On September 9, 2006 glamorous club Juventus started a difficult season in Serie B with an unexpected 1-1 draw against Rimini. On that day, Juventus were making their first ever appearance in division two football in their entire 109-year history.
Contrary to previous campaigns, this time their target is far off the scudetto or the Champions League in Europe. Juve are seeking a quick return to the top flight despite having to start with a massive minus 17-point handicap for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football last summer.
In the transfer season, various bidders came forward with lucrative offers to prise away Juve's top players. However, the new management succeeded in persuading a good number of their stars to stay and help the team regain its lost pride.
Inevitably, Juve, had to offload some of their best assets to balance off their books. Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram joined Bar-celona and Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson followed in Fabio Capello's footsteps at Real Madrid.
Otherwise, Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro Camoranesi, Pavel Nedved, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet stayed put. With players of this calibre, Juventus will find it much easier to win promotion.
After the draw at Rimini, Juve steadied the ship and won all their next four outings, including a 4-0 drubbing of Modena.
Trezeguet, the player who missed France's crucial penalty against Italy in the World Cup final, has increasingly become vital for Juve's cause. He is hitting goals regularly and currently leads the scorers' list with five goals. Some contend that Trezeguet may join either Man. United or Lyon in January but one thing is for sure - Juventus desperately need Trezeguet's goals to make the Serie A.
All other top players in the squad are essential in Serie B but, perhaps, not as important as having a deadly striker of Trezeguet's quality. Experience teaches that in the Serie B, sides banking on a prolific striker are often the most successful.
Irrespective of the outcome of this week's appeals verdict, the Bianconeri are still the clear favourites to reach their goal. Indeed, this squad looks good enough to challenge in the Serie A let alone finishing among the top three at the end of the Serie B season. Besides, none of the other promotion-seekers are strong enough to run away with the division.
On the other hand, Juve's promotion bid has three flaws principally.
Their coach, Didier Deschamps, is a great connoisseur of European soccer having played in France, Italy and Spain. However, he is a novice to the Serie B. The Frenchman may want to do well and prove himself as coach of Juventus, but a time will come this season when his lack of experience at this level will have its toll on the team.
Besides, although Juventus have only conceded two goals in five outings, their defence is not as tight as it may seem.
Jean Alain Boumsong, Robert Kovac, Nicola Legrottaglie and Igor Tudor are the four centre-backs at Juve. All are tried and tested but somehow lack cohesion. Surely, Deschamps must have savoured the moment Buffon decided to stay.
Also, Del Piero and company are only used to play top-level football. For many Juve players, this is their first taste of division two competition. Will their early enthusiasm last till the end of the term?
Genoa, Napoli, Brescia, Lecce, Rimini and Mantova are expected to challenge Juventus for the two automatic promotion slots.
Genoa are the hot favourites for promotion.
Currently, they lead the standings with 12 points from six outings. They look convincing at home but rather shaky away... they lost twice from three away games so far.
Mantova lost a decisive play-off to Torino last June. They are still under the charge of ex-Vicenza midfielder Domenico Di Carlo who can bank on a settled team that led the Serie B standings for most of last season.
Rimini, like Brescia and Zdenek Zeman's Lecce, are strong enough to make the play-offs even though they do not have any acclaimed names within their ranks.
On Sunday, they went down to Napoli at the San Paolo but Rimini played really well and did not deserve to lose.
Edy Reja's Napoli are a strong team. They are backed by enthusiastic supporters, as ever, and the ambitions of their president Aurelio De Laurentis.
Although automatic promotion could be out of Napoli's reach, particularly due to a lack of key players in certain areas, they are surely equipped to mount a serious challenge for a play-off berth.
By Antoine Dalli
Contrary to previous campaigns, this time their target is far off the scudetto or the Champions League in Europe. Juve are seeking a quick return to the top flight despite having to start with a massive minus 17-point handicap for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football last summer.
In the transfer season, various bidders came forward with lucrative offers to prise away Juve's top players. However, the new management succeeded in persuading a good number of their stars to stay and help the team regain its lost pride.
Inevitably, Juve, had to offload some of their best assets to balance off their books. Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram joined Bar-celona and Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson followed in Fabio Capello's footsteps at Real Madrid.
Otherwise, Gianluigi Buffon, Mauro Camoranesi, Pavel Nedved, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet stayed put. With players of this calibre, Juventus will find it much easier to win promotion.
After the draw at Rimini, Juve steadied the ship and won all their next four outings, including a 4-0 drubbing of Modena.
Trezeguet, the player who missed France's crucial penalty against Italy in the World Cup final, has increasingly become vital for Juve's cause. He is hitting goals regularly and currently leads the scorers' list with five goals. Some contend that Trezeguet may join either Man. United or Lyon in January but one thing is for sure - Juventus desperately need Trezeguet's goals to make the Serie A.
All other top players in the squad are essential in Serie B but, perhaps, not as important as having a deadly striker of Trezeguet's quality. Experience teaches that in the Serie B, sides banking on a prolific striker are often the most successful.
Irrespective of the outcome of this week's appeals verdict, the Bianconeri are still the clear favourites to reach their goal. Indeed, this squad looks good enough to challenge in the Serie A let alone finishing among the top three at the end of the Serie B season. Besides, none of the other promotion-seekers are strong enough to run away with the division.
On the other hand, Juve's promotion bid has three flaws principally.
Their coach, Didier Deschamps, is a great connoisseur of European soccer having played in France, Italy and Spain. However, he is a novice to the Serie B. The Frenchman may want to do well and prove himself as coach of Juventus, but a time will come this season when his lack of experience at this level will have its toll on the team.
Besides, although Juventus have only conceded two goals in five outings, their defence is not as tight as it may seem.
Jean Alain Boumsong, Robert Kovac, Nicola Legrottaglie and Igor Tudor are the four centre-backs at Juve. All are tried and tested but somehow lack cohesion. Surely, Deschamps must have savoured the moment Buffon decided to stay.
Also, Del Piero and company are only used to play top-level football. For many Juve players, this is their first taste of division two competition. Will their early enthusiasm last till the end of the term?
Genoa, Napoli, Brescia, Lecce, Rimini and Mantova are expected to challenge Juventus for the two automatic promotion slots.
Genoa are the hot favourites for promotion.
Currently, they lead the standings with 12 points from six outings. They look convincing at home but rather shaky away... they lost twice from three away games so far.
Mantova lost a decisive play-off to Torino last June. They are still under the charge of ex-Vicenza midfielder Domenico Di Carlo who can bank on a settled team that led the Serie B standings for most of last season.
Rimini, like Brescia and Zdenek Zeman's Lecce, are strong enough to make the play-offs even though they do not have any acclaimed names within their ranks.
On Sunday, they went down to Napoli at the San Paolo but Rimini played really well and did not deserve to lose.
Edy Reja's Napoli are a strong team. They are backed by enthusiastic supporters, as ever, and the ambitions of their president Aurelio De Laurentis.
Although automatic promotion could be out of Napoli's reach, particularly due to a lack of key players in certain areas, they are surely equipped to mount a serious challenge for a play-off berth.
By Antoine Dalli
Buy on AliExpress.com
