(Pictures) Juventus - Lazio 1-1

(Video) Juventus - Lazio 1-1

Del Piero: "It Was A Match Played In Crescendo"

Once again a goal by the captain was not enough to bring home the three points. Del Piero is rather sad as he comments the match against Lazio, alos perhaps due to the fact that Juve dominated for most of the time:

"We are sad because we are spending much energy and not being so concentrated. We scored and then we gave up at the end which I think was conditioned by the very difficult moment we are going through. We must improve this as soon as possible. I don’t think it is fear".

"We played very intensely for 70 minutes, spending much energy but we must realize that the match is not over till the very end. It was a match played in crescendo when compared to the recent ones but we should have brought home the three points".

Asked about the coldness of the supporters, the captain answered: "The last two months were very difficult and I hope we manage tow in back the supporters by showing them that we are giving all we have".

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Chiellini: "We Need A Victory"

Giorgio Chiellini is one who never gives up. This evening he is sorry for a victory which was missed and which would have been well deserved: "We had various opportunities. If there was a team that should have won, it was us".

With mid-week matches over for the time being, threw will be time to recover strength and energy, which is something that the team needs: "With all these injuries – stated the defender – it is not easy to recover. Those of us who played every match must recharge ourselves. We must recover some players and work together with the new coach".

Asked how to emerge from a difficult moment which sees the team having to look behind rather then ahead of them: "With a series of victories – concluded Chiellini – like was the case of Milan, Roma and Napoli. Without victories you don’t get anywhere because only victories bring conviction and the right mentality"

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Bettega: "The Players Seem To Be Improving"

Deputy director general Roberto Bettega commented the match against Lazio with a mix of disappointment and positivity:

"The period is not positive but I think we confirmed tonight that we are not lucky at the moment. Unfortunately we are managing to bring home a victory even when we deserve it. We scored and then they punished us on their first opportunity. The players seem to be improving and players like Cndreva and Melo have shown very good things tonight".

"Unfortunatley notwithstanding all this we only managed to bring home one point. I think that the only thing is that we are continuously having to deal with a number of missing players and so from this point of view luck is not helping us either".

The atmosphere was rather cold at the Olimpico, and not only when it came to climate: "The supporters, I think, are finding it hard to understand how difficult the players are finding the situation. Even today, it is possible that the players were afraid of losing the advantage when we were winning. This means that we need the supporters".

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Zaccheroni: "We Fielded Will. You Will See An Improving Team"

At the end of the match against Lazio which ended in a draw, Alberto Zaccheroni commented about the team’s performance after it’s first match with him as coach. Asked what was the first thing he though about at the end of the match, the coach answered:

"As soon as I entered the dressing rooms I thought of the mistakes we made, what went missing when we had the ball and when we did not". Zaccheroni made a critical and careful analysis stating: «It is true we tried to dominate the match. We created 5 opportunities as opposed to one of theirs but the will to do well did not help us. The team was very angry and wanted to win and did so with too much frenzy".

Underlining that "in the first half hour we did not use the flank much with Del Piero and Diego playing very close to each other, perhaps too close, because the Brazilian should look for space on the wing", Zaccheroni showed optimism for the immediate future:

"Matches are won and lost in midfield and we have excellent players in this area, some of whom are out. However, you will see an improving team. Tonight we fielded will, the rest will follow".

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(Juventus - Lazio1-1) Juve share the spoils with Lazio

On his first match on the Juventus bench Alberto Zaccheroni fields a 4-3-1-2 formation with Diego behind Del Piero and Amauri.

The bianconeri are concentrated as they enter the field and immediately work hard to make the game theirs. On the 2nd minute Kolarov tries to put a ball into the Juve area but Cannavaro clears. Three minutes later, there is a good exchange between Amauri, Del Piero and Diego with the latter who shoots but the ball goes straight at Muslera.

The 6th minute sees a good De Ceglie cross cleared by the defence. One minute later, a Candreva shot goes wide.

It is the 11th minute when a ball into the area by Diego is cleared by the defence and seconds later a ball into the area towards Del Piero is a bit too long for the captain. One minute later, a Del Piero shot grazes the post.

On the 16th minute Sissoko tries an incursion but is blocked by the defence. Five minutes later, a great Diego shot is saved with difficulty by Muslera and cleared into corner by Kolarov.

The 24th minute sees a free-kick for Lazio: the ball is passed to Kolarov who shoots high. Three minutes later, there is a ball into the Lazio enter, two players are grounded but the referee signals to play on.

It is the half-hour of the first half when first a Sissoko shot and then two more by Candreva and Diego are all blocked by the defence. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Lazio: the ball goes extremely high over the bar.

On the 33rd minute, there is a free-kick for Juve: Diego puts the ball into the area but Melo heads wide. Two minutes later it is Lazio who benefit from a free-kick: ball into the area headed away by Melo.

Juve have another free-kick on the 37th minute: Diego's ball sees Chiellini missing a deviation by millimetres. One minute later, Manninger saves into corner from a Mauri shot.

It is the 40th minute when there is another free-kick for Juve following the umpteenth foul on Diego: The Brazilian from 32 metres puts the ball into the area but it is headed away. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Lazio: Dabo's shot goes well wide.

The last bit of action of the first half comes on the 44th minute with a corner for Juve: the ball reaches Candreva who shoots high over the bar. The first half ends in a deadlock.

The second half begins with the bianconeri pressing the biancocelesti into their area for most of the time. On the 4th minute there is a good ball into the area towards Del Piero who is stopped for off-side.

Two minutes later, a powerful shot by Candreva is saved into corner by the keeper. From the flag Diego puts the ball into the area but the ball is cleared by the defence. It is the 9th minute when a Diego shot hits the post.

On the 10th minute, there is a free-kick for Juve: Del Piero from 23 metres hits the wall. Three minutes later, there is a ball into the Lazio area, Del Piero falls to the ground but the referee warns the captain.

One minute later, there is a good ball into the area by Del Piero towards Amauri but Muslera anticipates. On the 14th minute a Diego shot is too soft to worry the keeper and seconds later a Del Piero shot is saved by the keeper.

Juve show good initiative on the attack with insistence. On the 19th minute, there is a good ball into the area by De Ceglie but Sissoko heads wide. Three minutes later, there is a freekick for Lazio: Baronio puts the ball into the area but nit is cleared by Chiellini.

The game changes on the 23rd minute. The referee awards Juve a penalty following a foul on Del Piero in the area. Del Piero takes the penalty and puts the ball into the back of the net for the opener: 1-0.

On the 26th minute, Rocchi enters the area dangerously but is stopped by Chiellini. One minute later, Diego crosses dangerously in the area but the defence manages to clear.

Caceres comes on for Melo on the 31st minute. One minute later, Zarate passes to Mauri who shoots home for the equalizer (1-1). On the 37th minute, there is a ball into the Juve area cleared by Cannavaro. Four minutes later, a pass towards De Ceglie is too long but the bianconero is off-side.

On the 43rd minute, Paolucci comes on for Del Piero. On the 1st of 5 minutes of stoppage time, there is a free-kick for Lazio blocked by the wall. One minute later there is a ball just outside the area by Diego and Cannavaro sees Muslera saving a beautiful conclusion.

The last bit of action of the match comes on the 50th minute when there is a free-kick for Lazio: ball headed away by Sissoko.

The first match of Zaccheroni on the Juve bench ends in a 1-1 draw.

Serie A 2009/10 – 3ª giornata di ritorno
Torino, stadio Olimpico
Domenica 31 gennaio 2010 JUVENTUS-LAZIO

Goals: 25’st Del Piero (rig.), 33’st Mauri

JUVENTUS: Manninger, Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, De Ceglie, Sissoko, Felipe Melo (31’st Caceres), Candreva, Diego, Amauri, Del Piero (44’st Paolucci). All. Zaccheroni. A disposizione: Chimenti, Legrottaglie, Zebina, Giovinco, Marrone, Paolucci.

LAZIO: Muslera, Diakité, Stendardo, Radu, Kolarov, Dabo (26’st Rocchi), Baronio, Firmani (31’st Lichtsteiner), Mauri (36’st Siviglia), Cruz, Zarate. All. Ballardini. A disposizione: Berni, Luciani, Sevieri, Makinwa, Rocchi.

Referee: Saccani

Yellow Cards: 24’pt Baronio, 35’pt Melo, 22’st Diakité, 46’st Grygera

Spectators: 20.899

Takings: 422.625

Juventus.com

Players Called-Up By Zaccheroni

For his first match as Juventus coach, Alberto Zaccheroni called-up 20 players. Del Piero, Giovinco and Caceres are back. Below is the complete list:

2. Caceres
3. Chiellini
4. Felipe Melo
5. Cannavaro
10. Del Piero
11. Amauri
12. Chimenti
13. Manninger
15. Zebina
20. Giovinco
21. Grygera
22. Sissoko
26. Candreva
27. Paolucci
28. Diego
29. De Ceglie
32. Yago
33. Legrottaglie
39. Marrone
36. Giandonato

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Zaccheroni: "We Must Share The Same Idea"

There has been little time for Alberto Zaccheroni to stop and think since he arrived at Juventus yesterday as the new coach: a first training session, a presentation press conference, another training session today and a second press conference afterwards.

During the press conference the journalists touched on various topics. Here are the highlights.

The players available for the match against Lazio.

I have little information too since I arrived yesterday morning and with a lot nto do. Once I finished my commitments I began working on my team. Normally, I announce the list of call-ups after the last training session but I have not been in a position to do so, also because I did not meet the medical staff yet. I will be thinking of this even tomorrow.

Who is in the worst of situations Lazio or Juventus.

I have been concentrating on Juventus even though I watched Lazio too. I will take advantage of the time I have to see what I can do with the players available. I believe that we have the duty to make the game ours.

How difficult is it to join a team in such a moment?

Who likes this profession, and arrives in such a particular situation, not have a pre-season and all the time to get to know the players well. I know the players when it comes to their technical abilities but less when it comes to their characters. They are also under stress and therefore my objective is to put things back in order.

The disposition of the players.

I spoke to the players and nobody resisted to making himself available. My relationship with the players is based on clarity and roles. We must start slowly and demand more as we move ahead. I hope that we do away with the fear that conditioned the last matches. The psychological part of the team is the part I know least and it is the most delicate. I must understand what these players can give me when it comes to concentration for instance. Juventus is not a team that plays to avoid relegation but it plays to win and therefore in these situations concentration is very important.

How to move on.

We must see the average performance of the players and seeing the abilities of these players there performances have been under average. I want to put them in the condition to perform to the best of their abilities. I began by speaking to the captain and I told him what I expect from him and what is of an advantage to us and what is of a disadvantage. I will do the same with each and every player.

Since when did you believe in this chance?

I began to hope when you started mentioning me as a possible candidate to this position just like any coach who does not have a team.

The time to think.

My role is to think of how to put my players in the condition to show their abilities. Perhaps, as strange as it may seem, tomorrow, the day of the match, is when I will manage to find more time to think about it. I have ideas in my mind. It is not enough for me to tell the players about them but I must convince the players that they are valid. All players have their preferences when it comes to coaches and modes of play but the important thing is that we share the same ideas.

The feeling of getting back to coaching.

I made a choice at the start of my career. It was a choice of life and since then, with all the sacrifices made even by my family, I always preferred not to compromise. I never had an agent and always managed myself and doing so I was always free from certain situations like have the same agent as one of your players. With such a way of managing things when you are first on the list everybody seeks you and when you are last you just have to wait and see. However, no president can ever say that he called me and did not reach an agreement with me because I asked for too much.

The right spirit.

I want the spirit of the start of the season.

The feeling with the supporters.

I must win the love of the supporters. I know perfectly well that it is up to me to do so. I have no history with the team. However, I must first win the love of my players and then it is all a chain reaction.

The performances of certain players

I make no distinction between players. Certain players are distinct for what they have done but a coach should not make these distinctions. In the dressing room there are players whose voice is made more heard but others who show themselves better on the field. We will see what are the advantages and disadvantages of their suggestions and then we will decide.

Juventus.com

History Favors Juve Against Lazio

41 victories, 16 draws and 8 defeats. When it comes to championship matches between Juventus and Lazio played in Turin, history sees a great domination by the bianconeri. The 41 victories by the Old Lady are subdivided as follows: 7 times 2-1 and 3-1; 6 times 1-0; 5 times 2-0; 4 times 6-1; 3 times 4-2; 2 times 4-0 and 4-1; and one time each 3-0, 3-2, 5-0, 5-2 and 5-3.

The most recent encounter is that of last season, a 2-0 final result with a goal by Iaquinta in each half. On that occasion Ciro Ferrara fielded the following formation: Buffon, Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Salihamidzic, Camoranesi, Marchisio, Zanetti, Nedved (on his farewell match), Iaquinta, Del Piero.

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Zaccheroni: "I Want To Win This Challenge"

Alberto Zaccheroni encountered his new reality, spoke with the players and directed the first training session in Vinovo. At the end of the session Zaccheroni met the journalists who he will meet again on Saturday at 13:30hrs during the usual press conference on the eve of the match. Here are the highlights of his dialogue with the media.

Regards to Ferrara.

I met Ferrara before the training session, we said hello to each other but did not exchange opinions because I do not want to know what happened before. I just want to make this team turn over a new leaf and look ahead. I am not saying so because I do not appreciate the work done before, because at the start of the championship I liked Juventus very much.

I do not deny the ideas of my predecessor. I will make my deductions and evaluate the squad at my disposal. As I told the lads, even though I do not know them personally, when it comes to football I know them very well.

The challenge

As from today I will start trying to win this challenge, more then sure I will win it. With this squad it can be done and we have enough time ahead. I must no event something but bring back the players to an average level which for many reasons they haven’t been up to now. The mind plays a big role in football and I will work on this aspect.

The first meeting with the team.

I spoke with the players. From them I expect availability. Talent is not enough. I got the answer that I was expecting and therefore we just have to prepare for this challenge. Whoever loves football like I do, would pay to have the opportunity of winning this challenge.

The objective

The minimum is qualifying for the Champions League seeing that we are not in the top 4 positions. Then the rest will depends on how long it takes us and in what conditions we get there. In football, you never know. Due to injuries, my predecessor had difficulties with fielding 11 men on the field, sometimes.

The luck of a coach depends on these things: being at the right place at the right time, having a great club behind him and not having injuries. If one has the possibility of choosing according to the best condition, it is very hard to fail.

The formation

Systems of play can always be applied. They are like an outfit with which to dress the players available. The perfect one does not exist. They all have pros and cons, depending on the characteristics of the players. I would like my team to be able to change skin one week after another.

Even if there will be a dominating system, there will also be a couple of alternatives. Which? I already have an idea, I know the players from a technical and tactical aspect but not from a character point of view and that has quite some weight and therefore I will evaluate this.

Juventus.com

Zaccheroni’s New Technical Staff

In order to help Alberto Zaccheroni there will be 5 professionals: vice-coach Stefano Agresti, goalkeeper coach Alessandro Nista and trainers Eugenio Albarella, Claudio Gaudino and Andrea Scanavino.

If on one hand, for Gaudino and Scanavino it is the continuation of an experience which began at the start of the season, for Nista it is a promotion from the Primavera where he began working in summer. The new faces, apart from the coach, are Agresti and Albarella.

Let us get to know the three new entries better.

Stefano Agresti has been working alongside Alberto Zaccheroni for many years. A Florentine from Barberino di Mugello, he has already had an experience at Juventus. This was in the mid-1970s when he played within the youth sector forming part of the Berretti and Primavera squads.

After the parenthesis in the Juve nursery, he played for Pistoiese, Bari, Ternana and Siracusa, a club with which – due to a serious injury – he ended his career as a footballer at an early stage before undertaking that of coach.

He began his long collaboration with Zaccheroni back in 1985, during the experience with Riccione. In these 25 years he accompanied the coach from Romagna in all his experiences, winning the 1998/99 championship at Milan.

A Tuscan from Livorno, Alessandro Nista can boast of a long career as a professional goalkeeper, During his long career he played for Sorrento, Pisa, Leeds United, Ancona, Parma and Torino as well as forming part of Italy’s Under 21 team.

With Parma he won the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia during the 1998/99 season as well as having been the reserve goalkeeper of Gigi Buffon for a long time. He will now meet him again at Juventus.

Apart from all this, he also won two promotions from the Serie B to Serie A with the jerseys of Pisa (1984/85) and Torino (2000/01). He made 66 appearances in Serie A, 114 in Serie B and 3 in Serie C1, before beginning his career as a goalkeeper coach, a role which he had at Torino, Reggina and Grosseto. In the summer of 2009 he joined Juventus as goalkeeper coach of the Primavera until today when he was promoted to the first team.

A new trainer will be part of the technical staff of Juventus. Together with Alberto Zaccheroni, comes also Eugenio Albarella. He returns to working with the coach from Romagna in a collaboration which began during the period spent with Torino.

After having studied in Naples, Rome and the Master classes in Coverciano, he began working with football clubs in 1991 with Monza. He then worked with important teams such as Napoli, Livorno and Salerno, collaborating – amongst others – with expert coaches like Colomba and De Canio.

Besides working on the field, he also teaches Training Methodology at the l’Università Partenope di Napoli.

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Blanc: "Zaccheroni: A Guarantee Of Experience"

"Allow me to thank Ciro Ferrara, a man who esteem very much both from a professional and human point of view. Football is cruel and sometimes it leads to painful decisions. Ciro is still part of Juventus and we will study with him, serenely, in the coming weeks, how to proceed with our work together".

Juventus President Jean-Claude Blanc, presenting new Juventus coach Alberto Zaccheroni, did not forget to thank the coach that led the team up to this moment. One must look ahead however and thus the choice of Zaccheroni:

"Shared by the sports structure of the club, the board of management and the proprietors – continued Blanc -. It guarantees us experience at maximum levels with Italian teams, which is necessary in this difficult moment".

The decision to lift Ferrara of his role was not dictated by emotion: "We have been thinking of it lately and having been eliminated from the Coppa Italia was determinant. We have been going through sporting difficulties for the last two months and a month ago I asked Roberto Bettega to return to the club to help me come out of this situation. We tried with Ciro and his staff, but after so many matches without a victory, being concrete persons who must take decisions, we took this decision".

Answering those who asked him whether he ever though of resigning, Blanc responded without hesitation:

"I never thought of resigning. The responsibility cannot be of just one man and errors were made by the whole “chain”, which includes me and the players. Football does not permit you to change 25 players but gives you the opportunity to give a charge to the environment by changing the staff".

"We tried to put the players before their responsibility this week and it is what we have done even with this decision. We expect a professional behaviour on and off the field. We must turn round this situation. We have the technical quality and half a season to do so".

With regards to the contract signed by Zacceroni, which binds him to Juventus until the end of the season, deputy director general Roberto Bettega explained:

"We have reached an agreement for this period of time but have substantially agreed on an option for Juventus for the next season".

Juventus.com

Zaccheroni Is The New Coach Of Juventus

As from today, Juventus has a new coach: Alberto Zaccheroni. By means of a press release, the club has announced having lifted Ciro Ferrara from his role and nominated the coach from Romagna who signed a contract up to June 2010.

Zaccheroni will take control of the team immediately and will direct the first training session in Vinovo at 15:00hrs after which at 17:00hrs he will be presented to the press officially.

Zac,a s he is more commonly known, was born in Meldola, a province of Cesena-Forli, on the 1st April 1953 and lived his first coaching experiences on the benches of Romagna, such as that of Cesenatico and Riccione. After the seasons spent at Boca San Lazzaro, in Baracca Lugo, at Venezia and Bologna he signed for Cosenza in 1994, where he had a great season managing to save the rossoblu from relegation notwithstanding a 9 point penalization and going close to promotion.

He was thus signed by Udinese and in Friuli confirmed his abilities, imposing himself thanks to a 3-4-3 formation which exalted the characteristics of the attacking trio formed by Poggi, Bierhoff and Amoroso. He stayed in Udine for 3 seasons, during which he obtained an impressive third place before moving to Milan, with the rossoneri, where in 1998/99 he won the Scudetto after a fiery comeback over Lazio.

He coached the biancocelesti during the 2001/02 season, winning access to the UEFA Cup and contributing to the scudetto won by Juventus thanks to the 4-2 victory against Inter in the match played on the 5th of May.

In 2003 he returned to Milan, this time for Inter, and qualified for the Champions League. His last experience was as Torino coach, where he stayed from the summer of 2006 up to January 2007. Now her returns to the Piedmont capital, this time as Juventus coach.

Juventus.com

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(Video) Coppa Italia Inter - Juventus 2-1

Blanc: "We Will Soon Decide"

A few words and an appointment for tomorrow morning: Jean-Claude Blanc spoke of the team’s situation after the defeat against Inter and the elimination from the Coppa Italia in this manner:

"Unfortunately we missed out on another of the season’s objectives. The situation is difficult and for this reason we are sad, but we have been conscious of this for a number of weeks. Tomorrow we will make known our decisions".

Juventus.com

Buffon: "We Must Field This Anger In Order To Recover"

Once again, it was not a lucky birthday for Gigi Buffon. A year ago came the championship defeat in Udine and this time the one against Inter which brought a stop to the Coppa Italia.

At the end of the match, the goalkeeper spoke with a look to the future, which for him will not start from Sunday’s match against Lazio due to a suspension following the red card shown on Saturday:

"Tonight we played at par and would have deserved to win, but even Inter did not steal anything. Unfortunately at the moment we aren’t being lucky and if the balance tends to take sides, it never takes our side. We are professionals and will continue to be committed. If we are capable of fielding our anger we can recover".

Juventus.com

Ferrara: "The Match Changed Between The First And Second Half"

Ferrara is visibly disheartened after the elimination from the Coppa Italia, however he has no words of blame for the team but rather feels sorry for the way a number of episodes led to another defeat.

"In the second half Inter pushed harder but we defended well. The match changed between the first and second half. We played well and showed determination but we lost again. A number of episodes which did not convince me conditioned the match. Perhaps, we must learn to protest a bit more because being good boys does not always pay off".

"The boys played well and did not deserve to lose. I asked the boys to field a never say die attitude and even though we are sad because we were eliminated from another competition I have nothing to blame the team for".

Tomorrow will surely be another day of speculation with regards to the coaching post: "Whoever does this job can make mistakes and we are subject to criticism. Tomorrow I will be regularly in Vinovo unless there are any indications tonight".

Juventus.com

(Coppa Italia Inter - Juventus 2-1) Diego Goal Not Enough For Juve

Ciro Ferrara fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation with Diego behind the only striker Amauri and Candreva in midfield from the first minute.

The bianconeri are conscious of the importance of the match and notwithstanding the ban on Juve supporters seem well concentrated and determined. On the first minute, a long ball towards Amauri is too long and Toldo manages to handle the ball. One minute later, an Amauri shot goes wide.

On the 6th minute Grosso stops Balotelli with style. Four minutes later it is time for the bianconeri to smile: Diego fires a shot from a great distance and the ball passes from under Toldo straight into the net for the opener (0-1).

It is the 11th minute when Buffon makes a great save on a Balotelli shot putting the ball into corner. Two minutes later, there is a ball into the Juve area but Chiellini heads away.

On the 14th minute, Sissoko heads away as Inter hang a ball into the Juve area. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Juve: Diego shoots straight at goal and Toldo saves with some difficulty.

The 18th minute sees Grosso putting a dangerous ball into the Inter area but the defence manages to save with some difficulty. Two minutes later, Maicon puts an inviting ball high over the bar.

It is the 24th minute when a Balotelli shot is saved easily by Buffon. Five minutes later there is a free-kick for Juve from a very good position just outside the area: Diego's ball is too soft to worry Toldo.

On the 31st minute, a Motta shot goes well high over the bar and one minute later there is a free-kick for Inter: ball into the area but Amauri heads away. From the rebound, the ball is shot wide.

It is the 33rd minute when there is a free-kick for Juve: ball into the area by Grosso but Chiellini hits the ball with his hand and action is stopped. Two minutes later there is a free-kick for Inter following an inexistent foul: Buffon is well positioned and saves easily.

A great Grosso shot on the 37th minute is saved into corner by Toldo: Ball into the area but it is headed away by the defence. Three minutes later, there is a corner for Inter: ball into the Juve area cleared by Amauri.

On the 43rd minute, a Maicon shot goes well over the bar. One minute later there is a corner for Inter: ball into the area headed by Maicon goes wide. The first half ends with Juve in advantage by 0-1.

The second half sees Inter begin on the attack. On the 2nd minute, Buffon is well positioned and saves easily on a Sneijder shot. One minute later, there is dangoerous ball into the Juve area but there is nobody to push it in.

On the 4th minute, Inter are pushing hard and it is Cannavaro who frees the area. One minute later, Diego puts a good ball into the area, Amauri does not manage to head, the ball reaches De Ceglie who shoots but the ball goes wide. On the counter-attack a Balotelli shot goes wide. On the 6th minute, a long-distance shot by Diego grazes the post.

It is the 8th minute when Chiellini puts the ball into corner: Sissoko heads the Sneijder ball away. One minute later, there is a corner for Juve: Diego puts a short ball towards De Ceglie who returns it to Diego who crosses into the area, Chiellini heads incredibly and the ball hits the post.

The 10th minute, a Pandev header from a corner goes wide. One minute later, a Sneijder header goes wide. The 22nd minute sees a corner for Inter following a deviation on a Pandev shot: ball brought out by Candreva.

On the 23rd minute there is a corner for Inter following a deviation on a Pandev shot: ball brought out by Candreva. Diego tries an overhead hit on the 25th minute but the conclusion is not powerful enough.

It is the 26th minute when there is a free-kick for Inter: Sneijder's ball is deviated by Lucio into the net for the equalizer: 1-1.

On the half-hour mark, a Grosso cross is put into corner: Diego puts the ball into the area but the defence clears. Three minutes later, a Santon shot goes wide. Seconds later, Buffon leaves the area to clear a rather dangerous ball.

The 34th minute sees a corner for Juve: ball into the area but Toldo saves. Two minutes later, Buffon saves a Sneijder shot easily. On the 37th minute, Diego is contrasted as he enters the area but the referee signals to play on. One minute later, there is free-kick for Inter: Buffon saves an incredible shot.

Luck turns it’s back on Juventus for the umpteenth time this season and on the 44th minute Buffon saves a first time but Balotelli collects the ball and shoots into the back of the net for the 2-1.

The match ends after 3 minutes of stoppage time and the result is a sour one: Inter beat Juventus 2-1 and the bianconeri are eliminated from the Coppa Italia.

Coppa Italia TIM Cup 2009/10 – quarter-finals
Milan, San Siro Stadium
Thursday 28th January, 2010

INTER-JUVENTUS: 2-1

Goals: Diego (10th), Lucio (71st), Balotelli (89th).

INTER: Toldo; Maicon, Materazzi, Lucio, Santon; Muntari, Cambiasso (Milito 60th), Thiago Motta; Sneijder(Cordoba 93rd); Balotelli, Pandev (Muntari 80th). Reserves: Julio Cesar, Cordoba, Samuel, Zanetti, Quaresma, Arnautovic, Eto’o. Coach: Mourinho.

JUVENTUS: Buffon; Grygera, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso; Candreva, Felipe Melo, Sissoko, De Ceglie (Paolucci 91st); Diego; Amauri. Reserves: Manninger, Zebina, Legrottaglie, Marrone, Boniperti, Yago, Paolucci. Coach: Ferrara.

REFEREE: Damato from Barletta.

Yellow Cards: Maicon (41st), Chiellini (49th), Melo (70th), Cannavaro (75th)

Juventus.com

All About Inter-Juventus

Here is all the necessary information to follow tonight’s match, valid for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, in the best of manners.

INTER IN HOME MATCHES

Up to now, Inter’s home matches in the championship were of a very high level. Out of the 11 matches played they won 9, drew 2 and suffered no defeats, scoring 24 goals and conceding 11. Out of the 49 points collected up to now, 29 were won at the San Siro.

The only two partial shortcomings occurred on the first match day against Bari (1-1) and against Roma on the 12th (same result). The one against the giallorossi was the only match in which the nerazzurri had less goal opportunities then their opponents, while far from brilliant was the victory against Lazio, which materialised thanks to the only dangerous opportunity by Eto’o.

THE MOST FAITHFUL AND THE TOP-SCORERS

In the championship, Inter has two players who took part in all 21 matches played up to now and did not miss a single minute. The most faithful are Julio Cesar and Javier Zanetti. Lucio played 12 matches followed by Milito at 19.

The ex-Genoa striker leads the top-scorer list with 13 goals. He is followed by Eto’o with 8, Balotelli with 5, Sneijder with 4, Maicon and Stankovic with 3, Cambiasso and Pandev with 2, Lucio, Samuel, Thiago Motta and Muntari with 1.

INTER IN THE COPPA ITALIA

Inter qualified for the Coppa Italia quarter-finals beating Livorno by 1-0 thanks to Sneijder. In that match, played on the 16th December 2009, José Mourinho opted for a notable turn-over fielding the following formation: Toldo, Donati, Lucio, Chivu, Muntari, Stankovic, Vieira, Thiago Motta, Sneijder, Balotelli, Suazo.

HISTORICAL PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

The balance of Cippa Italia matches in Milan between Inter and Juventus sees the bianconeri leading by 6-4, with 5 draws. In Milan, the first match was played in the distant 19th January 1936 and saw Juventus win 1-0 thanks to a goal by Diena. Five years later, in 1941, the Old Lady did even better winning by 2-0 with goals scored by Borel II and Gabetto.

In 1959/60, the bianconeri beat the nerazzurri with a resounding 4-1. At the San Siro, Charles and Cervato scored the Juve goals, with the only Inter goal being scored by Bicicli. Sivori and once again Cervato, this time from the penalty spot, gave the victory a larger proportion.

Inter interrupted the negative series in 1972. Juve, fresh from the championship title (number 14) lost 3-1 even though they scored the opener thanks to Anastasi. Two goals by Boninsegna and a goal by Mazzola handed the home team the victory. The following year the two teams met again and the first draw was the result. Causio scored the opener and Boninsegna )a future Juventus player) scored the equaliser in the middle of the second half.

In 1975 Juve obtained a memorable 6-2 victory. At the San Siro, after just 2 minutes, Anastasi scored but the usual Boninsegna made it 1-1. Before the end of the first half, Viola scored the 2-1 for the bianconeri. In the second half the bainconeri scored 4 in 17 minutes: Anastasi, Scirea, Viola and Cuccureddu were the four aces. It was once again Boninsegna to enter the score sheet for the last goal from a penalty.

Two months later, in the following edition of the Coppa Italia, Libera scored the winning goal for the nerazzurri just after the half-hour. In 1979 it was once again 1-0 due to an own-goal by Furino.

In 1979/80 Juve beat the milanesi by 2-1. The golden boy for the evening was Cesare Prandelli who scored twice. The 0-0 tie in 1983 was important since it allowed access to the final which was then one by Verona.

The match in 1992 ended after extra-time. Juve won 2-1 with Roberto Baggio as protagonist after scoring both goals and thus helping the team go through to the semi-final. The last 3 matches were 3 exciting draws. In 1996/97 the match ended in a 1-1 score with goals by Amoruso and Ganz.

In 2004 the final result was 2-2: Adriano scored the opener, Tudor and Del Piero turned the result round and Adani equalised during stoppage time. The match ended after penalties and the bianconeri had the better thanks to the mistake by Christian Vieri.

Finally, on the 23rd January 2008 the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw. The final result was the outcome of a comeback thanks to Del Piero and Boumsong after the initial double disadvantage scored by Julio Cruz.

Juventus.com

28-1-10 Juventus News

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20 Bianconeri Called-Up For Match Against Inter

For the Coppa Italia match against Inter on Thursday night, Ciro Ferrara called-up 20 players, including 3 Primavera youths: Marrone, Giandonato e Filippo Boniperti.

Del Piero and Salihamidzic will be absent. The captain will be absent due to the viral gastroenteritis which truck him in the past few days. The Bosnian will miss the match due to a muscular injury suffered yesterday for which reason he underwent further tests which showed an elongation of the left medial muscle. The prognosis is that of about 20 days.

Below is the complete list of players called-up:

1 Buffon
3 Chiellini
4 Felipe Melo
5 Cannavaro
6 Grosso
11 Amauri
12 Chimenti
13 Manninger
15 Zebina
21 Grygera
22 Sissoko
26 Candreva
27 Paolucci
28 Diego
29 De Ceglie
32 Yago
33 Legrottaglie
36 Giandonato
39 Marrone
43 Boniperti

Juventus.com

Ferrara: "In Milan With The Same Spirit"

On the eve of the Coppa Italia match against Inter, Ciro Ferrara held his usual press conference, answering the questions made by the journalists with regards to the team’ current moment but above all about his personal situation.

I always face the music. There is no need of courage to be here today and on the bench tomorrow. I am aware of the situation but also of my role that keeps me from hiding. I have nothing to be ashamed of and must accept criticism and controversy. I always face the music in good or bad moments.

I never thought of resigning. I did not receive any communication with regards to my sacking from the club. I come to the field every day with the same spirit and professionalism, with respect towards the club to which I gave a lot but from which I also received a lot, last but not least the opportunity to coach. It never crossed my mind to resign, and this out of respect for the club. I always made my choices in good conscience and will go ahead even though I know that the results are not proving me right.

I do not feel isolated. If I felt that the team, the club and the atmosphere is against me I would have thought of resigning but it is not like this. I still have the objective of changing the route and improving the current situation.

I owe Juventus very much. Do not try to make me say anything against Juventus. I would not say anything against even if the club had already taken the decision to sack me. This does not interest me. I have been here since 1994 and before being a coach I was a director and a player. In 1994 I had various opportunities and I was ever convinced I made the right choice. Now if we are in a difficult situation I must accept this but I will not speak against the club.

I work with professionals. I am convinced I have professionals working with me. The lads know they have a coach who will not give up right to the very end and I am sure they will do the same.

Thanks Mourinho. I got to know of Mourinho’s words of esteem in my regard. I was pleased and I thank him.

I do not feel sacked. I do not feel sacked and I do not even feel I have been taken advantage of for the work undertaken in the last few days because the club pays me for my work. I know the people I have in front of me and I know what kind of club I have behind me.

The current situation. The reasons for the current situation? The reasons may be many and I could even find alibis but I do not want to use them. This experience will be useful for me in the future. These six months at Juventus are as worth as ten years somewhere else.

Not only Juve have injuries. We suffered many injuries last year and as many this year, but from what I gather we are not the only ones to have this problem. Besides, one must distinguish between muscular injuries and those suffered during matches.

Inter-Juventus. These sort of matches prepare themselves and you do not need to tell the boys anything. For us the Coppa Italia is an important objective. We faced colourful fixtures against Napoli and Inter. We will go to San Siro to try and play at the best of our qualities and with our current strength to try and make the match ours and win. Inter remains the team to beat and we will try to do so.

The cure. At this moment there is need of everything from psychological condition to tactical intelligence, courage and good play. Inter always risks and concedes something and we must try.

An important result for the team. The result is only important because if we win we will proceed in the Coppa Italia and nor for my situation. Should I expect an embrace from the team? Let us start by scoring and winning. These things are of secondary importance.

I did not lose my self-esteem. There were difficult days for me and it is useless denying this. I tried to evaluate everything while trying to be as serene as possible. At the end I thought that not even a negative moment could make me lose my smile and self-esteem.

The supporters are still close to us. A supporter loves his team and the negative moments effect everyone but I continue to feel their closeness, just like in 1998 when I found it hard to recover from my injury.

A Boniperti called-up. Filippo is used to having such an important surname. Now and again he joined us during training but this is the first call-up for him. He will be a bit excited.

Juventus.com

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Buffon And Grosso Suspended Against Lazio

In the next championship match against Lazio, on schedule for Sunday at 20:45hrs at the Turin Olimpico, Juventus will have to do without Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Grosso. The goalkeeper was suspended for one match following the red card received after the foul on John Arne Riise in the second half of the match against Roma.

Grosso has also been suspended for one match after he exceeded the yellow card limit against the giallorossi. Felipe Melo will be returning after having seen out his suspension due to the yellow card shown against Cheivo.

Lazio have no suspended players.

Sissoko And Candreva With The Group

Today, Juventus had an afternoon training session as part of the preparation for Saturday night’s match against Roma. Two were the novelties in the group: the return of Momo Sissoko from the African Nations Cup and the arrival of Antonio Candreva, both immediately at work with their mates. The ingredients of the session were athletic and tehnical exercises, after which the team began a retreat.

On Friday, the eve of the match against the giallorossi, the bianconeri will train again in the afternoon after which session Ciro Ferrara will give the usual press conference. The appointment with journalists is scheduled for 17:00hrs.

Juventus.com

Candreva: "I Want To Deserve This Jersey"

"It is really exciting to be at Juventus. Yesterday I arrived in Turin and I signed the contract. This morning I visited the headquarters and now I can't wait t begin this new adventure".

This is the way in which Antonio Candreva introduced himself to the Juventus supporters through Juventus Channel.

The midfielder, before taking part in the first training session with his new team mates, was interviewed by Valeria Ciardiello and Paolo Rossi and spoke of his first sensations as a Juventus player:

"All my family is excited. I met Ferrara who wished me good luck and now it is my turn to show I deserve this jersey by confirming the good I did so far in the months to come".

For Candreva it is a case of destiny: he made his debut in the Serie B at just 16 years of age with Ternana and since then he never looked back:

"I started early. When I played my first match in the Serie B I was still part of the Allievi Nazionali squad… I nearly always played as trequartista but sometimes I was also fielded in front of the defence. Mine is a simple way of playing and thus it leads me to handle quite a number of balls. I don’t score much but I am an altruist and I like putting my mates in the right condition to score".

This season, Candreva has already shown his qualities to the Olimpico public, on the 19th September when he played for Livorno in Turin. The final result was 2-0 for the bianconeri:

"In that match I also tried to score – he recalls – but we had an excellent Buffon in front of us". Buffon will be sharing the same dressing room now and may even be with him in Italy’s South African expedition:

"Playing in the national team is always nice but I am not thinking of the World Cup at the moment. It is however important for me to be with many team mates here who are part of the azzurri squad".

Juventus.com

21-1-10 Juventus News

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Juventus Best Italian Club Of The Last 20 Years According To IFFHS

After the award to Gigi Buffon as the best goalkeeper of the last 20 years, the IFFHS has once again given the bianconeri something to smile about.

According to the Institure for Football History and Statistics, taking account of the last 20 years, Juventus is in third place from amongst all the teams in the world and first of the Italian teams.

Heading the table is Barcelona followed by Manchester United. Joint third with the bianconeri are Real Madrid followed by Milan and Inter. The other teams in the top ten are Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Riverplate and Chelsea.

Juventus.com

1. Barcellona (Esp) 807 punti;
2. Manchester United (Eng) 726;
3. Real Madrid (Esp) 633;
3. Juventus (Ita) 633;
5. Milan (Ita) 620;
6. Inter (Ita) 605;
7. Bayern Monaco (Ger) 599;
8. Arsenal (Eng) 594;
9. River Plate (Arg) 503;
10.Chelsea (Eng) 491;
11. Liverpool (Eng) 455;
12. Porto (Por) 447;
13. Roma (Ita) 445;
14. Ajax (Ned) 421;
15. Boca Juniors (Arg) 420;

Doctors Goitre And Stefanini Suspended. Juventus Files TAS Appeal

Juventus club doctors, Bartolomeo Goitre and Luca Stefanini have been suspended for two months by the National Anti-doping Tribunal following the “Cannavaro case”.

Juventus took note of the sentence but remains firm in its conviction that doctors Goitre and Stefanini offered maximum collaboration to the competent sport institutions. The club, will hence be filing an appeal at the TAS.

During this period the post will be filled by Youth Sector doctor MarcelloValenti.

Juventus.com

Candreva Joins Juventus

Juventus and Udinese have reached an agreement for the loan of Antonio Candreva until the end of the season with an option to but half the contract. The contract will be deposited with Lega on Thursday morning.

The midfielder will join the team as from the next training session, on schedule for Thursday afternoon at 15:00hrs.

Antonio Candreva was born on the 23rd February 1987. He began his career as a professional footballer in 2004 in the Serie B with Ternana. After 3 seasons with the rossoverdi he signed for Udinese in 2007. On the 27 January 2008, at 20 years of age, he made his debut in the Serie A during Udinese-Inter (0-0). During the 2008/09 season he was loaned to Livorno in the Serie B, were he was fielded in the starting line-up and contributed to the promotion to the Serie A of the amaranto. The loan was confirmed even for the following season.

Candreva also formed part of the many national team categories starting from the Under 18 team up to the Olympic team with which he made his debut in May 2008 during the Tolone Tournament . He was called-up by Casiraghi to take part in the Beijing Olympics where he made his debut in the second group match coming on for injured Tommaso Rocchi.

In 2009 he was part of the list of the 23 players called-up for the Under21 European Cup in Sweden and on the 14th of November of the same year, at 22 years of age, made his debut in the senior national team with Italy coach Lippi, playing in the starting line-up during the friendly match between Italy and Holland (0-0) played in Pescara.

Juventus.com

Cannavaro And Grygera At Work

It was an intensive day for the bianconeri who were involved in two training sessions. The first, in the morning saw the team work in the gym and a visit by Italy national coach Marcello Lippi. Present in Vinovo were also Roberto Bettega and Alessio Secco. In the afternoon, the session took place on the field where after a warm-up the team took part in a mini-match.

Fabio Cannavaro and Zdenek Grygera took part in both sessions. The afternoon session was held on the field but avoiding contrasts and wearing protective masks (the ones the Juventus supporters are used to seeing Chiellini wear) which they will also use tomorrow when they join the rest of the group.

Sebastian Giovinco’s return is close following the muscular problems he was suffering of. The player returned to training on the field in the afternoon session, taking part in athletic work.

Camoranesi has definitely recovered from the injury suffered on the 13th of December during the match against Bari: the midfielder, who also reassured the Italy national coach Marcello Lippi with regards to his conditions. He is now getting back to athletic training in view of his return which is foreseeable within two weeks.

Finally, Vincenzo Iaquinta is having a separate athletic preparation in order to re-tone his left thigh muscle and definitely overcome the results of the operation to his knee.

Juventus.com

Lippi: "There Is Quality At Juve"

Marcello Lippi continued his tour of the top Italian teams (yesterday he visited Milanello) stopping in Turin. The national coach spent the morning with players and technical staff and before leaving spoke exclusively on Juventus Channel:

"I will continue on my visits to the teams. Since the last match 2 or 3 months have passed and I wanted to see how the injured players were doing because it is obviously a worry when it comes to the national team. I will watch all the matches until the end of the season and then choose the best".

"Juventus is the club with the most Italian players in the squad and therefore potentially it is the highest provider of players" continued Lippi, who then went on to answer the journalist who noted Amauri’s hope of a call-up: "Everybody hopes, but before hoping Amauri must become Italian. I am speaking only of Italian players".

The coach is therefore looking closely at the championship which at this point in time should already be leaving clear signs: "There’s the derby of Milan which will give a few indications and the other teams like Juventus who must return to a level of performance which is apt for their level. At Juventus there is quality both when it comes to the staff and the players".

Juventus.com

Primavera: Three Goals Worth The Top Spot

Mission accomplished for the Primavera who won the postponed match and regained sol leadership of the table. They beat Parma 3-1 at the Chisola thanks to goals by Alcibiade, Yago and Immobile.

Four days after the victory against Genoa, Bruni’s team scored another 3 goals. The victory was not only important for the table but also for the rest of the season. The Tuscan coach had back Immobile, who was available for an afternoon following the long parenthesis with the senior squad and also Yago who returned from the loan to Bari. The presence of these two players was felt and not only because of the goals scored which in the second half decided a match dominated by the bianconeri notwithstanding the initial goal against.

With today’s victory the bianconeri move 3 points clear of Sampdoria while awaiting the difficult away match on Saturday against Siena.

Juventus.com