Blog: The Healing Game
This new Juventus have impressed to such a degree that James Horncastle questions whether the Old Lady really needed Calciopoli to prosper
Who would have thought after seeing their dominance undermined by allegations of refereeing favouritism that Inter would have Juventus, and Alessandro Del Piero, to thank for effectively clinching the Nerazzurri's third consecutive championship success? Is this a cruel twist of fate or more evidence of a new Old Lady who, after being wronged, is resolved more than ever to prove herself not only dignified and honest but worthy of respect on the pitch?
Listen carefully to anyone associated with Juventus and their language has changed. They use words like 'sacrifice', 'determination' and 'pride'. Claudio Ranieri talks about having a dream while the new President, Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, has said: "We give ourselves the objective of being sympathetic and victorious. Transparency and teamwork are the order of the day."
Underneath the niceties though, it is clear that an acute sense of vengeance has driven the Bianconeri to a remarkable third place. Last year David Trezeguet tried, clumsily, to hide his resentment at enforced relegation, saying: "We are a team that suffered something we did not deserve. Serie B has reinforced our mentality. We are not angry – we are stronger." If not anger, Juve, as if starved from their time in the wilderness, have shown an insatiable hunger to reclaim their place as Italy's top club.
Despite well documented technical deficiencies in midfield, the spirit presiding over a group of hardened Calciopoli survivors and new eager-to-impress youngsters has made Ranieri's side into an irrepressible outfit. Every man, no matter what the pecking order in the squad, is working for the team. The Bianconeri have scored 18 times in the last 15 minutes of their matches and eight of those have arrived from players coming off the bench.
What is more incredible is that hardly any of the club's summer signings have worked. The team's current success is largely derived from those who navigated the Bianconeri out of exile last year. So if Juve can achieve so much with those remaining after the departures of Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson, Gianluca Zambrotta, Lilian Thuram, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira, might we call into question the true 'power' of Luciano Moggi?
The current scoring charts also lay doubt at the doors of those who believe that Juventus needed help from officials – Trezeguet 15, Ibrahimovic 14, Adrian Mutu 14 and Del Piero 10. Would a Juve that had the potential to muster 53 goals after just 23 games be dependent on refereeing verdicts? Let's not mention La Gazzetta's revised League table that put Juve above Inter if officials had made correct decisions.
Whether you view the last couple of years in the Turin club's history as just or unjust, Juventini and Italians can be proud at the sporting manner in which Juve have conducted themselves on their return from purgatory.
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Juve material, DNA, whatever you wanna call it.