These past two weeks have been a mixture of joy and disappointment for the Bianconeri fans who saw their side win promotion back to the Italian topflight, but lost the coach who led them to this achievement.
With Juventus (and probably even Genoa and Napoli) back in Serie A, Italian football will regain some of the allure it lost in the past season following the Calciopoli scandal.
However, how will this return back to the topflight be for the Old Lady? A bumpy one or a path paved towards glory? Probably, the answer lies somewhere in between!
Even with the current squad, the Bianconeri can easily finish among the top eight, when you take into consideration the fact that half of the teams in Serie B are probably at the same level of half of the teams in Serie A.
So, if Juventus managed to top Serie B, and without ever being really tested, there's no reason to stop them from at least making it into the top eight.
Now, to break into the top four, the Juventus management will need to bolster the side, especially in the midfield department. Two good purchases there, and at least one world class central defender, might make a big difference for the Bianconeri in their bid to reach Europe in their first season back in Serie A.
Unfortunately for the Juve fans, most of the names linked to their team have either been signed by another club or have decided to remain with their current team. They must either pull stars away from top clubs, or rely on youngsters and give them time!
However, with the probable arrival of Claudio Ranieri on the Bianconeri bench, the Old Lady could be able to make some important transfer movements, including the arrivals of Frank Lampard (a player he knows very well from Chelsea) and Mohamed Sissoko (who player under him at Valencia).
The Juve fans must be realistic, and concede that there will be no glory in the first season, as there’s no way the Old Lady can challenge Milan and Inter for the league title. Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Thuram, Vieira and Emerson are not players that easy to replace! Once you buy players, they will need to settle in.
Unless Juve splash 75-100 million euros and assemble top players and a top coach, it might just take a couple of seasons to get back to the top. Of course, a miracle cannot be ruled out, but you cannot bet your life on it either.
So the only two possibilities of any satisfaction apart from a Champions League berth, lie in the Coppa Italia and the two games against the Nerazzurri, where the Bianconeri can get their revenge against Moratti and his club.
With quite a substantial budget for the transfer market, Juventus will now need to spend a lot, and spend well, in order to build the team for the future. But what could be the choices? Let’s take each department separately.
In goal, Gianluigi Buffon is almost certain of staying with the club so that solves what could have been a big problem. However, in case the Italian national goalkeeper changes his mind, then the only possible alternative would be Amelia.
The defence was not always up to par this year, and considering this was Serie B football, the Juve management should be worrying to strengthen it considerably. Rumour is that Fabio Cannavaro could make a surprise return to Turin, and his experience might prove fundamental for the new Juve rearguard.
Both Boumsong and Kovac have alternated some good performances with many poor ones, so at most they should be considered as back-up for a side aiming for the pinnacle. Surprisingly enough, Legrottaglie was the most impressive of the lot, so he could actually be a starter next season, depending on who will join the Bianconeri. Gamberini and Pasqual of Fiorentina have both been linked to the Old Lady, but we will find out more in the coming weeks.
Midfield presents a set of good ageing players, but probably requires two good central midfielders who can make the difference. There are many players present in the transfer market, so it’s up to the Juve management to make the right choices. A wrong player could break the entire season as a lot will depend on this central role. Frings would have been ideal, but Sissoko would be positive too. Lampard's style might not be best suited, but he will add more bite to the midfield.
In attack Trezeguet’s situation is still very unclear and Bojinov is surely going back to Florence. Incoming players are Iaquinta and maybe another striker. Probably the only department that does not really need a lot of changes considering the good number of quality players present, including also Del Piero and Palladino!
With a few touches there and then, this Juve side can surely make it into the top four (Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina will offer stiff resistance, mind you). Wrong choices could land them just a Uefa Cup spot, or even nothing at all. The ball is in the Juve directors' court, it's up to them to push the Old Lady back to the top of Italian and European football.
With Juventus (and probably even Genoa and Napoli) back in Serie A, Italian football will regain some of the allure it lost in the past season following the Calciopoli scandal.
However, how will this return back to the topflight be for the Old Lady? A bumpy one or a path paved towards glory? Probably, the answer lies somewhere in between!
Even with the current squad, the Bianconeri can easily finish among the top eight, when you take into consideration the fact that half of the teams in Serie B are probably at the same level of half of the teams in Serie A.
So, if Juventus managed to top Serie B, and without ever being really tested, there's no reason to stop them from at least making it into the top eight.
Now, to break into the top four, the Juventus management will need to bolster the side, especially in the midfield department. Two good purchases there, and at least one world class central defender, might make a big difference for the Bianconeri in their bid to reach Europe in their first season back in Serie A.
Unfortunately for the Juve fans, most of the names linked to their team have either been signed by another club or have decided to remain with their current team. They must either pull stars away from top clubs, or rely on youngsters and give them time!
However, with the probable arrival of Claudio Ranieri on the Bianconeri bench, the Old Lady could be able to make some important transfer movements, including the arrivals of Frank Lampard (a player he knows very well from Chelsea) and Mohamed Sissoko (who player under him at Valencia).
The Juve fans must be realistic, and concede that there will be no glory in the first season, as there’s no way the Old Lady can challenge Milan and Inter for the league title. Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Thuram, Vieira and Emerson are not players that easy to replace! Once you buy players, they will need to settle in.
Unless Juve splash 75-100 million euros and assemble top players and a top coach, it might just take a couple of seasons to get back to the top. Of course, a miracle cannot be ruled out, but you cannot bet your life on it either.
So the only two possibilities of any satisfaction apart from a Champions League berth, lie in the Coppa Italia and the two games against the Nerazzurri, where the Bianconeri can get their revenge against Moratti and his club.
With quite a substantial budget for the transfer market, Juventus will now need to spend a lot, and spend well, in order to build the team for the future. But what could be the choices? Let’s take each department separately.
In goal, Gianluigi Buffon is almost certain of staying with the club so that solves what could have been a big problem. However, in case the Italian national goalkeeper changes his mind, then the only possible alternative would be Amelia.
The defence was not always up to par this year, and considering this was Serie B football, the Juve management should be worrying to strengthen it considerably. Rumour is that Fabio Cannavaro could make a surprise return to Turin, and his experience might prove fundamental for the new Juve rearguard.
Both Boumsong and Kovac have alternated some good performances with many poor ones, so at most they should be considered as back-up for a side aiming for the pinnacle. Surprisingly enough, Legrottaglie was the most impressive of the lot, so he could actually be a starter next season, depending on who will join the Bianconeri. Gamberini and Pasqual of Fiorentina have both been linked to the Old Lady, but we will find out more in the coming weeks.
Midfield presents a set of good ageing players, but probably requires two good central midfielders who can make the difference. There are many players present in the transfer market, so it’s up to the Juve management to make the right choices. A wrong player could break the entire season as a lot will depend on this central role. Frings would have been ideal, but Sissoko would be positive too. Lampard's style might not be best suited, but he will add more bite to the midfield.
In attack Trezeguet’s situation is still very unclear and Bojinov is surely going back to Florence. Incoming players are Iaquinta and maybe another striker. Probably the only department that does not really need a lot of changes considering the good number of quality players present, including also Del Piero and Palladino!
With a few touches there and then, this Juve side can surely make it into the top four (Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina will offer stiff resistance, mind you). Wrong choices could land them just a Uefa Cup spot, or even nothing at all. The ball is in the Juve directors' court, it's up to them to push the Old Lady back to the top of Italian and European football.
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