Painful Lessons in Defeat
Seventh place. Fifteen defeats. More goals against than for. A top scorer not even breaking double figures. Not one but two embarrassing exits from Europe. Two coaches sacked. That's about as far from a vintage year it's possible to get. Juventus in 2009/10 were a disgraceful shadow of the greatness with which La Vecchia Signora is synonymous.
Following the logic of the French Emperor, the club must be the most intelligent in Italy as it heads into what will arguably be the most important summer in history. The knowledge gained in a season of adversity like this one must mould the plans for the future, and it already seems to have had some wide-reaching effects. Lets start at the top.
Jean-Claude Blanc has basically run the club since the enforced relegation of 2006. In terms of finance, business, and infrastructure he is a visionary leader, identifying various problems and finding unique and brilliant solutions.
He is usually described as a "French Businessman" and there is the problem. He does not fully understand what Juventus means to those who truly cherish il Bianconeri, nor does he understand football. This led to the appointment of former Press Secretary Alessio Secco as Sporting Director.
Secco had no real insight to the game, the contacts and relationships required by a man in his position, or what it took to build a competitive squad and a cohesive team. Money was wasted, both in terms of inflated fees and indeed signing the wrong players.
Blanc has been moved back into the administrative role in which he thrives, while Secco was effectively made redundant and has resigned. In their places come Andrea Agnelli and Beppe Marotta. Both could not be more different from their predecessors.
The new President is close to royalty in Italy, and has the club in his blood. That understanding, coupled with Marotta's knowledge of the game and the market makes the two a formidable duo. It gives the club the much needed leadership and direction sorely lacking over the past four seasons.
When it comes to coaching, Ciro Ferrara was found to be too inexperienced while Alberto Zaccheroni experimented—both with players and tactics—far too often. The ideal solution then is to bring in a man with fixed ideas and a wealth of experience. It seemed for a while that Rafael Benitez would be that man, but the new regime wisely decided to stick to those schooled in the Italian game.
Not only is Luigi Del Neri all these things, he is also well known to Marotta having worked under him at Sampdoria. While his career has taken in Chievo, Palermo and Atalanta, he has also tasted "big club" atmosphere at Roma and Porto. This experience, allied to a provincial mentality has always been part of Juve's unique make-up.
The new coach, while a devotee of 4-4-2, is not inflexible, and has adapted the system on a regular basis, while ensuring his players have a sound grasp of its basic fundamentals, particularly defensively. Having conceded 56 goals this past season that is another problem area addressed.
When it comes to the playing squad, obvious changes are required in order to suit this new tactical solution. Gigi Buffon seems immediately convinced of the new appointments, moving to quash all talk of a move the same day Del Neri was unveiled.
Superman's performances, despite the defensive frailty, have been as good as ever, and the emergence of Giorgio Chiellini as both a leader and a world class defender has given the new coach the focal points of his rebuilding.
Aside from the development of Martin Caceres as a right back of genuine quality, other positives are difficult to find in defence. Paolo De Ceglie has shown attributes better suited to a more advanced role, while Zdenek Grygera and Nicola Legrottaglie have become backup players, a role that suits both.
Fabio Cannavaro and Fabio Grosso have both disappointed and proven they do not have anything left at this level while Jonathan Zebina spent another season showing that he never did.
Midfield should see the most changes, where Momo Sissoko, Christian Poulsen and Felipe Melo will now fight for one place alongside the outstanding Claudio Marchisio. The wide positions are even more intriguing, especially given the expected departure of Mauro Camoranesi.
De Ceglie and Sebastian Giovinco may be used here, or as bait in securing other solutions such as Juan Manuel Vargas of Fiorentina. Antonio Candreva will hopefully see more playing time as he continues his progress into an International career.
The strikers have, with the exception of Alessandro Del Piero, struggled this term. Amauri continues to look way out of his depth, David Trezeguet seems ready for a move, while Vincenzo Iaquinta battled injury all season.
While the Captain and a fully fit Iaquinta offer options, neither is the kind of player to lead the league in scoring. Giampaolo Pazzini seems a likely target, and would be an ideal acquisition given his age, scoring record in Serie A and his relationship with Del Neri.
Finally we come to Diego. The Brazilian playmaker seems ill-fitting for the new system, and has had a difficult season as he struggled to adapt to Italian football. Del Neri's flexibility may see him just behind a lone-striker in a 4-4-1-1, or in one of the wide positions should he remain in Turin. Not an ideal option but the alternative is to give up on his undoubted talent after less than a year.
So, since the worst season in recent memory didn't kill the Old Lady, perhaps the rest of Serie A should worry just how strong it has made her ahead of 2010/11.
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