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Tuesday 29 January, 2008
Blog: Saved by the Mell
Juventus have netted Olof Mellberg for next season, but Richard Godden believes that they should have pulled out all the stops to bring the defender to Turin immediately
On Monday afternoon, Juventus finally confirmed that Olof Mellberg would be arriving at the Stadio Olimpico in the summer from Aston Villa. It represents the end of a transfer saga which has been ongoing for months, but one which should have had a different ending. The simple fact of the matter is that the Bianconeri need the Swedish stopper immediately to plug the all too frequent holes which are appearing in their rearguard.
I’ve read and heard plenty of people’s opinions of Mellberg in recent weeks, many of which have been negative and as a regular viewer of Premier League action, I have to say that I find this view point strange to say the least. Given that his preferred position is centre-back, he has performed admirably on the right-hand side of defence all season and will certainly prosper in either position in Turin. His crossing might not be up to much, but his performances in the defensive third of the pitch have been impressive and that is what he should be judged on.
So what will Juventus be getting when the man who resembles a Viking arrives on July 1? For starters, Ollie will give them a fantastic aerial presence in both defensive and offensive situations. And he’s no slouch on the ground either, with his sheer determination often worth an extra half a yard of pace. Which moves me on to his strongest suite – his attitude.
Mellberg is a player who would seemingly die for the cause. What you get from him, and you’ll have to excuse the cliché, is 110 per cent effort at all times. Sometimes his tenacity can go a little over the edge, but he is usually a hard but fair player. And which referee would argue against that, considering that Mellberg’s unshaven appearance makes him a candidate to take over from Gennaro Gattuso as Serie A’s Wolfman?
Any defence containing Giorgio Chiellini and Mellberg is likely to strike fear into opposition players and officials alike but, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the 2008-09 campaign to see how things pan out. Sporting director Alessio Secco is already unpopular enough as it is, but his failure to secure an immediate deal for the Swede has to go under the ever-increasing 'blunders’ column. With Villa sniffing around Alan Hutton and Pascal Chimbonda, surely a cheeky £1m could have sweetened the deal?
People will point to the fact that the Old Lady have added some depth to their backline by bringing in Guglielmo Stendardo from Lazio on loan. However, one of my Juventus supporting colleagues, who will remain unnamed, said of the 26-year-old’s arrival: “Stendardo? We might as well have kept Jean-Alain Boumsong!” With the competition for the Champions League places really starting to hot up, Secco had better hope that David Trezeguet and Co keep banging the goals in…
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