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Alessandro Matri (44 Viewers)
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It was winter 2011 and Juventus had a problem with its strikers. With David Trezeguet offloaded in the summer, Gigi Delneri had relied on Vincenzo Iaquinta and Amauri to deliver the goals. The Italo-Brazilian had failed yet again, and was sent on loan to Parma. Iaquinta had been in good form in the fall- while he wasn’t scoring like a bomber, his workrate and physicality up top enabled the rest of the team to score prolifically.
With Amauri gone, Juventus had to sign another prima punta to alternate with Iaquinta and replace the Calabrian in case of the inevitable injury. Fabio Quagliarella had unfortunately torn his ACL against Parma, so Beppe Marotta went out and signed not one, but two prime punte. As Juventus was operating a bit cash-strapped, Giampaolo Pazzini was not an option, as Sampdoria demanded cash up front, so Juventus got Luca Toni on a free transfer. Marotta eyed Di Natale, Floro Flores, and Di Vaio in an attempt to sign a true goalscorer, but ended up with a relatively surprising choice- Alessandro Matri of Cagliari.
Past Encounters with Juventus
Juventus had a bit of an interesting history with the Lombard-born striker. Owned by Milan, his first season in Serie B was spent on loan with Rimini, lining up in his Serie B debut against Juventus in the Old Lady’s very first match in the 2nd division. It wasn’t a terribly successful loan spell for Matri, and he was sold by Milan on co-ownership the following summer to Cagliari. He would be fully redeemed the following year.
Matri slowly grew into his role at Cagliari, replacing Roberto Acquafresca as the team’s primary hitman. In his first two full seasons in Serie A, he scored 6 goals a piece. The following season would be his breakthrough- in 2009-2010, he scored 13 goals in the league, notably one against Juventus where he absolutely burned Fabio Cannavaro before coolly slotting by Buffon.
Alessandro Matri started 2010-2011 in excellent form. In late September, Cagliari traveled to Torino to take on Delneri’s Juve. In the match fondly remembered by Juventus fans for Krasic’s hat-trick, Matri scored two true poacher goals, the first splitting the defense, the second, a brilliant run latching onto a through-ball and slotting it in at the near post. He continued his excellent form over the next few months, scoring 11 goals in 22 games for Cagliari.
Matri’s arrival at Juventus: Not a bang, but a whimper…
Having failed to sign another striker, Giuseppe Marotta proposed a loan with a mandatory buy clause to Cagliari President Cellino. This would ensure Cagliari received their due payment, yet structure the deal that didn’t require cash up front. (The loan fee of €2.5 million was paid for by co-ownership of Lorenzo Ariaudo, already at Cagliari)
Matri’s deadline-day arrival in January didn’t cause a whole lot of excitement. Most Juventus fans were hoping for Giampaolo Pazzini, and the jury was still certainly out on Matri, who had only been a “true” goalscorer in Serie A for 18 months. His debut match was just two days later, away against Palermo- the movement was impressive, but didn’t finish particularly well. There were serious doubts whether Alessandro Matri was clinical enough to be “Juve material.”
Over the next few months, however, Matri dispelled those doubts. The week after the Palermo match, he faced his old team Cagliari in Sardegna and scored a brace. Having scored an impressive 11 goals in the fall term of the season, the former Milan man added 9 to his tally at Juventus to finish with 20 league goals by the end of the season, notably goals in big wins against Roma and Inter. While Juventus was contracturally obligated to sign Matri in full in the summer, the club would have done so even without the clause.
Fall 2011-2012: Carrying his momentum into the Conte project
The excitement going into 2011-2012 was palpable- there was a lot of energy regarding a “Matrinic” partnership (Matri-Vucinic) or Quagliamatri, combining the two men who played so well in half-seasons the year before. Unfortunately, neither partnership would really explode- Conte took his time in re-integrating Quagliarella after his ACL tear, and the summer doubts over the understanding between Matri and Vucinic were later realized.
The attack was built around Alessandro Matri in the fall- his only competition at the club was a still-injured Fabio Quagliarella and three frozen out aging strikers- Amauri, Iaquinta, and Luca Toni. With Quagliarella’s playing time limited, the striking burden rested on Matri. Vucinic and Pepe flanked the pacy prima punta, creating a dynamic offense that enabled Pepe, Marchisio, and Vidal to get forward and score.
Matri started out brightly, scoring an (incorrectly) disallowed goal on the first day against Parma. He followed it the next match, bagging the only goal of the game against Siena. He was then benched for a few weeks, with Conte trying to get the best out of Mirko Vucinic in a 4-2-3-1, with Mirko as the lone striker as he occasionally played in his Roma days.
Restored to the starting lineup, Matri’s next few months would be rather impressive. He bagged a brace against Genoa, scored the winning goal against Fiorentina a week later, provided two assists against Inter in the Derby d’Italia, and capped off a stunning month by scoring (and assisting) vs Palermo at home. He provided the assist to Simone Pepe in a narrow 1-0 victory over Lazio, and scored a goal (and assist) against Napoli in the thrilling 3-3 match down south. Matri continued his good form into 2012, scoring the only goal against Lecce in the first match after the winter break.
Winter signings bring Spring struggles
Juventus signed Marco Borriello this past January, and this is when Matri’s form started to dip. Borriello took a few weeks to integrate in the squad, and Matri still delivered, his goal against Lecce and brace vs Udinese earned Juventus 6 hard-earned points in January. But at this point, Marco Borriello had played a few matches under Antonio Conte and was ready to be the vice-Matri, a position that didn’t really exist in the Fall.
Marco Borriello earned his first few starts in February, and displaced Matri as the starting prima punta in the Catania match. For most of his substitute appearances, Marco did not seem to add a significant value to the team, yet Conte persisted. Just a few days later, Borriello would again get the starting nod over Matri in the controversial 1-1 draw vs Milan at the San Siro. Borriello was dreadful in the match (getting punched by Phillippe Mexes was pretty much his only contribution) and was hauled off the pitch for “the other” former Milan striker. Alessandro Matri came on in the 69th minute to save the team and scored two goals- one wrongly cancelled for offside, the second, an excellent finish from a tight angle that denied Milan 2 points over Juventus and crucially, sealed the head-to-head equalizer.
Despite this positive impact, Matri’s playing time was only further restricted. In the following weeks, he’d be subbed off in Juve’s 3 matches, in two occasions, before the 60th minute. Considering Antonio Conte often persists with the same team and makes substitutions late, it was a bit strange to see Matri leave the field so early. In the next four matches, Matri started on the bench- twice, he remained there the entire match, and the other two was given late appearances against Palermo (where he got an assist) and against Lazio.
In the fall, Alessandro Matri had little competition within the team, and he delivered. Come spring, however, with restricted playing time, Marco Borriello’s inexplicable starts, and Mirko Vucinic’s good form, he faded. It is still odd to me that while Conte persisted with Mirko Vucinic match-after-match despite poor form, Alessandro Matri would be the first to be substituted or benched after an indifferent performance. In the following months, the focus of the attack thus switched to Vucinic, and like Matri, with the burden of carrying the attack, Mirko admirably delivered.
Despite fading in the Spring, Alessandro Matri’s numbers are impressive. In 23 league starts [31 appearances total], he delivered 10 goals, as well as 5 assists. He averaged 2.2 shots a game, with 30 out of 68 shots being on target, for an on-target percentage of 44%, and a goal conversion rate of 14.7%. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is more of a creator and distance shooter than Alessandro Matri, but taking out his penalties, converted 18 goals in 131 shots for a goal conversion rate of 13.7% and notched up only 1 more league assists than Matri, despite the Swede starting 9 more matches.
Is the “Matrinic” partnership as doomed as “Bennifer?”
When Alessandro Matri is the focal point of attack, he delivers, as shown by his 20 goals in 2011-2012 and tremendous fall form. Like David Trezeguet, he is rather ineffectual as a substitute though his pace can stretch a tired defense. Under Delneri, Matri largely operated as a fox-in-the-box predator with Del Piero on his side, under Conte, more as a target-man leading the line. He responded well to this transition, but his poor partnership with Mirko Vucinic is a long-term worry.
As mentioned, Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic did not seem to gel in the summer before Conte’s inaugural season at Juventus, nor did they during the season. Most concerning of all is the fact that both have flourished at the expense of the others form, as the focus of attack shifted from Matri to Vucinic.
Conte is clearly a fan of Mirko Vucinic- he defended the Montenegrin from critics all season long, even to go as far as praising him as “the most talented player in the squad.” Mirko was seemingly immune to being dropped for poor form, whereas Conte was swift to bench Matri. It’s surprising considering that as a somewhat of a late-bloomer, Matri’s potential might not be fully unlocked, whereas years of playing at Roma and the Champion’s League mean Vucinic is probably not going to grow much more than the level he’s reached.
As Juventus goes on the hunt for a “top player” in the striker department, perhaps the duo’s incompatibility will force a decision on Alessandro Matri’s future. At this point, it’s far from certain he will be wearing Bianconero come the start of 2012-2013.
http://juventiknows.com/2011-2012-a-failed-season-for-alessandro-matri/
With Amauri gone, Juventus had to sign another prima punta to alternate with Iaquinta and replace the Calabrian in case of the inevitable injury. Fabio Quagliarella had unfortunately torn his ACL against Parma, so Beppe Marotta went out and signed not one, but two prime punte. As Juventus was operating a bit cash-strapped, Giampaolo Pazzini was not an option, as Sampdoria demanded cash up front, so Juventus got Luca Toni on a free transfer. Marotta eyed Di Natale, Floro Flores, and Di Vaio in an attempt to sign a true goalscorer, but ended up with a relatively surprising choice- Alessandro Matri of Cagliari.
Past Encounters with Juventus
Juventus had a bit of an interesting history with the Lombard-born striker. Owned by Milan, his first season in Serie B was spent on loan with Rimini, lining up in his Serie B debut against Juventus in the Old Lady’s very first match in the 2nd division. It wasn’t a terribly successful loan spell for Matri, and he was sold by Milan on co-ownership the following summer to Cagliari. He would be fully redeemed the following year.
Matri slowly grew into his role at Cagliari, replacing Roberto Acquafresca as the team’s primary hitman. In his first two full seasons in Serie A, he scored 6 goals a piece. The following season would be his breakthrough- in 2009-2010, he scored 13 goals in the league, notably one against Juventus where he absolutely burned Fabio Cannavaro before coolly slotting by Buffon.
Alessandro Matri started 2010-2011 in excellent form. In late September, Cagliari traveled to Torino to take on Delneri’s Juve. In the match fondly remembered by Juventus fans for Krasic’s hat-trick, Matri scored two true poacher goals, the first splitting the defense, the second, a brilliant run latching onto a through-ball and slotting it in at the near post. He continued his excellent form over the next few months, scoring 11 goals in 22 games for Cagliari.
Matri’s arrival at Juventus: Not a bang, but a whimper…
Having failed to sign another striker, Giuseppe Marotta proposed a loan with a mandatory buy clause to Cagliari President Cellino. This would ensure Cagliari received their due payment, yet structure the deal that didn’t require cash up front. (The loan fee of €2.5 million was paid for by co-ownership of Lorenzo Ariaudo, already at Cagliari)
Matri’s deadline-day arrival in January didn’t cause a whole lot of excitement. Most Juventus fans were hoping for Giampaolo Pazzini, and the jury was still certainly out on Matri, who had only been a “true” goalscorer in Serie A for 18 months. His debut match was just two days later, away against Palermo- the movement was impressive, but didn’t finish particularly well. There were serious doubts whether Alessandro Matri was clinical enough to be “Juve material.”
Over the next few months, however, Matri dispelled those doubts. The week after the Palermo match, he faced his old team Cagliari in Sardegna and scored a brace. Having scored an impressive 11 goals in the fall term of the season, the former Milan man added 9 to his tally at Juventus to finish with 20 league goals by the end of the season, notably goals in big wins against Roma and Inter. While Juventus was contracturally obligated to sign Matri in full in the summer, the club would have done so even without the clause.
Fall 2011-2012: Carrying his momentum into the Conte project
The excitement going into 2011-2012 was palpable- there was a lot of energy regarding a “Matrinic” partnership (Matri-Vucinic) or Quagliamatri, combining the two men who played so well in half-seasons the year before. Unfortunately, neither partnership would really explode- Conte took his time in re-integrating Quagliarella after his ACL tear, and the summer doubts over the understanding between Matri and Vucinic were later realized.
The attack was built around Alessandro Matri in the fall- his only competition at the club was a still-injured Fabio Quagliarella and three frozen out aging strikers- Amauri, Iaquinta, and Luca Toni. With Quagliarella’s playing time limited, the striking burden rested on Matri. Vucinic and Pepe flanked the pacy prima punta, creating a dynamic offense that enabled Pepe, Marchisio, and Vidal to get forward and score.
Matri started out brightly, scoring an (incorrectly) disallowed goal on the first day against Parma. He followed it the next match, bagging the only goal of the game against Siena. He was then benched for a few weeks, with Conte trying to get the best out of Mirko Vucinic in a 4-2-3-1, with Mirko as the lone striker as he occasionally played in his Roma days.
Restored to the starting lineup, Matri’s next few months would be rather impressive. He bagged a brace against Genoa, scored the winning goal against Fiorentina a week later, provided two assists against Inter in the Derby d’Italia, and capped off a stunning month by scoring (and assisting) vs Palermo at home. He provided the assist to Simone Pepe in a narrow 1-0 victory over Lazio, and scored a goal (and assist) against Napoli in the thrilling 3-3 match down south. Matri continued his good form into 2012, scoring the only goal against Lecce in the first match after the winter break.
Winter signings bring Spring struggles
Juventus signed Marco Borriello this past January, and this is when Matri’s form started to dip. Borriello took a few weeks to integrate in the squad, and Matri still delivered, his goal against Lecce and brace vs Udinese earned Juventus 6 hard-earned points in January. But at this point, Marco Borriello had played a few matches under Antonio Conte and was ready to be the vice-Matri, a position that didn’t really exist in the Fall.
Marco Borriello earned his first few starts in February, and displaced Matri as the starting prima punta in the Catania match. For most of his substitute appearances, Marco did not seem to add a significant value to the team, yet Conte persisted. Just a few days later, Borriello would again get the starting nod over Matri in the controversial 1-1 draw vs Milan at the San Siro. Borriello was dreadful in the match (getting punched by Phillippe Mexes was pretty much his only contribution) and was hauled off the pitch for “the other” former Milan striker. Alessandro Matri came on in the 69th minute to save the team and scored two goals- one wrongly cancelled for offside, the second, an excellent finish from a tight angle that denied Milan 2 points over Juventus and crucially, sealed the head-to-head equalizer.
Despite this positive impact, Matri’s playing time was only further restricted. In the following weeks, he’d be subbed off in Juve’s 3 matches, in two occasions, before the 60th minute. Considering Antonio Conte often persists with the same team and makes substitutions late, it was a bit strange to see Matri leave the field so early. In the next four matches, Matri started on the bench- twice, he remained there the entire match, and the other two was given late appearances against Palermo (where he got an assist) and against Lazio.
In the fall, Alessandro Matri had little competition within the team, and he delivered. Come spring, however, with restricted playing time, Marco Borriello’s inexplicable starts, and Mirko Vucinic’s good form, he faded. It is still odd to me that while Conte persisted with Mirko Vucinic match-after-match despite poor form, Alessandro Matri would be the first to be substituted or benched after an indifferent performance. In the following months, the focus of the attack thus switched to Vucinic, and like Matri, with the burden of carrying the attack, Mirko admirably delivered.
Despite fading in the Spring, Alessandro Matri’s numbers are impressive. In 23 league starts [31 appearances total], he delivered 10 goals, as well as 5 assists. He averaged 2.2 shots a game, with 30 out of 68 shots being on target, for an on-target percentage of 44%, and a goal conversion rate of 14.7%. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is more of a creator and distance shooter than Alessandro Matri, but taking out his penalties, converted 18 goals in 131 shots for a goal conversion rate of 13.7% and notched up only 1 more league assists than Matri, despite the Swede starting 9 more matches.
Is the “Matrinic” partnership as doomed as “Bennifer?”
When Alessandro Matri is the focal point of attack, he delivers, as shown by his 20 goals in 2011-2012 and tremendous fall form. Like David Trezeguet, he is rather ineffectual as a substitute though his pace can stretch a tired defense. Under Delneri, Matri largely operated as a fox-in-the-box predator with Del Piero on his side, under Conte, more as a target-man leading the line. He responded well to this transition, but his poor partnership with Mirko Vucinic is a long-term worry.
As mentioned, Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic did not seem to gel in the summer before Conte’s inaugural season at Juventus, nor did they during the season. Most concerning of all is the fact that both have flourished at the expense of the others form, as the focus of attack shifted from Matri to Vucinic.
Conte is clearly a fan of Mirko Vucinic- he defended the Montenegrin from critics all season long, even to go as far as praising him as “the most talented player in the squad.” Mirko was seemingly immune to being dropped for poor form, whereas Conte was swift to bench Matri. It’s surprising considering that as a somewhat of a late-bloomer, Matri’s potential might not be fully unlocked, whereas years of playing at Roma and the Champion’s League mean Vucinic is probably not going to grow much more than the level he’s reached.
As Juventus goes on the hunt for a “top player” in the striker department, perhaps the duo’s incompatibility will force a decision on Alessandro Matri’s future. At this point, it’s far from certain he will be wearing Bianconero come the start of 2012-2013.
http://juventiknows.com/2011-2012-a-failed-season-for-alessandro-matri/
Matri isn't good enough to work alone up front - he needs someone like Pepe, a hard worker, right behind him.. Matri is not enough fighter to playthis position in these tactics of Conte. Boriello has far more spirit and workrate up front and that appears to be what Conte asks for IF YOU ARE NOT A WORLD CLASS FINISHER, and none of the strikers we've had for god knows how many seasons have been anything near that. Conte needs someone of highest class to compare his tactics with Mourinho etc because they solely rely on the skills of world class players. What is Milan without Zlatan etc etc..
He faded away because Conte inexplicably dropped him for Borriello and barely started him from late Feb til the end of the season. That would affect many strikers confidence. I don't get why people automatically assume I think Matri is a top class striker, which he clearly isn't, but the fact remains he is a very decent striker and has scored and assisted many vital goals for us.
I just hope the club and management realize the error of their ways and do t take up the option to sign the useless Borriello and keep Matri as the main CF back up for the supposed "top striker" we are meant to be signing this summer.
I just hope the club and management realize the error of their ways and do t take up the option to sign the useless Borriello and keep Matri as the main CF back up for the supposed "top striker" we are meant to be signing this summer.