In what has become a habit for Juventus, the Bianconeri dropped two points and settled for a draw with Catania. Juve could not defend a 2-0 lead over the visitors who have yet to register their first away win of the season. The Bianconeri squad is lacking in quality and this is evident when the legendary but aging Alessandro Del Piero is the main source of creativity for the team.

As discussed in previous pieces (Check: www.serieatalk.com/will-juventus-qualify-for-the-champions-league/3502), the Bianconeri have seen slight improvement compared to last season but there are still some glaring problems:

- The Bianconeri are still weak at the full-back positions. Juve lack quality full-backs and have yet to replace Gianluca Zambrotta who departed following the Calciopoli scandal in 2006.

- Juve lack a creative player. Diego was sold and perhaps it was the proper decision but when Del Piero is not playing, the Bianconeri clearly lack a player who can create scoring opportunities. Alessandro Matri is decent but he is a finisher and not one who can easily create his own scoring opportunities. Fabio Quagliarella is perhaps the only player besides Del Piero who can create something on the attacking end yet he has been sidelined by long-term injury.

- The centre-back positions remain fragile, particularly when Giorgio Chiellini is out due to injury or suspension. Andrea Barzagli is a mere short-term replacement and can perhaps cover for a game or two but not for an extended period.

- The Bianconeri’s management must make the right decision during the summer by signing at least three quality players and bringing in another three decent players to cover various positions. There is a need for two full-backs, a centre-back, a winger and an attacking player who can create scoring chances.

- Luigi Delneri might be a good person but this is about coaching and he seems best fit to take charge of a provincial side. Delneri appears to be dealing with problems that might be too much for him to handle considering the ambitions of a prestigious club such as Juve. Below are some interesting stats about Delneri:

1) He lost 9 games while in charge of Sampdoria last season and has already lost 9 matches with Juventus in Serie A this season

2) With Roma he lost 16 games in just one season and his results with Palermo were not impressive

3) Delneri has never won more than 50% of matches he coached over a season. He achieved that once with Sampdoria.

4) Delneri is not great with substitutions. He has often been criticized for the changes he makes during a game. Against Catania he started with Marco Motta, a certain candidate to be replaced or to receive a red card in almost any game, and then replaced Motta. He also replaced Del Piero and Matri with Simone Pepe and the less mobile Luca Toni.

5) Delneri is not flexible when it comes to tactics. He does not seem to be a commanding figure and is not inspiring. Would established and experienced players or even rising stars want to play for a coach such as Delneri? It is doubtful Turin will be an attractive destination for quality players with Delneri in charge. Juve need a quality and well-established coach to take over.

Obviously this summer will be a busy one in Turin and the changes to be made could be drastic and will likely cover the coach as well as the squad. To blame everything on Delneri would be unfair and inaccurate. The squad at his disposal is lacking and has many glaring weaknesses but it is hard to see how Delneri can return Juve back to the top of Italian football when he seems to be limited in his tactics and substitutions. He also does not have the winning pedigree to garner the respect of big name signings. Feel free to contact @RamiSoufi on Twitter for further discussions.

To fans of Calcio it’s still as vivid as ever: The vision of Fabio Cannavaro lifting the World Cup aloft remains the proudest of Italian memories in a difficult recent history. But with one year to go before the 19th World Cup Final, Cannavaro and his Azzurri have a lot of hard work to do if the national team are to avoid an embarrassing fate in their defence of the trophy.

A shameful defeat to Egypt and a straightforward thumping by Brazil in the recent Confederations Cup have highlighted Italy’s fall from grace since that golden night in Berlin. Their attempts to evolve into a younger, fresher, more future-friendly outfit have been tempered by a sense of loyalty to the experienced campaigners who tasted glory three years ago.

So with 365 days left in Italy’s fourth reign at football’s summit, just how much catching up does Marcello Lippi’s squad have to do in order to launch a serious challenge for number five? How do the 23 involved in the Confederations Cup match up to the medal winners before them?

GOALKEEPERS:

What was most stark about Gigi Buffon’s recent claim that Julio Cesar is the best No.1 in Serie A was its widespread acceptance. In 2006 Buffon was the best goalkeeper in the world marshaling one of the world’s best defences. These days he’s suffering from playing behind a weaker back fours at both club and international levels. He’s still clearly the best Italy has to offer – and arguably remains in the world’s top 5 – but he now has flaws that weren’t as evident in ’06.

Behind him Marco Amelia has improved immensely, though he is still prone to errors (see New Zealand) but Massimo De Sanctis seems likely to be usurped by Federico Marchetti or even Andrea Consigli before next June rolls around.

VERDICT:

Buffon ’06 > ’09

Amelia ’09 > ’06

Peruzzi ’06 > De Sanctis ’09

DEFENCE:

Lippi’s biggest headache. Only three of the eight World Champion back line remain in the squad. All three are first-choice and all three are facing questions over their form. Skipper Cannavaro is no longer – and will never again be – the Berlin Wall. His two title-winning years at Real Madrid were laregly impressive, but his error-strewn final year in Spain came as a surprise to few. Fellow golden boys Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso both struggled after post-World Cup moves and have been unconvincing since their subsequent transfers to Milan and Lyon respectively.

The remaining full-back slots have been passed from Cristian Zaccardo and Massimo Oddo to Davide Santon and Andrea Dossena. Santon is already being touted as the next Beppe Bergomi whereas Doseena has looked completely out of his depth since his surprise capture by Liverpool.

Other than Cannavaro, the centre of defence has changed markedly. The supreme Nesta, surprise package Materazzi and sturdy stand-in Barzagli are fallen heroes due to a combination of injury, retirement, old age and poor form. Of their replacements only Giorgio Chiellini has the look of a true international, but even he had a rocky time in South Africa last month.

VERDICT:

Cannavaro ’06 > ’09

Nesta ’06 > Chiellini ’09

Materazzi ’06 > Legrottaglie ’09

Barzagli ’06 > Gamberini ’09

Zambrotta ’06 > ’09

Grosso ’06 > ’09

Santon ’09 > Zaccardo ’06

Oddo ’06 > Dossena ’09

MIDFIELD:

Of the 23 heroes in Germany nobody has improved more noticeably than Daniele De Rossi. Talented but tainted in 2006, the Roma midfielder is now an Azzurri skipper-in-the-making. Fellow champs Mauro Camoranesi, Reno Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo have struggled to recapture their world-conquering form. Gattuso continues to battle hard and Pirlo is looking at new ways to reform his game and thus prolong his career, but Camoranesi looks about ready for the reject bin.

Elsewhere the durable Angelo Palombo is a step up from one-season wonder Simone Barone whilst Riccardo Montolivo has started to impress in an Italy midfield still searching for someone to make the impact Simone Perrotta made at the Mondiali.

VERDICT:

De Rossi ’09 > ’06

Gattuso ’06 > ’09

Pirlo ’06 > ’09

Camoranesi ’06 > ’09

Perrotta ’06 > Montolivo ’09

Palombo ’09 > Barone ’06

FORWARDS

Italy’s change of formation over the last 36 months can be solely attributed to the lack of a No.10. Until Seba Giovinco turns potential into potency Lippi will be forced to look for other answers. Target men Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta remain regulars, with only Toni regressing since he reached the heady heights of a 31-goal season in Florence. But the notable names of Totti, Del Piero and Inzaghi have been replaced by Simone Pepe, Giuseppe Rossi and Fabio Quagliarella. Whilst Rossi and Quagliarella in particular have shown flashes of quality, none can claim to be adequate replacements for their predecessors just yet.

VERDICT:

Toni ’06 > ’09

Gilardino ’09 > ’06

Iaquinta ’09 > ’06

Inzaghi ’06 > Quagliarella ’09

Totti ’06 > Pepe ’09

Del Piero ’06 > Rossi ’09

So it would appear that the Azzurri are stronger in only six of the 23 spots available. Yes, there are 38 rounds of Serie A ahead which will give players time to improve. Yes, a few of the Under-21 squad which performed well in Sweden this summer may be included. But right now the players which Lippi trusts most are largely players who have already peaked. A year of intrigue lies ahead in the battle for a spot on the plane to South Africa.

The AC Milan vs Lazio match saw a variety of impressive goals but the one which sticks out above the rest was the winner scored by Gianluca Zambrotta. 

Zambrotta’s is Goal of the Week for the following reasons,

1. distance
2. location
3. power
4. as a fullback Zambrotta doesn’t score often, making this a very special goal compared to the rest netted by seasoned goalscorers this week.

(honourable mention - Maicon’s 26′ goal against Torino)

Goal Video Highlights

Calling all Milanista, I got it wrong and admit it but what’s more important is understanding why.  The key to today’s victory was manager Ancelotti getting back to basics. Take a look at the starting XI, leaving Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko on the bench was the right move. 

Ancelotti would instead go with young Pato, Marco Borriello and a Pirlo-less midfield which supported the front two while providing breathing room with goals.  

Midfielder Clarence Seedorf opened the scoring in the 8th minute after a failed attempted to lay the ball off to Kaka. Seedorf’s pass would ricochet off a Lazio defender back into his path and from ten yards out the big man made no mistake in burying it behind Lazio keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo.
 
Milan looked dangerous much of the first half but during the 25th minute, a lack in concentration on a threaded pass by Goran Pandev, allowed Lazio forward Mauro Zarate to slip the defensive line and gain a equalizer. Ten minutes later, defender Gianluca Zambrotta would restore the Milan lead with an absolute cracker from far out on the right. Travelling from right to left the ball curled across the front of goal ending up in the far side-netting, 2 -1 home side at the half.  

Second half action saw Milan’s Brazilian crew, Alexandre Pato and Kaka, provide insurance goals three and four. Pato’s was an exceptional header well placed and away from the keeper’s reach.  The young man would make way for Ronaldinho in the last quarter and there was one spot of magic when Ronaldinho partnered with Borriello in splitting the defense, and foiling the offside trap, with a well feed ball. Borriello open on goal struck low and hard but keeper Carrizo managed to block the shot.

Although Lazio had several excellent chances to draw closer, they could not capitalize on their opportunities. The visitors lost belief in any comeback and in my opinion it all vanished after Pato’s 48 minute header.  The substitution of Pasquale Foggia for Mauri was a good move as the player created all kinds of problems for the Milan midfield with his runs forward but the decision to bring Foggia on was left too late by Lazio manager Delio Rossi.  

Final Thoughts

Gattuso was back in the starting XI which was a surprise to me. His early return from injury will be good for the team but is it good for him?  Jankulovski played a very physical game, I didn’t count the fouls but he did receive a yellow card and no chance of taking him off early with the limited bench. Brazilian international Kaka is returning to 100% fitness with his second start for the Rossoneri, his creative flair in the midfield has been sorely missed. Finally old-timer Ambrosini made several key plays in breaking up the Lazio attack and all in all the Milan midfield performed reasonably well without Andrea Pirlo. Time will tell if Ancelotti has found the right formula.

Lineups

Milan: Abbiati; Zambrotta, Maldini, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso (Emerson 78), Ambrosini, Seedorf (Flamini 64); Kaka; Pato (Ronaldinho 71), Borriello

Lazio: Carrizo; Lichtsteiner, Siviglia, Rozenhal, Kolarov; Brocchi (De Silvestri 79), Ledesma, Matuzalem (Meghni 68); Mauri (Foggia 62); Zarate, Pandev

Goalscorers: Seedorf 8 (M), Zarate 25 (L), Zambrotta 35 (M), Pato 48 (M), Kaka 61 (M)

Goal Highlights