I honestly never imagined seeing this before

On Juventus 09/10

It has been a while since I last talked about football here in this blog. =) – Well mainly due to the reason that my lovely club was not performing too well under the previous management. They still managed to reach 2nd place, but it wasn’t something to be proud of to tell you the truth. Well, now that the main coach has been changed Juventus have impressed me. Even the notorious Alessio Secco is starting to win the fans trust today after one magnificent transfer session. Now, the calico have only been played two rounds, so it would be a bit too fast to judge the team performance this season, but I wanted to see a more competitive side this season =)

The new head coach

Last season, when serie A was going to end with only two games left, the management decided to part ways with Claudio Ranieri. I have mixed feelings for him to tell you the truth. On the positive note, he was responsible for bringing Juventus back to top flight in only one season, and the fans would surely remember that impressive match against Chelsea in the Champions League.

On the negative notes however, he was not suitable for Juventus. He seems to be very satisfied with a draw at times, even against lesser clubs of serie A. His choice of players was strange (Molinaro? Poulsen?). I think he played some part in the disastrous transfers in one way or another. Sissoko was also a big gamble that we take that time, we was just lucky that he turns out to be good. He left Giovinco and De Ceglie rotting in the bench, and preferred to a defensive 4-4-2 formation, even when we are losing. It was frustating to see we are left 1-0 behind but he made no substitution until the 85th minutes, and that is switching Camoranesi with Poulsen. In short, he doesn’t have that lo spirito of Juve.

Ciro Ferrara was choosen as an interim coach that time, winning the rest of the two matches in style (3-0 and 2-0), cementing Juventus position for the second place (which was under serious threat that time due to losing against lesser sides continuously). There was rumor that another ex-Juventus player Antonio Conte will be taking the job as the head coach for a while, but in the end the management decided to stick with him. I don’t have any preference between him and Conte to be honest. Both are untested yet talented young coach. Both of them has donned the Juventus captain armband numerous time in their Juventus career (of course, when Alex is not playing) which shows us how familiar they are with Juventus’ football philosophy, something that is lacking in Ranieri heart.

Come Ciro! Bring back that Juventus spirit to Olimpico!

Ferrara has been impressive ever since, winning the Trofeo Tim, and losing the finals of Peace Cup and Trofeo Berlusconi only on penalties (which is Buffon’s only weakness, albeit a big one). True, we experienced heavy defeat as well in the friendlies, but it he delivers when the match matters so far. Won the first two serie A matches (1-0 againts Chievo, and a marvelous 3-1 againts Roma) and is now joint top of the table with Lazio. It is still too early to judge him, but I’m satisfied. Mainly because he brought back the desire to win everything and never say die attitude back into the team. Now, that is the Juve I loved. I don’t really care whether we win or we lose, I just want to see my beloved Juventus play with their pride to the last minute.

The new players

This season transfers were way beyond my imagination. I expected 2 big signings, and some mediocre ones. Instead we made 5 big signings, sending the untested youngsters on loan, strengthening the defense and putting power to the midfield. I wouldn’t dare to see a Juventus side THIS strong 2 months ago. I will sound very biased, but I will have to say that with the money we spend, we executed the best transfer this summer, even against Real Madrid and Manchester City.

First, we welcome back the Berlin Wall, Fabio Cannavaro. He didn’t have the best experiences in Spain, and he left the boat when we were struck by Calciopoli. Some fans were against this transfer, saying that we don’t need a traitor. I say we do need him. The idea of relying on Leggrotaglie and Chiellini at the back against Eto’o, Milito or Drogba is frightening. Leggrotaglie has been very good, but surely we need better. Chiellini is magnificent, but without him we are vulnerable, Buffon will not suffice. Bringing back Canna will give Chiellini more experience and he can play more freely since Canna will organize the defense. Chiellini will also be able to play in his natural position as left back as well in this case. Canna has proven my point very true so far, changing the jeers of the fans into cheers. And we earn his service in free transfer. =)

I always love this photo =P

Then we have Martin Caceres joining us from Barcelona. He didn’t have much opportunity there, but I remembered seeing him play when he was in Sevilla. He has talent. It was something that we need in to strengthen our defensive line. And on top of that, he can play in all defensive roles. He hasn’t featured so far, so I can’t say anything more, but surely if he is really good, then the defensive worries that we have last term will be just a faint memories. He joined on loan with possibility of making complete transfer next season.

Top or flop?

This was confirmed yesterday morning, just minutes before the end of the transfer window – a surprising move. Fabio Grosso is joining Juventus! =D. It means that finally there will be no more Christian Molinaro. De Ceglie will have less playing time, but he can benefit from him. We are having the backline of the Italy national team now, four out of five of the first choice is here ^^. He is 31 years old, but he is a late bloomer so I think he still have 2 years inside him. I remembered when I saw him playing the first time in 2006 World Cup I said: “Who the hell is he?” He managed to shift Zambrotta to the left, when I expect Panucci to fill the right back. Then his dive that won penalty against Australia came, followed by the volley that beat the Germans into pulp and ended by the penalty that literally won the World Cup for Italy. The question of “Who the hell is he?” became “Where the hell was he all this time??” Joined Juventus for €2 Million plus conditional €1 million. A true bargain.

I hope to see this kind of expressions again in the Champions League Final this season

Next is Felipe Melo. He was not the first choice of reinforcement for the midfield. Ferrara preferred Gaetano d’Agostino who is like Andrea Pirlo. But Udinese set the price for d’Agostino too high, and Secco did the right thing by not meeting the demand. So we hijacked Arsenal attempt and bought Melo from Fiorentina instead for €22 million plus Marchionni (4 million more than d’Agostino, but he worth much more than him. Looks like Ferrara wants to save money originally. Haha.) How’s he you asked? He was a monster. I counted three Melos when he was in the pitch. He’s simply everywhere. The thought of seeing Sissoko and Melo in the midfield was.. Excitingly frightening.

The melancholy of powerhouse Melo

You may notice that I left the first player we buy this season for the last. I believe in the saying of ‘save the best for last’ and he simply is the best buy we had so far. Goal.com praise him as “possesses a rare blend of skill, invention, pace, strength, a low centre of gravity, and deadly finishing. Concerns that he may not be a team player were put to rest as he pressed opponents off the ball, and knew when to dribble and when to pass. The idea that there is no longer a place for trequartistas in modern football also seemed to be dispelled.” Meet Diego Ribas da Cunha. I won’t say anything else than what Goal.com said, he was marvelously devastating in that trequartista role. I believe Ferrara will have hard time deciding on which fantasistas to play, having Alex, Giovinco, Diego and Camoranesi in the roster. In terms of going forward, we are one of the best. To top it all, he was bought for only €24.5 million. Compare it to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (€93 million), Kaka (€67 million), or Tevez (€30 million – could you believe it?). He can be considered a big bargain.

Another contender for Juve's number 10

The old players and those who left

Most of the players are staying, except for a few. Marco Marchionni is leaving as a part of Felipe Melo deal, Cristiano Zannetti left for Fiorentina as well for €1 million (thanks a lot dude). The youngsters are sent away for experience, such as Ariaudo, Iago, Ayub Daud and Albin Ekdal. But most notable loss will be Pavel Nedved. The Czech Fury decided to finally hang his boots, after delaying it for nearly 5 years. He was a legend among Juventus fans, and world football. Who else can fill the gap left behind by a Zinedine Zidane so quickly? Who else have the tireless engine to plow the field up and down, energizing the midfield, creating chance and space, and striking fear to the defender as effectively as he did? Who else shot that magnificent Czech Cannon strike like him (and oh boy what a strike that is)? Thank you for gracing us with your play these 9 years.

Grazie Nedved!

In all, we still have Sissoko, who’s currently injured. We also have the youngsters in Giovinco, De Ceglie and Marchisio. Tiago and Poulsen is finding their form. Molinaro, Salihamidzic and Grygera ready to prove a point. Buffon guarding the goal, the three towering strikers Amauri, Iaquinta and Trezeguet ready to bomb the opposition with each of their own uniqueness, Camoranesi trickery and Del Piero’s class. I believe that this team will finally get something this season. =)

Juventus Summer Signings

ah.... Summer Break for Serie A...

Juve finished at 3rd position.. I won't be satisfied coz if only the managed to show consistency when fighting small clubs then we would have won the scudetto.. but at least we never lose when fighting milan, juve and most importanly inter... winning in their home was a priceless delight for all juventini haha

So.. as summer begins, then the summer signings starts..

First... Albin Ekdal


18 year old Swedish, played with IF Brommapojkarna said to have a big talent but some poeple said that he is a mediocre player.. well.. let's just wait and see lah ah? most likely this attacking midfielder will be loaned out for a while.. hope that he will not end up like Miccoli...Anyway, this is not a new news actually.. he already signed a contract with Juve since last year, but officially his contract starts this May since Juventus want their player to finish their school first.. anyway.. goodluck ekdal...

Now to the second guy... Olof Mellberg



ah... another swede.. fullname Erik Olof Mellberg, played for Aston Villa last season and signed on a free transfer (Bosman ruling) to Juventus. At the age of 30, i don't really think this will be such a great signing like Fabio Cannavaro 4 years ago, but I think it's good enough to fill the gap.. But no hard feelings for him, i prefer Juve buy someone more reliable and well known.. Anyway I think he will be playing alongside Chiellini next season in the centre of the defense, or maybe on the right to ease the burden of Salihamidzic (and let's hope that he's better than Zebina). Well all things said and done, welcome Olof.

Now the on to the most recent signings, the one who took so much time to finish the deal and with all that drama and controversy... Amauri


Full name Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira. Joining from Palermo at the cost of 15M Euro, plus Nocerino and part of Lanzafame (Urgh... that's too expensive... Nocerinooooo....). Scored two goals when Palermo beat Juve 3-2 and he really showed us what kind of striker he is.. the hard way. At 27 years old, I hope that this transfer is really worth every penny (and every player). Let's see how he can get in with Del Piero and Trezegol around.. that's gonna be a fierce competition up front.. not to mention we still got Palladino and Iaquinta.. I wonder how Giovinco will fit in next year tactics... Anyway.. Amauri, you better be giving us lots of goals.. and Champions League if you can. Haha..

That's all for the confirmed signings (for now)

For the gossiped transfer.. there's Xabi Alonso. This one I really hoped that he came to Juve. Even though he's not a creative midfielder, seeing how Ranieri make his tactics, I don't think that we will have any other creative midfielder for the time being.. but he's a smart midfielder, connecting back and front quite well, hard working, nice passing and who can forget how he almost scored a long range screamer againts us when they kick us out from Champions Leage 3 years ago? Thank God there was a superb save from Buffon that time.. For a fee of 15M Euro, i think this guy will be a perfect replacement for the aging Zanetti.. well, Zanetti is not half bad, but he got an offer from Bayern haha..


Another rumored player is Harry Kewell but i don't really agree with the director on this one.. injury prone, 29 years old and not really proves himself to be a champions. We have Palladino, a lot better than him.. so bye Kewell.. I hope.. (anyway i wonder why we are connected with a lot of Liverpool players... haha.. Why there's no rumor with Steven Gerrard? =P yea right..)


Now... a shocking news is that Barcelona want to buy Trezegol, and Juve said that they would be willing to sell him if Barca agreed to pay 25M Euro.. Ooookaayyy.... Zidane sell out all over again? well on this matter I would say I'm neutral.. we have a lot of stiker already and Trez is 30 years old.. I say I'll leave it to Trez to decide, if he wants to leave, I'll say thanks to him for a wonderful 8 years full of goal. But if he stays, I say I'm also happy since 41 goals in Serie A between him and Del Piero is superb.

But if he want to go, for 25M Euro, we can get David Villa which today I read that Valencia is willing to sell him for 17M haha... that's news! =P anyway.. I still think we need a Central Defender.. hmmmm... let's wait and see.. for the meantime, I'll follow the market closely..


Let's not forget that we will have Paolo de Ceglie and seemingly the next Juventus number 10, Sebastian Giovinco coming back from loan.. And hopefully Domenico Criscito also find his form and came back to us eventually... The future of italian football. I'll say Giovinco will make Nedved give room.. I have high hopes for him.. ^^

Forza Juve!


P.S. I will go back to Indonesia on 14th of June.. yay! =)

No Juventus match last Sunday

sad... =____=

as the title imply.. the match between Juventus and Parma that was originally planned to be held last Sunday was cancelled due to an accident that involved a Parma fan, which caused his death. no detailed news has been released, but it seems that it was due to a traffic accident that involves juventini.. dunno anyway but may his soul rest in peace..

next match: Juve - Palermo!

let's see how good Amauri really is.. juve.. you better win this match! ^^

Forza Juve!

Inter - Juventus 1-2

There's nothing that can beat the pleasure of seeing Juventus winning Derby d'Italia -- even more satisfying when it's at Inter's home, and seeing how the game was clearly dominated by Juve ^^

Juventus won the fiery match 2-1, a score that could easily be 4-0 if Alex shot was not deflected twice by Julio Cesar.. But Alex's performance was simply.. magnificent (if you take out his shooting and free kick attempt out of the equation though haha..). He didn't show any sign that he is 33 years old, an age where a striker was deemed very old and shows Inter that he is still the golden boy of Juventus by tearing Marco Materazzi into pieces. If Inter's goal keeper is not Julio Cesar, who knows how many goals Alex will net to Inter's goal? surely 4-1 or 4-0 is not exaggerating, seeing how well he played Sunday morning.

First half ended in 0-0, but all who saw the game will agree that the match was really on fire, but still fair played by both sides. Clear determination to win and rivalry was shown by both teams and the term Derby d'Italia (Derby of Italia) was not an overstatement. Juve missed out a chance in 6' from a Christian Molinaro crossing that met the effort of Alex Del Piero, only to be tipped for a corner by Julio Cesar. Then it was Inter turn who nearly scored a goal, but unfortunately Burdisso header did not strike the ball cleanly and the fumbling ball was kicked over the bar by Dejan Stankovic. Later in the match, Buffon denied Christian Chivu's hard and low freekick with a world class save- worthy of 'the best goalkeeeper on the planet' title given to him. Near the end of the first half, Julio Cesar catches Sissoko (who played brilliantly) long shot.

Again, Julio Cesar was tested in the beginning of the second half by Pavel Nedved half volley that he deflected.The deadlock was broken by an suspiciously offside goal from Camoranesi on 49'. A ball from Cristian Molinaro sees Camoranesi unmarked, arguably in offside position. The Italian-Argentine went one on one with Julio Cesar and comfortably place the ball into his net. 0-1 Juve. Mancini substituted Jimenez for Suazo, but the game was dominated by Juventus. Lead by a wonderful performance from Alessandro Del Piero who repeatedly dribbles past Materazzi. The captain was unfortunate not to create a goal, but later in 60' set up a magnificent cross to Trezeguet who was unamimous until that event, where the ball was headed by Burdisso, but he still can't change the course of the ball. The ball fell to Trezeguet leg and was sent to the net using a powerful left legged half volley, leaving Julio Cesar stunned. He was tightly guarded by Inter the whole hour, but he proved a word i take from goal.com commentary who illustrated David Trezeguet precisely: "Give Trezeguet a chance and he will score. This is exactly what happened tonight. More than lived up to his nickname of 'Trezegol' ". 0-2 Juve

The match was still on Juventus control when again and again, Del Piero tore Materazzi apart and creates numerous chances, and missed two golden opportunity to make it 0-3. Mancini brought in Maniche for Stankovic and Mario Ballotelli for Chivu. Trezeguet subbed by Iaquinta, and Nedved who showed a great spirit, pushing Juventus plays when his nose was bleeding on various times, subbed by Antonio Nocerino. in 85' Maniche scored a goal, coming from a good dribble from Maicon on the right hand side of the goal and the ball was passed to Maniche just for a simple flick on. 1-2 Juventus. The match was elevated on to another level from that moment, where Inter players all moving forward trying to score an equalizer, with the best chance coming from Maniche. The goalscorer hit the post in 91', which creates a huge relief to me. The ref whistled to signal the end of the game, which i'm sure will be one of the greatest game of the season, first defeat for Inter on their home. Memorable Easter for Juventus fans ;)

Forza Juve!