Serie A News from Serie A Talk » Alberto Aquilani

Juventus emerging as title contenders

Rami Soufi — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:02:49 +0000

Juventus suffered last season following one of the worst campaigns in their glorious history. There were multiple reasons behind their collapse such as instability due to coaching changes, a number of injuries to key players, the management’s bad decisions in the transfer market and the age factor catching up with star players among other factors. Fast forward to this season and the Bianconeri look completely different in terms of their performances on the pitch, in particular their fighting spirit which has been visible in a number of games.

Against Fiorentina, the Bianconeri struggled to score yet the players refused to give up and Simone Pepe was able to grab a late and deserved goal to earn a precious point. Last season, Juventus would have quit and would have probably ended up on the losing side given the same circumstances but this is a different Juve and the results back this up. Last weekend, the Bianconeri managed to snatch a late and precious win over Lazio to rise to second place ahead of Lazio and Napoli on goal difference. So what are the main factors behind the return of Juve as a force in Serie A?

One of the most important factors is the change in the management which has enabled the Bianconeri to make the right decisions when it comes to hiring a new coach and getting involved in some shrewd player signings. New coach Luigi Delneri has shown he is not just a capable tactician but also one who can motivate his players to get the best out of them. The Bianconeri squad is lacking in terms of full-backs and is in need of a striker capable of scoring between 16 and 20 goals a season, but Delneri has been able to revive the career of Felipe Melo and Alberto Aquilani while getting the best out of other players. Juventus lost only twice in Serie A this season and have an impressive against the top teams including wins against Milan and Lazio as well as draws with Inter and Roma.

Another reason for the revival is down to the summer transfer campaign which might have disappointed some but turned out to be a positive one with loan signings Aquilani, Simone Pepe and Fabio Quagliarella all contributing this season. One of the best summer transfers in Serie A must be Milos Krasic who has been a difference make for the Bianconeri. Besides the players brought in, Juventus did even better in terms of dispensing of some of the unwanted squad members such as Jonathan Zebina and Tiago while Fabio Cannavaro did not get a renewal offer after a dismal campaign. The outgoing players were a combination of aging and underachieving names so the Bianconeri did benefit tremendously by offloading players who could have had a negative influence on the squad.

There are other factors which have helped the recovery process and the re-emergence of Juventus, yet for the Bianconeri supporters the fighting spirit and commitment shown by the players on almost every weekend must rank on top of the list. The Old Lady prided itself on the dedication and never die attitude of the players, both of which were hallmarks of the prestigious Juve squads prior to the Calciopoli scandal which hit the club hardest.

Delneri and the likes of Krasic could signal the beginning of a new era of success in Turin as long as a couple of other players, in particular a full-back and a goal scorer, are added to the squad. Obviously, a talented Milan side spearheaded by former Juve striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic might also stand in the way between Juve and immediate success in Serie A. However, the future does look bright for Juve with Leonardo Bonucci maturing in his defensive role as a partner for Giorgio Chiellini while the squad includes a host of players who are still in the mid 20s such as Krasic and Aquilani.

Italy 2 – 0 Georgia Highlights

Kevin Walker — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:24:36 +0000

Thank you Mr. De Rossi for your two goals against Hector Cuper’s Georgia and what goals they were. With a cannon shot in the 16th minute, coming from over 25 yards out, Daniele De Rossi would provide Italy the match winner. No chance for the Georgian keeper as De Rossi’s kick from straight out was rising and curved into the upper right-hand corner.

De Rossi went on to add a second goal in the final moments closing this one down for the Azzurri. Aquilani went close on two occasions of his own and the big difference for the Azzurri was the forced switch to a Roma midfield (exception Pirlo). It was a breath of fresh air with De Rossi and Alberto Aquilani on at the same time now if Lippi would only add Simone Perrotta to that mix. For too long have Azzurri coaching stuck to the favored AC Milan midfield of Pirlo, Gattuso etc. If it takes a Gattuso injury to see the light so be it. Love the emotion and commitment of Gennaro Gattuso but the man can’t play the total 90 anymore.

Juventus defender Nicola Legrottaglie would make the starting XI after surviving a late injury scare. Legrottaglie played the entire 90 minutes while Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Di Natale and Luca Toni all made way for second half substitutes. The back four were still finding their places in this one and Georgian midfielder Levan Kenia really should’ve levelled 1 – 1 but he stumbled when he had a chance to tap in from six yards out.

Match Highlights

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Starting XI

Italy: Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Legrottaglie, Dossena; Pirlo (Palombo 46), De Rossi, Aquilani; Camoranesi, Toni (Iaquinta 70), Di Natale (Del Piero 56)

Georgia: Loria; Lobjanidze, Salukvadze, Kaladze, Eliava (Kvaskvhvadze 46); Kenia, Khmaladze, Kobiashvili, Menteshashvili (Odikadze 68); Iashvili, Mchelidze (Siradze 54)

Roma’s Aquilani Joins Forces With Nike

Kevin Walker — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:41:07 +0000

Last month Serie A Talk kept you up-to-date on the evolution of Nikefootball.com with the article, The Fabio Cannavaro Show , this time round we’ve got some video adverts with several of Serie A’s top stars.

The Next Addition of Nike’s “Take It To the Next Level” Series, Mr. Alberto Aquilani.

Alberto Aquilani well-known in Serie A for the strength and distance of his kicks, is a talent Nike hopes to utilize in their current 2008-2009 television adverts.

The following video has the Roma midfielder kicking a Nike Total 90 Omni match ball into increasingly difficult targets such as: fruit, a Ming vase, widescreen TV, wedding cake, and finally an ice hockey goalie.