Monday 13 February
Juventus begin their week with all attentions focused on Wednesday evening’s game against Parma. Tactics provide the main bulk of the morning session, with Antonio Conte running his men through several different scenarios following a warm-up and some light athletic work.
Over in Viareggio, Marco Baroni continues to put his side through their paces ahead of their last-sixteen encounter with Vicenza. After emerging from the group stages unscathed, the coach is confident the Primavera are ready for the test.
“All games are difficult when you get to the last-sixteen,” states Baroni. “We can’t look at Vicenza; we must only look at ourselves. We need to face our task with humility, attention and respect for the opposition, but above all with great conviction in ourselves.”
Tuesday 14 February
Antonio Conte addresses the media in a pre-match press conference before tomorrow’s clash with Parma. The manager insists that the Bianconeri are in perfect condition and reflects on the giant strides made under his stewardship.
“What’s happening to us this year makes us very happy,” he comments. “It’s been many years since Juve were one of the key teams in the championship. Something great is happening, something that must fill us with satisfaction and pride. We’ve got back to playing a key role and to being competitive in very little time. For us it’s a positive pressure.”
Shortly afterwards, the Primavera book their place in the Viareggio Cup quarter-finals after overcoming Vicenza on penalties. Marco Baroni’s side show character to recover from an initial setback, with Beltrame’s fine strike restoring parity before the interval. And the striker follows up his goalscoring exploits by netting the winning spot kick.
Following the final whistle, Baroni reflects on a tough test passed with flying colours: “Vicenza closed down well and looked to stop us from playing. The lads gave their all today and I can’t criticise them for anything. We’ve hit the woodwork, had our chances and missed out on many occasions.”
Wednesday 15 February
With one more day remaining before their quarter-final clash against Paraguayan side Club Guarani, the Primavera step up their preparations as they bid to continue their progress in the prestigious youth tournament.
The evening sees the first team kept at bay by an inspired goalkeeping performance from Pavarini at the Tardini. The Bianconeri have several chances to break the deadlock but are unable to find a way past Parma’s in-form shot stopper.
Yet the post-match analysis is focused on certain incidents that failed to go in Juve’s favour.
Conte comments: “We dictated the game and it’s a shame not to win an encounter we’ve dominated in such a way. We created many different goalscoring opportunities and we should have put the ball in the back of the net, but I must say that also today there were several incidents to be ‘reviewed’.”
Thursday 16 February
The club announces that official guided tours of Juventus Stadium have doubled since the last count of 10,000 visitors was registered at the end of December. *An average of 200 people a day flock to the state of the art arena to admire the impressive facilities at first hand.
The Primavera ease through to the Viareggio Cup semi-finals courtesy of a 3-1 win over Club Guarani. Gouano, De Silvestro and Bouy hit the target for the young Bianconeri.
The new arrival from Ajax expresses his delight at scoring Juve’s third: “It was a great goal. This stadium is good for me; I made my debut here and scored my first goal. It’s a shame that this isn’t the venue for the semi-final.”
Another youth side, the Giovanissimi Nazionali, continue their phenomenal run by overcoming Novara at Juventus Center. The success sees Claudio Gabetta’s side seal their eleventh consecutive victory following second-half goals from Udoh and Vitale.
Friday 17 February
Antonio Conte uses his press conference ahead of the Catania fixture to appeal for a red-hot atmosphere at Juventus Stadium in order to spur the team on to a priceless three points.
The 42-year-old says: “I’d like to encourage the fans to buy a ticket and come to the stadium. We know how important Juventus Stadium is to us and the supporters are fundamental.”
Games continue to come thick and fast for the Primavera in Viareggio, with Saturday’s semi-final against Parma looming ever closer. The team undergo light preparations in the morning, dividing work between the pool, gym and the grounds of the team hotel.
Saturday 18 February
A late header from Spinazzola is enough to send the Primavera through to the Viareggio Cup final. The winger pounces with five minutes to play to break Parma’s resolve and set up a mouth-watering showdown with Roma on Monday.
The goalscorer conveys his thoughts at the end of the encounter: “I’m very happy. I still hadn’t scored in this particular Viareggio tournament and found the target at the best possible moment. Now we’ll give everything in the last game to bring the trophy home.”
At Juventus Stadium, a sensational performance by Andrea Pirlo galvanises the Bianconeri to all three points over Catania. The midfielder conjures up a response to Barrientos’ fourth-minute opener by slotting the ball home from a free-kick midway through the first-half. Chiellini then puts Juventus in the driving seat with fifteen minutes to play before Quagliarella seals victory in the closing stages.
Conte praises the battling qualities shown by his side: “This is the first time we’ve gone behind at home and we did well to keep our composure and continue to play. Congratulations to the players who gave an excellent response.”
Sunday 19 February
The Giovanissimi chalk up their twelfth consecutive success and gain revenge over Virtus Entella following October’s home reverse. Claudio Gabetta’s side run out 2-1 winners in Liguria through goals from Vitale and Di Giovanni.
Down in Viareggio, the Primavera conduct a familiar post-match routine that has served the team so well up until now. This consists of morning sessions split between the gym and the pool, followed by the afternoon off to recharge the batteries ahead of the side’s seventh game in two weeks.
Source: Juventus.com
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