thankfully more truncated, yet nonetheless equally horrid in number to last term. We find ourselves in a strong position, and people need to manage their expectations more reasonably, for look at Real for example? They struggled to earn a point away to Legia Warsaw, and I find moans and groans for our failure to beat an ultra spirited Lyon fighting for survival in our group. The gallic gimps are no mugs, and yet they seem unlikely to qualify. We are not yet world beaters, but it does nobody any good to assume we win games before a ball has been kicked in anger. Just take a deep breath and look at our position. We have not once in my decades of following the club passionately, proven indomitable to every foe faced. Even our glory years have been hard fought, riddled with results which do not match our expectations of total universal dominance, which is the stuff of childish dreams, even for Barca! All we can demand and hope for is to see maximum effort and the results following…And on this measure, we are doing fine in difficult circumstances.
Our major problems revolve around the skewed balance in midfield. It is high time Khedira was given a break, for he has been consistently lacking in value of late. And yet Pjanic was also in a muddle for most of open play. Both players need to massively up their game and with very winnable matches coming up against Chievo and Pescara, I deeply hope that they are given a break. It might do them both the world of good.

Marchisio and Sturaro need to play more, for they bring quality and bite. The rest of the midfield, for now, I suspect is best aimed towards the 3-5-2, for we played no better through the middle with a 4-3-1-2 in this fixture. If Allegri is happy to deploy Sturaro in the LCM role, with Marchisio back in the middle, why not give Lemina the chance in Khedira’s role? And finally offer Kean his debut in Chievo this weekend?
I firmly believe we have been playing better since Claudio returned, but we must get the balance in midfield right, regardless of the formation. What happens centrally on the field is often the difference between success and failure. And presently we are flirting too often with failure, getting by with individual moments of quality.
Still…we must raise our glasses to Lyon, who fought so damn hard for every ball, every blade of grass, as we did in patches. However, the second half saw us leggy, failing to win 50/50 challenges and inviting the opponents onto us. Perhaps this is down to fatigue, a motley crew of half fit players we are forced to deploy or Allegri’s conditioning demands which aim to have the squad in tiptop shape come March.
The away fixture in Seville is a match for top spot, for we should despatch with Zagreb easily enough in the final outing of the group stage. It matters little to me, whether we sneak through in second, for only two teams in the competition look brutally capable, namely Barca and Man City. Regardless of such pondering, March is a long way off and I have full faith in Allegri that we will be in much better shape by then.
Whilst his selection and moves from the bench sometimes feel odd, leaving us forging constantly changing shapes on the field which nobody is accustomed to, he has a habit of aiming for the knock-out stage in terms of conditioning the squad. It is simply his way. Not that I agree, but if we can reach the knockout stage top of the league domestically with a fitter, perhaps Witsel injected squad, I remain eager for glory on all fronts.
Had Higuain or Mandzukic taken chances, especially the former, we would be lauding the side and coach presently, for a job well done. As it stands, we are 4 points clear at the top in Serie A, with a decent chance of winning our group in Europe, and have yet to be able to field anywhere near a fully match sharp side including all key players. Essentially, there are more reasons to be cheerful than crestfallen.
Forza Juve
TGP
we didnt play as badly? you joking right?i hope you do, cos this was one of the worst outings i ever saw from us since conte ! what the hell were we doing over the 35 mins in second half? what did allegri tell them over the break? to play like shits? well tbh we didnt even play, players were like ghosts.terrible.im affraid that allegri will not take us anywhere, the guy affraids of everything, what was the reason to play evra? yeah he did great things in defense, but zero impact in attack, mandzukic fought hard but sorry his duty is to score a goals, he is a striker, but he scored 1 !!! goal this season? it reminds me when we had amauri, he kept playing but couldnt score for hell.why was allegri waiting with cuadrado? he should sub him in after 60-65 mins, another thing is that khedira is totaly totaly out of form, but i dont know if is allegri blind or wtf.h e always come up with defensive line up and if not, then the tactic is defensive.we lack the attitude, the hunger, those 1000 passes between defenders? what the hell was that?if this will continue im afraid we will need some one better then allegri, some one with the balls .we have so fukn potential.
I don’t think you can say he is afraid of everything mate… he wasn’t afraid of everything when he took us stylishly past Dortmund and Real on the way to the CL final (where we put up a good show..) a couple of years ago was he? Are you saying he has become afraid now this season? Why would that be? Think about it.
Perhaps it’s because he is SO knowledgable and savvy that he knows damn well the midfield section we have had available to field this term is pretty darn average by any major team standards. Does that sound possible to you, it does me. Maybe Max knows he can’t put out the swashbuckling attacking side that is forged from a great attack minded midfield section because he knows he doesn’t have a great midfield section full stop, and he is having to make do and do the best he can.
Remember Allegri does not buy the players, in fact from what I read he does not really have much say in the squad at all. He has the squad he has due to the player identification and purchase by Nedved, Beppe and Fabio Paratici.
** He can’t do much about this very fundamental reality: **
CL Final Midfield – Vidal, Pogba, Marchisio, Pirlo
2016 Midfield – Injured / or out of form Marchisio, Out of sorts Pjanic, Hernanes, Lemina, Out of sorts Khedira
Which midfield section would you have? Which one looks world class and which one really really does not even on paper?
We have gone backwards with the midfield roster. End of story. Maybe we have a better attack now with Gonzo and Dybala, but the midfield is 100% the critical engine room of a team. Our engine is, and has been all season misfiring badly. That is not Max’s fault. He can only work with. field and make best formations from what he has got.
And right now what he has got is not good enough, sadly.
yep he took us past dortmund but dont forget that dortmund was in big shits back then, real was about luck and some individual preformances, tevez , vidal, morata.
I agree with you about our midfield problem, actualy we have the worst midfield squad in last 5 years no doubt, in last five years we had one of the best mids and defs in the world but midfield was the driving force.maybe he is not so affraid maybe he is just too defensive minded. its obvious that khedira is not playing well but allegri ignoring it,or i dont know . he could go out with 4231 marchisio and sturaro in the middle and cuadrado pjanic sandro behind higuain
Great points DB…I believe the fact that we lack the quality is something we rarely focus upon as a fanbase, instead blaming Allegri, when the reality is as you say…we have lost several world class players. Perhaps in time, Witsel will show top drawer talent, and Pjanic will get back to his best and Claudio will get sharp. In which best of possible worlds, we will be somewhere near we were, and all being well…Dybala, Higuain and Pjaca learn to play with each other…all of which would make us more entertaining and likely to break down teams, no matter their defences.
WARNING: rant ahead, unrelated to the article but related to the post-game reactions.
Are we seriously going to ask Juve to win CL and then crap our pants at the possibility of encountering Barça and/or Bayern Munich later in the competition at the same time? Like, I get it, we’re not playing at 100%, neither physically not mentally… but everyone’s sooo scared of us coming in 2nd and possibly facing Bayern again (who right now is in 2nd place as well, so we could face them even if we arrived first).
It’s CHAMPIONS league. To be champions we have to beat champions. Sometimes it happens at the beginning of the competition, sometimes it happens at the end. It’s the same for everyone. If you don’t want to face teams like Barça and BM, let’s start playing in Europa League instead. We’d have a better chance to win it, then, right? Then maybe……. just maybe…….. I won’t start reading whiny tifosi with unrealistic expectations moaning about being in second place (THERE ARE TWO GAMES LEFT TO PLAY, FOR FUCK’S SAKE) and possibly having to play against Bayern in the round of 16……
…… it’s not just the players’ mentality that needs to change…….
Sorry but what you say doesn’t make any sense! It’s not about being scared of Barca or Bayern, it’s about being scared of Juventus mentality! More than two month into season there is not really an improvement in game play!
The philosophy of our couch is “score one goal and then sit deep and relax!” then they score one goal and the points are lost, it happened against like of Inter, Napoli and now Lyon!!
Don’t apologize, it doesn’t matter that you think my opinion doesn’t make sense. I think your opinion of Max’s philosophy is what doesn’t make sense. And yet.. we are both right to think the way we do. 🙂
I think this a humbling experience for Juventus and the spectators. My biggest complain was the pace of the game, I’ve yet to see so many backwards passes as I did in this one. No, there is no need to panic! We are simply in a slump right now, all teams go through it.. Not much is actually clicking, its as if the players are so afraid of making mistakes the option they take is the absolute safest and shortest one. The lack of creativity clearly states how much we need Dybala in the lineup every game. That element of suprise he brings is unmatch-able by those below the classiest of players. There isn’t anyone in the line-up that can beat a player with a dribble outside of perhaps Cuadrado, but he is very inconsistent. I share TGP’s sentiment, perhaps we are all over reacting right now. Expeting Juventus to make that leap inbound with the world class squads of Barca, Real and Bayern in one transfer window is completely unrealistic. Look at how much the english clubs along with PSG have spent, yet not a single one has reached the Champions League final. My biggest concern is the lack of depth on the team at present. We got rid of allot players in the Summer and now we seem short in all categories. The team will re-ass and reinforce in January, that I am sure off. Criticism coming from all sides is deserved for the lack of effort against Lyon. However, Rome wasn’t built in one day guys! We still have a chance to clinch the group and avoid the events of last year. By all means Sevilla is beatable, through a miracle they escaped with a draw the last time we played them. They have yet to play us as well as Lyon in a rematch, therefore nothing is settled yet. We should remain optimistic that everything is still in Juve’s hands, the slump will be over soon so no need to jump ship.
Chelsea won the damn thing, comrade! Other than which, great points…And our ability to beat players one on one is another issue, though this can and will be remedied by the return of Dybala and the integration of your countryman Pjaca.
That Chelsea that was the least worthy winner of the champions league I’ve ever seen. My point is, in the 4 years since that event occurred these teams have spent upwards of a billion dollars with no success. I am optimistic about Pjaca’s return, Dybala needs no mentioning as we are all aware of his potential. I like the fact that Allegri was beyond heated at the end of the game, his head looked like it was going to explode. He cares guys, he cares allot more than we think. We aren’t short on quality anymore, its more so on courage. Given the quality of the players that we do have, they just need get back to their element.
I don’t know, mate…I think Liverpool’s victory was one of the least ever deserved.
When Pjaca, Dybala, Rugani, Sturaro, Marchisio, Bonucci, Chiellini and Mandragora are all back fit and match sharp, indeed, we will then be far from short on quality. Until which time, I will have to disagree slightly my friend as we are often putting out players whose ability at the top level is questionable.
It’s not about players or injuries, it’s not about Lyon playing like Barça, or Madrid playing like sh*t, It’s all about Juventus Mentality and Attitude!! which comes from the coach!
“One easy goal, then cool, just sit back and wait for the next 77 minutes and finish the game”! No desire, no courage!!
According to Stats zone Juventus created only one big chance, while Lyon created 3! If a top european team playing at home, creating JUST ONE BIG CHANCE from open play ( and even that one only because of stupid defensive error of the opponent ), doesn’t make you believe you are playing cowardly with zero desire, then nothing will help!
But I can see from now, getting eliminated soon in CL and this website saying nonsense about Cuadrado was not good, Chiellini was injured, blah blah blah… but Allegri was so great!!
In dissapointed at the draw as well. But lets look at it at the COACHES perspective.
We just had an intense game in serie a. North vs south type of shit. For fans, Cl IS priority. For the players and coach, EVERYTHING is priority.
Just because of one draw, im not gonna ASSUME Cl and topping the group is over. We had to sacrifice this match and thats what i saw.
The players cant be expected to be at 110 all season long. Fans expect us to sacrifice serie a for the cl, well sometimes the cl needs to be sacrificed for the serie for the future good for both comps.
Football is more than just tactics on the pitch. You have plan ahead with the matches as well
Why would you value stats zone over your own eyes?
I counted close to equal decent chances, yet we clearly had one more clear cut chance than Lyon, with Higuain missing a pretty much open goal. We also had a couple of other solid chances with Mandzukic and Higuain going close.
No we had the greatest chances of the match. We were not as clinical as Lyon when they had their 2 great chances.
I have not found much mention of Allegri’s greatness in these parts…respect for winning two doubles on the trot and taking us, during a sticky period, to top of the league and likely qualification.
Its a sign of the times that some supporters, I assume mainly the younger crowd, analyse the game from week to week, demand constant, instant gratification and have a weaker, more glitzy, superficial connection to the club than the fans of yesteryear who are accustomed to basing their views on the long haul, having suffered and found joy, time and time again, year after year. The bliss is made ever the sweeter when agony has been tasted beforehand…How boring life as a football supporter becomes when a team becomes as a machine, mechanically winning game after game, the tides of the heart rarely rising or falling as we simply count titles and wail like spoiled brats when we draw a game or concede a goal…Nope, that isn’t for me, and never has been as a juventino.
The expectations placed on a side in a great position by the (relative) newcomers to the sport are indicative of the same consume and dispose culture disseminated ubiquitously by the western capitalist machine, work and consume, consume and dispose, hold nothing sacred, seek no challenge, no adventure, just want the shiniest toys every day, and make them new, and better, and always the finest, the most expensive, ownership of or connection to something which the world around us is forced to stand in awe before and salute us in turn with their reverence…its pitiful.
No, it was not a great performance against Lyon, but for anyone to call it our worst game ever has clearly not supported the club for very long, perhaps just a week? We have played worse and we have played much better, every season pretty much for the last 119 years or so….
We played against a very determined Lyon fighting for their champions league lives. We created more chances than they did, but failed to capitalize. We suffered injuries to several players during the game. We were playing at least two players who are miles off match sharpness, yet their alternatives Hernanes and Lemina whilst fit have offered little security, and the only way Sturaro and Marchisio will gain sharpness is by playing. We were also missing two key players in Chiellini and Dybala. With the only fit striking alternative a 16 year old…
I saw enough fight, I also saw tiredness from a squad presently stretched due to injuries. And I also saw a woeful performance solely from Khedira. Everyone else gave effort, but we fell short of securing the win whilst we were in the ascendancy, and then…the tide turned.
In short, the players are tired, the squad is stretched, many players are injured, Khedira and Pjanic have been poor for many games on the trot, the midfield is unbalanced, yet…we look all but assured of progression to the knock-out stage in Europe and are 4 points clear at the top of Serie A.
Churlish whining is needless…and smacks of attention seeking rather than passionate devotion to the black and white cause.
They should try supporting Nottingham Forest, 20 years since we were in the top flight division, 36 since the 2nd European cup was won. Makes Juve’s wait for euro glory seem like a brief interlude 🙂
I also agree with your points mate, it was a hard fought game and while the result was disappointing, we havent lost anything yet. If we beat Sevilla we can still top the group. If we draw, we will most likely be second.
If our opponent in the next round come from the Barca – City or the Bayern – Atletico group, it seriously doesnt matter at all whether we are group leaders or not.
There are always some big teams in the mix who finished “only” second.
And yeah, I also want to avoid Barca and Bayern. For now. I rather have an “easier” opponent so we advance a bit further and gain more fame and money from it.
But as Elisa pointed out so evidently, you can’t be afraid to face off with the big boys.
We will face a giant sooner or later and we have all the tools we need to beat them. Bayern lucked out last year and Barcelona’s scoreline flattered to deceive in our latest bout.
We just stick to Allegri’s plan of making the whole team fit and in top shape by March. Any gaps can be mended in January. It’s no fun watching Juve struggle hard against teams you expect them to crush 4-0, but we have to be realistic.
This team is 3 months old. Give them time. Don’t call for Allegri’s head because of a draw. I do understand some of the comments, I see it as voices of passion spilling over and then uttering whatever vile things that come to mind. It’s human I guess, but try to remain positive.
Juve is a class team and they will do well, as soon as our midfield is straighted out we will see a far more dominant Juve, one that will please our critical fans 🙂
But for now, weather the storm.. (results aren’t all that bad after all eh? First in the league and qualified for European football after the winter..)
Well put, comrade!
I wasn’t suggesting we should be fearful of Barca or City or any other, only mentioning that just those two teams seem presently mighty. I believe we have the potential to beat any team in the world, if we get our act together. March is a long way off…
And yes, let us see how the land lies come March.
Oh, no.. that’s why I prefaced my rant with the disclaimer that it was unrelated to the article. I understand that, strategically, it’s an advantage to come in first.. whatever we can do to avoid them both, since they are definitely ahead of us. And I agree with the statement from a strategic point of view. But, meh, if we face them in the round of 16 we are just going to have to beat them earlier than expected. Hopefully we’ve found some modicum of cohesion and grinta by then.
However, I don’t understand the overall feeling of defeat, of pessimism.. it seems, like you mentioned below, that it’s mostly coming from people who have been fans for 2.5 years…. do they not remember our state in European competitions just 3 years ago? 3 years ago we weren’t even sure if we were going to pass the group stage, even having teams that on paper were at least on par with us. And we didn’t. So we came up with excuses. But all of a sudden we reach the CL finals, playing inspiring football… then we barely lose to Bayern the next year… and now all of a sudden we HAVE to reach the finals and win… after two years with a new coach… and after two years of changing half of the team each Summer. Give me a break, internet. The motto is “fino alla FINE”, not “fino a novembre”…
….. these are the same people that make fun of Real Madrid for usually having an easy road to the finals, which makes it even weirder.
I know mate, that was voicing my own concerns! I do fear such teams so early in the tournament. But just barca and Bayern, I believe they are still a step above us. The rest we can have – bring on any english team, Real, PSG..
This is mainly directed at the older crowd, those who have known the game since childhood, and…James!
I am the player/manager/captain(presently) of the corporate soccer team and we have the corporate games in two weeks time. The squad I have assembled has never played together, we have two chances the coming weekends for a kickaround.
As player/captain elect/manager…I am forced to contend with the following for a 6 a side corporate tournament, where we will don armour and warm branding irons, come two weeks time….
GK – Marc, a fucking dwarf! Yet top drawer.
Defensive options:
Me. Zero stamina yet knows the game, can read the game, and despite my lack of physical prowess, I love to get stuck in.
Remi – A wall of a frenchman, zero pace, yet ca read the game, can tackle, can pass.
Kenny – lightweight, yet knows the game as he comes from the motherland. My concern is that he is perhaps too nice.
Cian – A futsal GK, and again, another irishman who is too nice…Why the fuck doesnt he hate me??? He simply cannot. Which is a damn bother and concern. For I need grit and spite.
Turner…No pace, no natural talent. Yet can be depended upon to simply mark a man out the game for 10-15 minutes.
Midfield and Beyond:
Jorge – another damn dwarf, but MMA trained, tidy on the ball, loves to hug the flank.
Dempsey – Pretty eyes, Aussie, but can play. Nifty, assertive, tidy.
Vickers – English dynamo, fit, loves to get forward though equally loves to get stuck in. COMBATIVE.
Connor – A presently unknown quantity, but a security guard, in his spare time a forensic psychologist and body guard, and has played for a team which paid him a wage.
This is my squad, for 6 a SIDE, 15 mins each way…
How the devil do I deal with such a motley crew???
1-2-1-2????
1 2 2 1 if pitch too small for two up front as your midfield guys will push up and their defence will wonder up to your D (is offside rule being played?).
It is a half sized pitch, mate, with hockey goals I believe…I think the 2-2-1 is the safest bet to start with, if we are making no headway up top we can shift to the 1-3-1 or better still 1-2-2.
1 + 5 right?
Yeah a goalie and 5 outfield players
I believe in the 1-3-1 idea, clutter up the midfield to stifle the opponent from attacking, keep one man at the back to deal with any long balls or escapes through the midfield and use a lone striker, preferably a technical one who can create his own chances.
^This is how i play. More of a 1-2-1-1 in defense. One sweeper at the back and one guy pressing at the front (if anybody has the stamina for that). Whoever presses up top doesn’t have to be your striker; he can tuck back into midfield once he forces an error.
Yeah thats the idea! I think it does well for low level football. Doesnt have to be a striker indeed, can be anyone, but preferably (imo) someone Dybala-like. Fast, good on a technical level and a good shot. In relative terms of course!
Thanks for all the suggestions, chaps!
Here is a light hearted report I wrote after the tournament from a few years back…
https://thedissolutefox.com/facecuttersfc-tournament-report-2013/
we played 2 -3 basic, 4-1 when defending and 1-1-3 when attacking, we finished second in our first tournament, lost just to winners( our NT guys lol)
ps: your GK must be skillful with the ball.
I am unsure if we have someone fit enough to sit deep constantly, let alone reliable. Of the defensive stock I would say only myself and the giant of a frenchman Remi have the zeal to do a job there. I like to play as the last man, organise the others around me as I read the game well and know how to defend. Perhaps Remi and myself can generally occupy that role. Swapping every half or as required.
Playing us both, or any 2 at the back leaves the 3 others a lot of work. Yet we have 4 others who are reliable and fit. The major issue with Remi is that he has zero pace. Which isn’t an exaggeration, its the horrid truth. Yet nobody will go through him, its impossible. He is a man mountain.
The strongest players are Connor, Vickers, Dempsey and Jorge. With Jorge happy to bomb up and down the flank, the others more naturally central channel focused. The more those 4 play, the greater our chances of glory.
Such a shame we are missing Peter H and Tom, both are top drawer, proper footballers…but we will still give our all.
Given my haphazard planning, of life in general, we are top train for the first time tomorrow, 2 weeks before the tournament.
I am thinking we will start the first game with
Marc
Me Remi
Connor Dempsey
Vickers
The thing with that crowd is that the 3 offensive players are all attacking players, perhaps I can push up a little. If the first side seem week, we can move to a 1-3-1. If they are strong, we will stay with the 2-3.
Or should I go all out and 1-1-3? Using Jorge out wide to stretch the game a little from the off and try get early goals? I will know more after tomorrow.
you are the one to stay back as you have no stamina but you can read the game, thats important, remi will partner you as a second def, but he will move to regista role when attacking cos he can pass & tackle, doesnt need the pace in this position, jorge & dempsey on the flanks( maybe connor can be swapped for depmsey if he is good enough) and vickers up front, his combativness is very helpfull cos he can break the opponents attack straight as they start anything
My stamina was not as bad as I thought…my lungs almost collapsed early doors, after which I was fine to play…the standard was decent, and I was impressed with my old chum Basher Johnson…in fact so impressed with his defensive hounding and eagerness to move up now and then that I reckon the best back two we can have will be him and me. Remi is strong as an ox but has zero pace. I’d say both the irish lads are OK, Paul K has more ability whereas Cian is ponderous, too ponderous for competitive action at least as part of our strongest side.
But yes yes…my reading of the game is very useful in such close quarters, and I am the link between all the players, some of whom met for the first time today, so I can likely organise from the back. Bit shabby up front but we have COnnor, Dempsey and Vickers – the three strongest to include for the tournament.
Jorge was strong, as usual up and down the flank, good engine, fairly decent on the ball…pushing for a start or a reliable 2nd half option for on of the 3 or 2-1, whatever seems right in front of the rear 2.
What was obvious is that even with just me back, when Basher moved up another player loosely covered and we were rarely over-run. SO many players follow the ball, rather than look for space…other than those who have played for years or who play now for decent sides! No doubt there will be one of such teams in our group.
Looking at names and descriptions, I would pick Cian as goalie, Remi for defense and well the 4 other guys for the midfield and one of them with striker duties – Dempsey perhaps?
And finally I pick you as Conte on the bench! (Or a raving Klopp perhaps?)
I can’t believe it! You have dropped me from the side before the first whistle! Still…it may well be for the best!
I put you in as captain of the ship! Not on the field perhaps, but captain still!
Next time its cornerflag for you! 😛
And the dwarf has the number 1 spot! I will play a role, mate…though it does make perfect sense to have the manager watching the game. I’ll just be itching to get on. Perhaps I can isolate the main threat, and come on in the 2nd half to…nullify. These tournaments often have teams with one star player. He is usually the fiend I hunt down and stick to. Close as a lover in the throes of passion whenever he approaches our box.
When i have time, i would love to gice my input:p
Will be welcome, John!
Alright, so i cant remember all the players anf their descriptions haha.
But i give you a layout and you can fill in the players.
I like a 2-1-2-1.
Two comfortable ball playing defenders at the back. One player in front of the defence to play simple passes, read and anticipate plays. Two creative quick passing players further up. And lastly a striker whoscomfortable with back on goal for lay offs, able to open wide and take a shot at any givem chance
thats 6 mate, you have just 5 players , plus GK
Is anyone else watching Conte and Chelsea play? Their 3-4-3 and their playing style is a joy to watch.
Yes. They are brilliant. That Hazard goal for 4-0!
trashed everton 5:0 , they are on great run now, won last 6 or 7 games, actualy first in the league
I keep up with the results, for I still hold Conte dear.. But I don’t bother watching the games no
So we have Chiellini and Bonucci out injured and the coach still finds a way to leave Rugani out of the squad … Goodness, gracious me.
Yes he does not like young players. No wonder Berardi doesnt want to play for us.
Who’s watching the match? Goal.com says it’s a 4-3-3 but looks more like a 3-5-2. Let’s hope for a good match with lots of goals by juve and most importantly good football.
FFS Barza injured…
I am convinced we will need to change Allegri if we want to win the Champions League. The lackluster style of play Allegri likes to employ will work fine in Serie A, but not in the Champions. There are a few players that their talents are not exploited to the full potential, Dani Alves being one of them.
Yes of course, let’s play with one attacker, for the last mins, against chievo, with only 1 goal up.. Geez
My thoughts too.. Why would he bring Kean on the bench for 4 matches without using him. He knew he was never going to use him, then why not let him play matches for the primavera team.
exactly, like idiot, he needs playing time, not to warm a bench
Hes 16. While you guys are being impatient, that guy is shitting bricks on the bench right now. I dont care who he is, the guy is not ready to atep foot on the pitch.
we played chievo with 5 defenders on, fuk me, Max Scarellegri
Why can we not score, why can we not keep other teams from scoring, wtf is wrong with us. Yes i realise we scored twice and are winning but this should be 4-1 by now.
Well, at least they played better than last games.. That’s the most important right now i think. Sturaro should’ve definitely scored, cuadrado too after that beautiful solo and Higuain too so in scoring they were unlucky.
This game could’ve/ should’ve ended at least 1-4
Yes xD
How was it compared to the Lyon match? Any significant improvements?
0 i think, im disappointed
Yes, better. But opposition not as good of course.
Juve has superior possession in almost all the games because the team has superior players. The reason the team lacks goals is because of Allegri’s poor attacking tactics. He is a coach that is excellent at instructing possession play, but is terrible at teaching the art of attacking.
??? Just watched the extended highlights, and we had masses of attacks. Rusty / unlucky finishing sure, and still too much coming from the wings as opposed through the centre but other than that we bossed a team without a lot of our first pick players.
Can’t see what the grumbles are for. Cuadrado looked good (except finishing – what’s new), Mario M looked hungry, we were totally dominant. Much better than many other matches, even if it was just Chievo.