With Ranieri's appointment made official, it's time for me to ask a question that was going to come up sooner or later.
When I started cheering on Juve in 95, we were doing well. It was Lippi's second season, we had the scudetto and we won the CL. Of course, since then most of our history is centered around Lippi. We did have a crisis in 98-01, the unfortunate Ancelotti period. But even then we twice barely missed out on the title and had an utmost competitive squad. Then Lippi returned, we went back to winning, and of course with Capello as well. All through this time I always knew there would be a time when we wouldn't be a top team anymore. If you look at the historical perspective, this happens to every club.
86-94 was the most recent such period, without a scudetto and with only two Uefa Cups. If you go further back there are more of these lows. It's normal, it's bound to happen at some point. The winning cycle will eventually end, and without a very dynamic and wise rebuilding effort, it's inevitable.
Are we entering our next major dip now? Are we going to see a few years in the wilderness? Our squad full of international champions was broken up last year. Of the ones we still have they're all aging, and Buffon might very well leave us. Almost all our best players are past the peak of their careers. And the ones we've signed to fill the gaps (Marchionni, Zanetti, Balzaretti, Boumsong, Palladino etc) aren't about to launch a major offensive Kaka style. In fact, we should be counting down the months till Nedved and Del Piero run out of gas, still two of our crucial players.
We've talked about a rejuvenation before, and it hasn't come. Entering Capello's cadence it was pushed back for a couple more years of glory, and we had them. But Thuram was aging, and we didn't replace him with an equivalent player. Now he's not even here anymore. We worried about the long term future under Capello and Calciopoli saw to it that we would have bigger problems to worry about. But it's staring us in the face now more than ever. The one player we currently have who is young enough to spearhead a revolution and win with a new set of players is Buffon. (Technically also Trezeguet, but he seems to be so dejected that it doesn't fill me with hope.)
And very plainly, the transfer objectives cited by the new leadership haven't exactly excited us much either, they've been very modest, and at a time when we need transfers very badly.
Obviously, strategy begins at the top. Deschamps was a wildcard, a young coach without a long track record that you might hope would strike luck. And he did coach a complete outsider to a CL final let's not forget. We said he's good with young players, perhaps that can be our way out. But he was dismissed in a pretty surprising move. Meanwhile, our new leadership scrambled for a replacement and just didn't have one. It's been a while since we've had to search this hard to actually find a new coach, at least from what I recall. The management didn't seem to have any post-Deschamps plan, they wanted Lippi but he wasn't willing. And finally, after considering what seemed to be a series of coincidental he's-available-now options, none of which inspired great faith, they settled on Ranieri. Ranieri, who is a seasoned coach without any big trophies to his name. Neither the young-we-hope-he's-good nor the just-look-at-his-merits profile. Ranieri, who seems to be a coach along the lines of our transfer strategy lately, very understated.
Personally I can't recall when the prospects were bleaker. We have an aged squad with several players who want to leave for more competitive teams and a supporting cast mediocre by Serie A standards. And it's only been a year since we had the very best under Capello.
When I started cheering on Juve in 95, we were doing well. It was Lippi's second season, we had the scudetto and we won the CL. Of course, since then most of our history is centered around Lippi. We did have a crisis in 98-01, the unfortunate Ancelotti period. But even then we twice barely missed out on the title and had an utmost competitive squad. Then Lippi returned, we went back to winning, and of course with Capello as well. All through this time I always knew there would be a time when we wouldn't be a top team anymore. If you look at the historical perspective, this happens to every club.
86-94 was the most recent such period, without a scudetto and with only two Uefa Cups. If you go further back there are more of these lows. It's normal, it's bound to happen at some point. The winning cycle will eventually end, and without a very dynamic and wise rebuilding effort, it's inevitable.
Are we entering our next major dip now? Are we going to see a few years in the wilderness? Our squad full of international champions was broken up last year. Of the ones we still have they're all aging, and Buffon might very well leave us. Almost all our best players are past the peak of their careers. And the ones we've signed to fill the gaps (Marchionni, Zanetti, Balzaretti, Boumsong, Palladino etc) aren't about to launch a major offensive Kaka style. In fact, we should be counting down the months till Nedved and Del Piero run out of gas, still two of our crucial players.
We've talked about a rejuvenation before, and it hasn't come. Entering Capello's cadence it was pushed back for a couple more years of glory, and we had them. But Thuram was aging, and we didn't replace him with an equivalent player. Now he's not even here anymore. We worried about the long term future under Capello and Calciopoli saw to it that we would have bigger problems to worry about. But it's staring us in the face now more than ever. The one player we currently have who is young enough to spearhead a revolution and win with a new set of players is Buffon. (Technically also Trezeguet, but he seems to be so dejected that it doesn't fill me with hope.)
And very plainly, the transfer objectives cited by the new leadership haven't exactly excited us much either, they've been very modest, and at a time when we need transfers very badly.
Obviously, strategy begins at the top. Deschamps was a wildcard, a young coach without a long track record that you might hope would strike luck. And he did coach a complete outsider to a CL final let's not forget. We said he's good with young players, perhaps that can be our way out. But he was dismissed in a pretty surprising move. Meanwhile, our new leadership scrambled for a replacement and just didn't have one. It's been a while since we've had to search this hard to actually find a new coach, at least from what I recall. The management didn't seem to have any post-Deschamps plan, they wanted Lippi but he wasn't willing. And finally, after considering what seemed to be a series of coincidental he's-available-now options, none of which inspired great faith, they settled on Ranieri. Ranieri, who is a seasoned coach without any big trophies to his name. Neither the young-we-hope-he's-good nor the just-look-at-his-merits profile. Ranieri, who seems to be a coach along the lines of our transfer strategy lately, very understated.
Personally I can't recall when the prospects were bleaker. We have an aged squad with several players who want to leave for more competitive teams and a supporting cast mediocre by Serie A standards. And it's only been a year since we had the very best under Capello.
Buy on AliExpress.com