Cobolli criticises Milan

Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has underlined that Milan have lost a lot with the departure of Kaka.

While the Bianconeri have so far strengthened their squad in order to challenge Inter for the title, the same cannot be said about the Rossoneri.

“By selling Kaka they have lost a lot of their potential,” noted the Juve patron.

“Now they will have to buy important players to cover the hole left by the Brazilian and close the gap.”

Juve have so far replaced retiring Pavel Nedved with Diego as well as securing the services of Fabio Cannavaro.

The Bianconeri have appointed Ciro Ferrara on a permanent basis, a choice which some compared to the one of the Rossoneri with Leonardo.

“I disagree with that because Leonardo is a gamble, while Ferrara is a safe option,” insisted Cobolli.

channel4.com

Read More......

Pasqual unlikely to join Juve

Juventus target Manuel Pasqual is unlikely to leave Fiorentina after being offered a new contract, according to his agent.

The 27-year-old had been identified by the Bianconeri as a viable solution to their problems at full-back.

Cristian Molinaro and Paolo De Ceglie are already struggling to be fit in time for next season and Juventus desperately need an alternative.

Pasqual is relatively young, has Champions League experience and would have been cheap as his existing contract expires next year.

“Fiorentina called me last week and told me that the club is interested in proposing Pasqual a new contract,” his agent, Gastone Rizzato, told Calciomercato.com.

“I haven't spoken with him because he is now on holiday. I said to Pantaleo Corvino that as soon as he returns at the end of the week we would meet and begin negotiations.

“Obviously we will not resolve everything in the first meeting, but we have a lot of time. If Fiorentina were to receive an offer in the meantime that might change their mind, then they will inform us and we will evaluate the proposal.

“However, as of today, Fiorentina have not said anything of this kind to me. Anyway it makes us happy that Pasqual is wanted by one of the biggest teams in Italy and Europe even if he already finds himself in a big club,” Rizzato concluded.

channel4.com

Read More......

Club Focus - Juventus - Going forward

“I have no doubt that next year we will see beautiful things.” Gianluigi Buffon excitedly commented when asked about Juve’s upcoming season. Juventus is still recovering from their last minute revival that secured second place and this article will focus on what the club have learnt in order to return to trophy winning days.

The year was not entirely disastrous for the Old Lady as she did improve on third place and exited the Champions League with her head held high. But for her fans, the season was incredibly disappointing. Not only did Juventus fail to win any silverware, they saw Inter glide to the top without breaking a sweat to secure a 10-point advantage over second place with Jose Mourinho laughing at the pitiable state of their rivals. However, the rise of Juve remains to be a long term project post-Calciopoli and one can take solace in the fact that sacrifices had to be made and failure had to be endured to produce a future worthy of the club’s history.

On Friday June 5, Ciro Ferrara agreed to be the Juventus Coach on a permanent basis effective immediately. Signing a two-year contract, Ferrara was beaming with pride as he proclaimed that his dream to lead Juve had come true. Coaches and legends alike have praised management’s decision to bring Ferrara in and allow him the chance to realise his vision but public opinion is split. Most fans are relishing the prospect of having a club legend leading their beloved team - a la Pepe Guardiola - whilst cynics forecast terrible times for the Old Lady. Juve do not have the talented squad Barca can boast nor do they possess a Lionel Messi within their ranks, so will Ferrara’s love for the Bianconeri shirt really be enough to lead the way to victory?

read more

Read More......

Careca hails Ferrara and Leo

Napoli and Brazil legend Careca is 'not surprised' Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo are now in charge of Juventus and Milan.

The 48-year-old played with Ferrara at Napoli and later became friends with Leonardo while on international duty with Brazil in the late `80s and early `90s.

“It doesn't surprise me that today Ciro and Leo are at the helm of Juve and Milan. They always reasoned as trainers,” Careca told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Ciro has a great advantage. He knew how to live inside a dressing room with a champion. During his time at Napoli he had the right sensibility to 'accompany' Diego Maradona.

“He knew what words to use to stimulate him and in moments of crisis he would throw out one of his wisecracks to ease the tension.

“Juve are a team that does not have a Maradona, but the Bianconeri do have a lot of stars to deal with,” Careca explained.

“Diego reminds me of Gianfranco Zola. He has the same step, the same talent and the same sense of goal.

“He is not only an attacker, but someone who helps the team. Diego can form a great partnership with Ale Del Piero behind Amauri.”

Careca then went on to talk about Amauri, who is different type of striker to the one he was at Napoli.

“Amauri is ruthless in the penalty area. He is an all-powerful centre-forward with delicate feet. He will need a lot of assists from Diego.”

Later in the interview Careca rejected suggestions Ferrara is solely the pupil of Marcello Lippi, the Italy Coach.

“Lippi is a great trainer. He generates sympathy and looks for a dialogue. But to Ciro I suggest going back in time and 'stealing' some of the ideas of Ottavio Bianchi. The Napoli Coach wasn't a monster of merriment, but he was a 'disciplinatore.'

“Let me explain myself. When you guide a team that wants to win the Scudetto you have to be open to dialogue, but rigid in the management of the group. Otherwise the risk is that everything will go up in the air,” Careca added.

Moving on to Leonardo, Careca revealed how he has always been different from your average football player.

“He is a Manager-Coach, like Fabio Capello was for Milan. He will go on the bench knowing all the mechanisms of the club. This is important. I know Leo well. I am ready to bet that he will win with sincerity. That is conquering the respect of everyone,” Careca concluded.

channel4.com
Read More......

Cobolli Gigli: D'Ago deal stalls

Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli admits negotiations for Udinese midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino are still only 'halfway down the line'.

The sticking point appears to be Sebastian Giovinco, the talented Juventus trequartista, who Udinese want to form part of the deal.

Udinese would like to part-own the 'Atomic Ant', but Juventus are reluctant to let go of a player who could yet succeed Ale Del Piero.

“Sebastian interests Ferrara a lot. Jean-Claude Blanc and Alessio Secco are working with great determination on this field,” Cobolli Gigli explained.

He then went on to say Juventus would not be abandoning their interest in D'Agostino despite the hiccup in negotiations.

“There are alternatives, but for the moment we are looking to concentrate ourselves on this deal.” Cobolli Gigli revealed.

“D'Agostino is a great central midfielder, we will keep our feet on the ground.”

Cobolli Gigli later denied Juventus have made an attempt to sign want-away Lazio striker Goran Pandev.

“No, he is a good player, but at the moment in which we are interested we will go and speak with Lazio President Claudio Lotito.

“At the moment, that has not yet happened,” Cobolli Gigli said. “We have not asked about him.”

A deal for Pandev is linked with the future of David Trezeguet, the Juventus striker, who is being linked with Roma and Lyon.

“David is a player, who always interests Juventus. He wants to have greater opportunities to play and, if interesting proposals were made to us for him, we would evaluate them,” Cobolli Gigli revealed.

He finished off his Press conference by defending Ciro Ferrara, the new Juventus trainer, who hasn't any previous experience as a Coach.

“Ferrara is a guarantee, but in work there are always bets to wage. Anyway he is a guarantee,” Cobolli Gigli concluded.

channel4.com

Read More......

Diego plans lots of goals

New signing Diego has revealed he will be officially unveiled as a Juventus player in July and intends to score lots of goals next season.

The 24-year-old former Santos youngster left Werder Bremen last month and put pen to paper on five-year deal with the Bianconeri.

“Soon I will speak Italian and I will repay everyone with goals and victories,” Diego explained.

“I did my job at Werder and I will continue to do it at Juventus. I will prepare myself as best as I can to grow from a tactical point of view.

“The objectives are to win and score lots of goals. In this way I can get back into the national team.

“My last game with Brazil was a 0-0 draw against Bolivia on September 10, 2008 at the Maracana. In a recent friendly against Portugal I didn't get on the pitch.”

When asked about his time in Germany, Diego said: “They were three wonderful years. I learned a lot. I put maturity together with titles.

“I received the affection of the Werder fans, whom I showed good football. I left them with the German Cup, a happy moment.”

Diego then went on to describe how Juventus went about trying to buy him.

“It was a long courtship. We made contact on various occasions, so everything was well defined. Things happen at the right moment,” he insisted.

“I am happy and excited. To have said goodbye to Germany with a trophy was positive. Now I am confident I will be able to show my football in a competitive championship like Serie A.

“I know that at the beginning I will have to adapt, but I have also received the support of the club. I will overcome any obstacles and repay Juventus in goals and victories for the trust they have given me.

“I have dual nationality, but I still do not speak Italian. I understand almost everything, but I am still not ready to speak in public. I will learn it soon.

“From Portuguese, Italian is easier to learn with respect to German. The club will officially unveil me at the beginning of July,” he concluded.

Diego is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in Europe. He managed to score 38 goals in 84 appearances for Werder.

channel4.com
Read More......

New stadium: The Building Site Is Nearly Ready

The beginning of the constructions works of the new Juventus stadium is round the corner. The club directors on the 25th of May handed over all the available areas to Ati (Associazione Temporanea di Imprese), the company which will be carrying out the works. The last remaining areas which are still being finished will be handed over by the end of the month. Ati is already preparing the building site and will begin works at the end of the month.

"Everything is proceeding as per schedule – explained engineer Riccardo Abrate, the person responsible for the building projects of Juventus – Yesterday we communicated the beginning of the works to the city council. Now we are proceeding with the pre-building activities and once the building site is ready the construction of the new stadium will commence".

Juventus.com

Read More......