Bolstered by Brazilian midfield imports Diego and Felipe Melo, the Bianconeri have Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in their sights as they begin the quest to bring the Scudetto back to Turin.
Preseason hurdles include La Liga third-place finishers Sevilla and Korea’s Seongnam who are, according to Juventus’ official website, “only lacking some improvement in their main matter pending: defence.” An ironic statement given the Old Lady’s current state of affairs.
History
Juventus are the most successful club in Italy, having won 27 league titles (not counting, of course, the two rescinded in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal). Their first era of dominance began in the early 30’s when they romped to five consecutive Scudetti.
However, their return of two European championships is seen as highly unflattering for a team of Juve’s stature and it wasn’t until 1985 that they captured the trophy on the strength of current UEFA president Michel Platini’s penalty kick. It’s a dark footnote that their first European victory served as the backdrop to the Heysel Stadium Disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 39 people, mostly Juventus supporters.
In 2006, the club were relegated to Serie B after certain club officials were implicated in the Calciopoli scandal. A handful of top players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro jumped ship, though the team nevertheless bounced back up after one season.
Currently
Juventus have been steadily rebuilding their squad since returning to Serie A though this hasn’t always gone according to plan. High-profile Portuguese midfielder Tiago is one of the biggest flops in recent memory.
With the arrival of defensive midfielders Mohamed Sissoko and Christian Poulsen, from Liverpool and Sevilla respectively, Juventus had two hard-nosed ball-winners but not much more in the way of playmaking. The Bianconeri have been forced to continually rely on the aging legs of Alessandro Del Piero, Mauro Camoranesi, David Trezeguet and the now-departed Pavel Nedved.
Squad
Werder Bremen’s Diego and Fiorentina’s Felipe Melo were brought in to jump-start the team’s often sluggish attack. Diego’s role as the number 10 will unburden Del Piero, who can now push higher up the field. It remains to be seen if Melo will repeat his splendid Fiorentina form while much anticipation surrounds 22-year-old Sebastian Giovinco, who is expected to have a breakout season.
It’s the defense that’s more worrisome. The ossifying Fabio Cannavaro is the only significant acquisition in the rear guard and his slowing motor was woefully exposed by a rampant Liverpool in Real Madrid’s Champions League mauling last year. Of even more concern is the recent form of Giorgio Chiellini, considered by many to be the next great Italian centre-back until an insipid showing at the Confederations Cup revealed a ponderousness to his game that’s not often taken advantage of in Calcio. It’s fair to say that full-backs Jonathan Zebina and Zdenek Grygera will prompt few managers to alter their tactics.
Peace Cup 2009
This will be a time to blood Diego and Melo, find the optimum role for Del Piero and allow Sissoko and Poulsen to offer more cover to a questionable defense. Look for Giovinco and Amauri to make statements and new manager Ciro Ferrera to bring a few fringe players in from the cold.
Fixtures
Sevilla – Juventus (July 24)
Seongnam – Juventus (July 28)
Prediction
Despite the holes, Juventus remain a formidable team and a difficult opponent to overcome. They have experience in spades, and though a dangerous and well-balanced Sevilla squad may give them problems, Juventus should outlast their Korean opponents.
Goal.com
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