++ [ originally posted by sco_tino ] ++
Look at what Ancelloti has done with Milan this season. I really hate Milan as a team, but I have to accept that they are simply awesome this season, I'm tipping them to win the Champ's cup. And look @ what they did to Depor too.
Well, with the ritorno of the Depor-Milan CL match, I think the veneer was really pulled back -- if only briefly. Milan is a team playing well above their usual abilities this season, and Juve is playing -- IMO -- below them. This stuff happens in sport.
But an aging defensive back is a real concern. There's a phenomenon that happens with aging, championship-caliber athletes. When the going is good, the work habits are high, they train harder to make up for their lack of youthful energy when paired up with their competition, etc.
But when things start turning sour, the wheels can come off. Players lose focus and that extra incentive to train harder and play above their normal abilities when facing younger players. A downward spiral can result, as the aging players lose touch with those motivators that made them put in the 110% to be in lock step with the best in the league.
Not saying it's so much happening with Juve this season. I think a little of it has. But it will only grow to be a bigger issue if the age of our line isn't addressed.