Rather than bias myself with the Juventuz internal politics of how to view this match, I'm going to post first and read later -- now that I have just finished watching the match.
In summary, well, this is Ascoli. So I can't get too excited about it. It is a little odd, however, playing a squad with jerseys that remind me so much of our 2002-3 squad.
From the opening kickoff, we were putting on a nicely-coordinated offensive show. I sensed the goals were going to come as they would in just the first couple of minutes of play. We weren't the least bit apprehensive, for a change, and were ready to pounce. What was really nice to see was Trez also making some nice one-touch passes and headers, and midfielders like Emerson did a great job of heading the ball accurately forward to keep the pressure on in the Ascoli penalty box.
You know you're doing something right when the six other Serie A matches going on at the same time have no score to them and you're already up 3-0.
The second half was pretty lackluster, but I can't fault the guys. The game was won in the first 20 minutes with great team play -- rather than depending on individual efforts to make the most of the few opportunities afforded up front.
Buffon - Not tested much, but when he was he seemed sharp. Can't fault him much for the goal. 6.5
Zebina - I have to cut him a little slack, given that he's still got a half season of rust to shake off. But really the best thing I could say about him today was that he allowed Zambrotta to play at LB again. He did not cover the corner well, often shadowing Thuram in center and leaving the wide right open. Didn't really add much downfield, and he was far too slow for the Ascoli attack. We would have been burned by a better team because of his poor placement, however. We dodged one this time. 5.5
Thuram - Decent game. But not really tested by Ascoli. Tested more by Zebina, actually. 6
Cannavaro - Good game. Some great stops. Typical solid Canna performance. And at least he didn't have to score all the goals this time. 6.5
Zambrotta - A decent return to LB. Defensively, he played pretty well. He flubbed one tackle, but he had help at the time. Otherwise, he got in there and broke things up and showed some good speed and skill. Upfield was a little different story. He didn't create much, and I largely fault him for the goal we gave up -- he pressed forward with DP on the left flank and got caught making some poor exchanges, exposing us to the counterattack. Overall, decent game though. 6
Emerson - The Puma was on the prowl. He clogged Ascoli's gears on defense, and he even contributed a bit in attack through some good passing and headers. 7
Vieira - He's now the king of the backpass ... and the occasional foul. That's not his best role. He had one decent forward pass of any length -- the rest were off target or easily intercepted. This is one particular area where he produced heavily at the start of the season and hasn't shown many signs of since. It's also uncharacteristic to see him getting in yellow card situations. Ascoli wasn't a big test, fortunately. 5.5
Camoranesi - Some good play on the wings today. Not involved as much as he can be sometimes, but he made a major impact on at least one goal. 6.5
Nedved - Off game for his better performances of late. His shots on target were all soft. His passes and crosses all had too much leg and went too far. If only his shots on goal were as hard as some of his passes... 5.5
Del Piero - Wonderful goal construction and ball control out there. When he plays like this with Trez, I really want to see him pairing with Trez in our CL matches to come. Right now, that's our most in-form, deadliest combination. 7
Trezeguet - I don't think you really need to say much after he earned his hattrick so early in this match. The first goal was a beautiful shot. The other two were just fantastic, precision finishing. If I were playing volleyball right now, I'd want Del Piero on the set and Trez on the spike on my squad... talk about lethal. But Trez also got involved in other aspects of the game. Some great headers to put the ball in play with his teammates -- using his killer accuracy for passing as well as making the shot. And he even had a couple of good interventions on our own end of the pitch. MOM. 7.5
Capello - With the tools at his disposal against Ascoli, we should expect nothing less. Subs were OK (at least they weren't with 3 minutes left), but not really necessary anyway. 6
Ibrahimovic - He looked hurt out there... like something was wrong with him. Perhaps his thigh? Anyway, it looks like he's going to need a little time to shake it off. Just not very effective in the little time he had out there. We need him in-form, and I hope to see him start the Coppa against Roma this week to aid that. 5
Mutu - No matter the role, this guy gives 100%, and I love that. Sure, he had fresh legs. But even up 3-1, he's charging out there and giving his best. Didn't have a lot of impact, but a lot of effort that was a nice model for the team. 6
Zalayeta - No real chance to add anything. NR
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