Do you think Buffon will be any good when he returns? (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Martin
- Start date
He might lose some athleticism but he'll still be unbeatable 1 on 1 and still be as smart as ever. He just does things differently than other goalies.
Other goalies slide at opponents, Gigi stands up, some goalies are too far off their line on long shots, Buffon isn't. Some goalies choose not to grab crosses, Gigi grabs them with 1 hand. He'll still be a top goalie!
Other goalies slide at opponents, Gigi stands up, some goalies are too far off their line on long shots, Buffon isn't. Some goalies choose not to grab crosses, Gigi grabs them with 1 hand. He'll still be a top goalie!
I think he'll come back just as good.
If I recall correctly, he was carrying that back injury around for quite a while and you could see he was struggling at times. Hopefully now that it's been resolved and he's had time to heal, coupled with the team playing well, we'll see him back to his natural best.
If I recall correctly, he was carrying that back injury around for quite a while and you could see he was struggling at times. Hopefully now that it's been resolved and he's had time to heal, coupled with the team playing well, we'll see him back to his natural best.
More Than A Number One: Why Superman Must Stay
Last week Juventus welcomed the return of Gigi Buffon to training after recovering from the back surgery he required following his the injury sustained in South Africa this past summer. Recently he had begun to attend games & his lack of appearances at both the Stadio Olimpico & the training facility at Vinovo were defended by new director Pavel Nedved, who spoke of the difficulty of being forced to sit & watch from the sidelines when all you want to do is play.
In previous years Buffon was rushed back into first team action due to the performances of his understudy’s Alex Manninger & Antonio Chimenti who both cost the club in key games last season. This term however Marco Storari has been in excellent form & a vital ingredient in the resurgence of Juventus under Gigi Delneri. This has led to much speculation on the future of Buffon as he returns to fitness, with links to moves away becoming an almost daily occurance.
It is easy to see why he is coveted by almost every team in world football. Despite seemingly being around forever the Tuscan-born Genoa fan is still only 32 & is even today one of, if not the best goalkeepers on the planet. Nine years removed from his world record transfer from Parma he is outstanding in so many of the necessary attributes required from a player in his role.
His positional sense is flawless, he is a fantastic shot stopper who’s physical presence is seriously intimidating. He commands both his area & the defence ahead of him in a way unrivalled by any of his peers. Buffon’s distribution skills are very good, keeping it simple but effective & he radiates a calm authority throughout any team he plays in, a confidence born of faith in his ability to make crucial game winning stops time after time.
More than all these skills however is an intangible factor only felt by those who have followed Juventus closely throughout the last four years. As everyone knows the club was sent to Serie B almost immediately after Italy’s World Cup triumph in Germany. While Fabio Cannavaro & others fled to keep themselves at the top of the game, leaving never crossed Buffon’s mind;
Of course it is easy for fans of the Bianconeri to wax lyrical on 'San Gigi’, but there are also clear reasons why moves such as the one touted loudest - Manchester United - are almost non-starters from the other side as well. A surgically repaired, injury prone player in his thirties who earns almost €12 million per season before tax is a luxury ill-afforded given the Old Trafford club’s financial state.
While a player of his calibre & undoubted class will always be coveted by other clubs, Juventus would lose something that cannot be replaced by another player, even one in such fine form as Storari clearly is. Following a tradition begun by Gianpiero Combi & maintained through Dino Zoff, Stefano Tacconi & Angelo Peruzzi, Italy’s finest goalkeepers have worn the Juventus number one, Gianluigi Buffon is the living embodiment of that heritage. Long may it continue.
http://iltifosi.tumblr.com/
Last week Juventus welcomed the return of Gigi Buffon to training after recovering from the back surgery he required following his the injury sustained in South Africa this past summer. Recently he had begun to attend games & his lack of appearances at both the Stadio Olimpico & the training facility at Vinovo were defended by new director Pavel Nedved, who spoke of the difficulty of being forced to sit & watch from the sidelines when all you want to do is play.
In previous years Buffon was rushed back into first team action due to the performances of his understudy’s Alex Manninger & Antonio Chimenti who both cost the club in key games last season. This term however Marco Storari has been in excellent form & a vital ingredient in the resurgence of Juventus under Gigi Delneri. This has led to much speculation on the future of Buffon as he returns to fitness, with links to moves away becoming an almost daily occurance.
It is easy to see why he is coveted by almost every team in world football. Despite seemingly being around forever the Tuscan-born Genoa fan is still only 32 & is even today one of, if not the best goalkeepers on the planet. Nine years removed from his world record transfer from Parma he is outstanding in so many of the necessary attributes required from a player in his role.
His positional sense is flawless, he is a fantastic shot stopper who’s physical presence is seriously intimidating. He commands both his area & the defence ahead of him in a way unrivalled by any of his peers. Buffon’s distribution skills are very good, keeping it simple but effective & he radiates a calm authority throughout any team he plays in, a confidence born of faith in his ability to make crucial game winning stops time after time.
More than all these skills however is an intangible factor only felt by those who have followed Juventus closely throughout the last four years. As everyone knows the club was sent to Serie B almost immediately after Italy’s World Cup triumph in Germany. While Fabio Cannavaro & others fled to keep themselves at the top of the game, leaving never crossed Buffon’s mind;
“Going down to B was challenge enough, I felt that I did the correct thing. Probably it wasn’t the normal thing to do but in the end it was a simple choice for me. If Juve had to go down to B then I had to go with them. I didn’t really need to think about it. Juve helped me become a world champion, therefore I owed them a huge debt. The men can go away, the executives can go away, but what is reality at this club are the players, who have been handed down the feeling of winning, of being the absolute best, which is unequalled at any other club.”
Bear in mind that when he made this 'simple choice’ he had just been crowned world champion at the age of 28, arguably the peak of his career & with the option to move to almost any club he chose. What his staying meant to the club & it’s fans is priceless, a factor that cannot easily be forgotten nor dismissed, a loyalty that the promise of a new challenge will not shake. If anything the new project & chance for success should be all the stimulus needed for a player with so much still to offer.
Of course it is easy for fans of the Bianconeri to wax lyrical on 'San Gigi’, but there are also clear reasons why moves such as the one touted loudest - Manchester United - are almost non-starters from the other side as well. A surgically repaired, injury prone player in his thirties who earns almost €12 million per season before tax is a luxury ill-afforded given the Old Trafford club’s financial state.
While a player of his calibre & undoubted class will always be coveted by other clubs, Juventus would lose something that cannot be replaced by another player, even one in such fine form as Storari clearly is. Following a tradition begun by Gianpiero Combi & maintained through Dino Zoff, Stefano Tacconi & Angelo Peruzzi, Italy’s finest goalkeepers have worn the Juventus number one, Gianluigi Buffon is the living embodiment of that heritage. Long may it continue.
http://iltifosi.tumblr.com/
