[Peace Cup] JUVENTUS 0-0 (3-4) Aston Villa, August 2nd 2009 (38 Viewers)

[whateverr]

Evening again.

Well, I'm surprised at that outcome. I saw the squads before k/o and it hit me quite how weak our squad is as it stands. I was expecting to be beaten, but to give a good account of ourselves.

As it was, I was surprised we were as good as we were. Defensively as tight as we've been for a while, even Lichaj wasn't embarassed. Juve's quality of course shined through at times, perhaps best emphasised by our sheer inability to make much stick up front, but we kept at it regardless. First half I felt was fairly even, but as we introduced more youth players in the second we dropped off somewhat in the attacking third. No great surprise.

Genuinely, I think it was just one of those games for you fellas, you could have played all night and not scored, your front line just not having it land for them. Guzan and Cuellar also helped immensely. The Spanaird also revealed he has a mean freekick in his locker too.

Albrighton also must come out the game with credit. 20yo local lad, never started a game in the league for us, has Juve doubling up on him, thats a complement and a half to the lad.

Anywho, it's only a friendly of course and ultimately it matters little, but it's great to see our youth take on some of the worlds finest and not disgrace themselves by any means.

On your side of things, Melo impressed me immensely. He reminds me slightly of Essien, perhaps slightly less 'physical' in his game but with a bit more finesse. I think you've an asset there who will prove his worth immensely. I also appreciated the amiability of Buffon, it was good to see such a good natured player after Portos hateful display of diving and ill temperedness.

Some good comments..I quite like some of your players. Young of course was the most impressive and your defence wasn't bad either...As for Melo I think he reminds me more of emmerson in his movements and Alonso in his passing basically I got a hard on watching him

 

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[Elvin]

I pray that this is the last final we ever lose, I'd rather we never make it to any final than lose it.

:xfinger:

 

[Hust]

Some good comments..I quite like some of your players. Young of course was the most impressive and your defence wasn't bad either...As for Melo I think he reminds me more of emmerson in his movements and Alonso in his passing basically I got a hard on watching him

 

[whateverr]

He does....

 

[Bjerknes]

You misunderstand what game theory is....it's a mathematical model to determine the likeliest outcome based on a wide ranging stategies available to opponents. It's pretty much science...

I'm not disputing that having some experience would help to understand the process better but I still mantain that based on evidence..theory and practical the 'choosing a side and throwing yourself' seems a better bet when keeping...

I think there's too many factors in penalty kicks to use game theory in this discussion. Whether it be the skills of each individual player, the way you strike the ball, the surrounding conditions, hell, even letting the ball go through your legs if you choose correctly, there's too many factors.

And isn't game theory based on having two equal opponents? That's not necessarily the case.

 

[whateverr]

I think there's too many factors in penalty kicks to use game theory in this discussion. Whether it be the skills of each individual player, the way you strike the ball, the surrounding conditions, hell, even letting the ball go through your legs if you choose correctly, there's too many factors.

And isn't game theory based on having two equal opponents? That's not necessarily the case.

No..Also the point we were discussing was the safest bet in terms of movement while keeping other factors constant...of course they won't be constant in real life but to determine which is the best course when choosing whether to react or not you have to keep other factors the same....it's the basic concept behind experiments.

 

[Enron]

You misunderstand what game theory is....it's a mathematical model to determine the likeliest outcome based on a wide ranging stategies available to opponents. It's pretty much science...

I'm not disputing that having some experience would help to understand the process better but I still mantain that based on evidence..theory and practical the 'choosing a side and throwing yourself' seems a better bet when keeping...

I understand what game theory is. I've written a paper on it. I just ignored it because it doesn't have any bearing in penalty stopping.

 

[whateverr]

I understand what game theory is. I've written a paper on it. I just ignored it because it doesn't have any bearing in penalty stopping.

Hmmm that wasn't the point....I used it to show how decision makings in penalties are done and which strategy (no strategy is the best, just unpreditability) would be the best not how to move before a pen. I'm not discussing what a keeper can do and does do before he makes his decision to move..

 

[Bjerknes]

No..Also the point we were discussing was the safest bet in terms of movement while keeping other factors constant...of course they won't be constant in real life but to determine which is the best course when choosing whether to react or not you have to keep other factors the same....it's the basic concept behind experiments.

I didn't have game theory in engineering statistics, but in economics we did.

Whatever floats your boat I guess.

Just have to wonder... why don't football clubs appoint statisticians to their goalkeeping staff? umpkin:

 

[whateverr]

I didn't have game theory in engineering statistics, but in economics we did.

Whatever floats your boat I guess.

Just have to wonder... why don't football clubs appoint statisticians to their goalkeeping staff? umpkin:

There is no need seeing as I said it's pure randomness where unpredictability reins supreme in the end....I'm sure they employ some people to look at other statistics when analysing play.

 

[Enron]

Hmmm that wasn't the point....I used it to show how decision makings in penalties are done and which strategy (no strategy is the best, just unpreditability) would be the best not how to move before a pen. I'm not discussing what a keeper can do and does do before he makes his decision to move..

I wasn't discussing what to do before a penalty either. I merely stated the three major schools of pk stopping techniques, their benefits and disadvantages. I figured it might help the discussion.

Unpredictability doesn't really matter when you consider the amount of penalties a goalkeeper faces a year. Last time I checked penalties are a pretty rare occurrence. The idea is to do whatever you're the most comfortable with. A guy who moves on the line a bunch doesn't do it because it's the only way, he does it because he's comfortable. The same reason guys like Van Der Saar tend to fall over as fast as they can in one particular direction. Then you have you Buffon types who look absolutely not comfortable in facing penalties and aren't very good at them.

 

[whateverr]

I wasn't discussing what to do before a penalty either. I merely stated the three major schools of pk stopping techniques, their benefits and disadvantages. I figured it might help the discussion.

Unpredictability doesn't really matter when you consider the amount of penalties a goalkeeper faces a year. Last time I checked penalties are a pretty rare occurrence. The idea is to do whatever you're the most comfortable with. A guy who moves on the line a bunch doesn't do it because it's the only way, he does it because he's comfortable. The same reason guys like Van Der Saar tend to fall over as fast as they can in one particular direction. Then you have you Buffon types who look absolutely not comfortable in facing penalties and aren't very good at them.

Of course not, the discussion is centred around penalty shootouts.

 

[tpain]

perhaps amauri is a good penalty taker choice for the team too....

if u look at last night's penalties. the way he ran, it is like he is going to shoot to the keeper's left, but he twisted his body at the last moment and shot towards the right.
that was a good move. and none of our other players did that

 

[whateverr]

perhaps amauri is a good penalty taker choice for the team too....

if u look at last night's penalties. the way he ran, it is like he is going to shoot to the keeper's left, but he twisted his body at the last moment and shot towards the right.
that was a good move. and none of our other players did that

I noticed that too..good move considering how the keeper reacted. Actually those little stops and fakes are crucial in penalties these days.

 

[Lo-Pan]

Buffon: Always reliable, thank God we have him.
Zebina: Like I said, this is his year. Great performance and it is nice to see his confidence is back. If you can't see that then you need to re-watch the last 2 games he has played.
Legro: For the most part reliable, maybe its me as an ex defender but I am not completely sold on him. Good back up when we need it.
Chiellini: Love him, one of my favs but he still makes some pretty crazy challenges and decisions he needs to learn from. Aside from the few tangents he goes on, he is great and nearly impossible to get by.
Molinaro: Showing more confidence going forward I think. To be honest, when I saw him in the beginning I thought it was Sali. Moli seems to be improving slightly, but not significantly enough to start. I saw DC on the bench, would like to see him play if fit.
Grygera: Sweet baby Jesus, help us if he is at LB.
Felipe Melo: I love how he charges forward and how strong he is when on the ball. He is a hard one to knock off the ball when he has possession and I love that he is not afraid to try that killer pass from the hole. He closes down quickly, and with his speed is a nuisance for opponents. He covers a lot of ground and with Sissoko playing our opponents are going to have a two man army they need to get by to get close to Buffon.
Marchisio: To be honest I don't think he has had as much playing time as some others which I think is a bit unfair. I hope Ciro gives him more time to acclimate with the team/new formation/role. I think he showed good movement around in midfield, but not his typical industrious performance.
Zanetti: Please stay fit, the guy is class. So calm when on the ball.
Camo: He deserves a for his performance again. I love seeing this Camoranesi and not the hot headed inconsistent one of last year. You can tell he is twice the player and enjoys the free role in a 3 man midfield when he can drift.
Giovinco: You could see the boys riding him in the beginning. I think, as always, he shows his potential. He made some great runs, covered a lot of ground and made himself available to get the ball. I love that he tries the slot the ball through the middle to unleash the speed of IQ/Amauri. He tries to get the right type of ball to each striker to get the most out of them.
Iaquinta: One fast mofo right here. You can tell we are trying to use that now with the passes through the middle. He needs to keep at it, he will challenge the starting spot well. The guy runs so hard for as long as he is on the field.
Trezeguet: Come on brotha, I am not sure what you are waiting on. Start scoring so some people on here will shut up about selling you. He has it in him, you all know he does. The goals will come, I just hope the team is showing more support than these dumb ass announcers were on GolTV.
DP: I don't think there was one person here who wasn't standing with heart racing when he took that free kick as soon as he stepped on the field. We all wanted him to sink it I think. Not much to do in overtime with so many strikers, but damn it we were counting on you DP to make that PK. We know he wouldn't have done that if it was a CL final. He tried to pull a Totti
Amauri: Not a whole lot to say about him in this game. Quiet.

Many thanks for such a clear and objective report, Hustini. Pretty much summing up what the majority has said in dribs and drabs into one orderly report, player for player.

Positives for the tournament...

Melo. We paid a lot for the constantly grimacing cultured thug but already its looking like money well spent. Composed, Mobile, Capable of inventive distribution especially at long range, Fierce in the tackle, Decent stamina (already), strong in the air and also...happy to push forward on his own, if an opening for other's doesn't immediately present itself. With Camo, Melo and a vastly improved Tiago in the midfield, not to mention the soon to be included Diego, we finally have a midfield that is more than adept at maintaining possession and creating from all angles, to all angles.

Camo. Happier to be playing alongside people who can pass the ball to him and receive quick passes for one twos to help him make ground in the final third. We need to keep him fit.

Sali. i thought he was wicked at left back. A welcome surprise as I had forgotten that he can play on that flank without any fuss. He is far from inventive but always reliable and a steadfast, beligerent marker and tackler. he makes few mistakes, can run, pass and support, which are essential qualities for a left back in a 4-3-1-2.

Zebina. Has this big man's time come? At times he has looked like a new signing.Aggression channeled in the right areas and also...his passing and in particular his eye for a pass, has been a breath of fresh air.

Diego. Only played once, and that was against our weakest opponent, though saying that, for the koreans, that game could have been one of the biggest of their careers, so effort and heart would have raised their output above and beyond their base level of quality, as long as they didnt choke...which they didnt. The south east asians arent chokers...His one game, showed that he is special.

Manninger. We all know he is an able chap...but still, its pleasing to have a brief reminder that we have serious quality behind Buffon, ready and waiting to step into the breach when Santo Buffon next siezes up through lack of use.


Negatives of the tournament...

Trezeguet is not right in the head. Clearly. However, he is finding goal scoring opportunities, and not proving completely ghost like. Not that it matters when he cant finish... He is in no mans land. Knowing he isn't NEEDED, and could be sold, is not doing his psyche or heart, or the team in turn, any favours. Fortunate in horrible ways that the two others vying for the free striker spot alongside DP have not at all excelled in this tournament.

Amauri. As I have said many times...his main skill seems to be holding the ball up, shielding the ball, receiving the ball. And poaching the odd goal from close range. Hardly enough quality to convince us all that he must be a starter.

Overall...Its a crying shame that Momo, De Ceglie and Diego weren;t able to play prominent roles in this tournament. As all three, or at least the latter two without doubt, are potential first team starters. Momo and Melo together are going to be unbreakable at times this season.

We suffered NO serious injuries. Only lost one game, on penalties, when we should have won it in normal time several times over. Sali can play left back. Zebina is a revelation. Melo could be King of the world. Diego, De Ceglie and Momo all to come IN to the team still...only true negative was the finishing of our forwards.

 

[Bjerknes]

I noticed that too..good move considering how the keeper reacted. Actually those little stops and fakes are crucial in penalties these days.

Have a t-test to back it up?

 

[whateverr]

Have a t-test to back it up?

You forgot to add a smily this time..I think you should have gone for this: Either way hilarious as usual...if only I was as quick in regurgitating other people's so called 'jokes' but alas I am not.

 

[Furia Ceca]

I know this is just a friendly and we all love Ale no matter what but
F*CKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cimenk]

Ale try to outsmart Guzan in such critical period of PK, i can't believe it
Do we need Manniger when it comes to penalty shootout?

 

[Azzurri7]

Some of you should really look at the bright side rather than try to explain what Del Piero did in his Pk friendly match.

The positive thing is that we managed to reach the final play as much as we can, rotate players, change formations, try our new players, the point of this tournament (at least to me) was to get as far as we can, the more we play the better it is.

Of course it would have been better to lift this trophy but there's nothing really to cry for. We showed good character, improvement etc...

To end it with Ale, the man has scored so many important penalties that I'm glad he missed this one in a friendly tournament and not in Serie or CL. Let him miss here, it's all good.