Monday 9 January
The week begins with Fabio Quagliarella undergoing surgery after sustaining a fractured cheekbone in yesterday’s victory over Lecce. The 20-minute operation goes smoothly and the striker is ordered to rest for a week before gradually stepping up his recovery.*
News later filters through confirming Giorgio Chiellini’s suspension for Sunday afternoon’s home clash with Cagliari. The defender is handed a one-match ban after picking up his fourth yellow card of the season at the Via del Mare.*
Tuesday 10 January
New signing Marco Borriello is unveiled to the media at a press conference in Vinovo. The 29-year-old joins on a loan deal until the end of the season, with the Bianconeri maintaining an option to make the switch permanent.
The frontman wastes little time in displaying his delight: “It’s an honour for the club to have given me this opportunity. I’ve got great respect for the fans here, and I’d like to reiterate that I have never turned Juventus down.”*
The afternoon sees Borriello join up with the team for their first training session of 2012 at Juventus Center. Fitness coach Paolo Bertelli puts the squad through their paces in the predominantly athletic-based workout, while President Andrea Agnelli watches the action unfold from the sidelines.*
Wednesday 11 January
Conte elects to divide the Bianconeri into two groups for today’s training session. The midfielders and strikers are first on the training ground, conducting a succession of shooting drills before focusing on forward movement.
The defenders then emerge following a one-hour stint in the gym and work on defensive positioning, before joining up with the rest of their team-mates to wrap up the session with a focus on fitness.
After a long wait due to fixture scheduling, Juventus’ opponents in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals are finally confirmed. Fabio Borini adds to an Erik Lamela double to see off the Viola and book Roma’s place in the next round.
Thursday 12 January
Today’s workout sees the Bianconeri reunited. Preparations get underway with a game of handball, followed by a focus on ball retention and a practice match contested on a full-sized pitch. Simone Pepe and Claudio Marchisio undergo individual athletic programs before joining their team-mates for work on tactics.*
Friday 13 January
Tactics are again at the forefront of Conte’s mind as the Bianconeri boss spends the majority of the penultimate training session working on specific movements to be implemented at the weekend.*
Arturo Vidal takes the opportunity to hail Conte’s impact at Juventus. The Chilean midfielder, speaking on Juventus Channel’s ‘Filo Diretto’, believes that the manager is the perfect man to bring success to Turin. “He’s a very well prepared manager who works on every detail and trains the group like he played - always focused and with great passion.”*
Meanwhile, Gigi Buffon is announced as December’s player of the month. The 33-year-old enjoyed a phenomenal end to 2011, keeping three clean sheets and thwarting Francesco Totti’s spot kick in the capital. Buffon will receive the accolade shortly before Sunday’s home game against Cagliari.*
Andrea Barzagli looks ahead to the clash against the Rossoblu, predicting that Sunday’s visitors could cause the Bianconeri some difficulties. Speaking exclusively to Sky, the centre-back said: “We’re playing at home and we must dictate the game If we manage to keep to a high tempo as we are capable of doing, it could go well. But it won’t be an easy match. We’ll face a great side, with quality players and great energy.”*
Saturday 14 January
The impact of the club’s brand new stadium has played a significant factor in lifting the Bianconeri to the summit of Serie A. And Conte looks to tap into this resource by appealing for the fans’ support ahead of the Cagliari clash. “I want to hear an incredible atmosphere at Juventus Stadium - the players need it. Tomorrow we’ll face a difficult game and I’m absolutely certain that, once again, the supporters will be our twelfth man on the pitch.”*
Juventus Primavera see in 2012 with a home draw against fellow title contenders Fiorentina. Marco Baroni’s side will rue a missed opportunity to have strengthened their grip on first place after squandering a two-goal lead established through strikes from Schiavone and Padovan. The result sees the Bianconeri maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table. **
The Allievi Nazionali secure a spot in the Al Kass International Cup semi-finals. A 3-2 win over Al Jazira lifted Fabrizio Del Rosso’s outfit into second place and enabled them to progress to the next stage of the Dubai-based competition.*
Sunday 15 January
Juventus and Cagliari play out a 1-1 draw in the first game of the year at Juventus Stadium. Conte’s men begin brightly, taking the lead through Mirko Vucinic after just seven minutes. But the Rossoblu fight back and Andrea Cossu’s low second half strike earns them a share of the spoils.*
The result sees the Bianconeri go a total of 18 games undefeated, breaking a 62-year club record in the process.*
The 42-year-old insisted that the win was the only thing missing from his side’s performance: “Unfortunately we conceded right at the start of the second half, and then had chances we could have made more of. I’m only disappointed about the result, I can’t complain about the players’ work rate.”*
While the first team were kept at bay by a stubborn Rossoblu rearguard, the Giovanissimi had no such troubles – running out 6-0 winners against Alessandria.
Source: Juventus.com
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