[Serie A] Fiorentina - Juventus (24 Viewers)
- Thread starter Stu
- Start date
Capello has Liverpool concerns Saturday 9 April, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fabio Capello admits Juve’s defensive worries are a concern for the Liverpool game, while Fiorentina can’t believe they failed to win tonight.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored two goals in the spectacular 3-3 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, ending a goal drought lasting almost two months.
“Ibrahimovic angered me because he is always dangerous when he receives in the area, so I didn’t understand why he insisted on coming back to get the ball,” revealed Capello. “He proved tonight just what he can do and he’s very difficult to mark.”
The Bianconeri fought back three times to eventually grab a point and Capello switched to a 3-4-3 system for the second half.
“I believed the half-time substitutions were the right choice, as to win you need to take a few risks, and we had an excellent second half. The fact that we came back three times is psychologically important, but so is the fact the team showed passion, determination and character in a difficult situation.”
There is a worrying trend in that two of the goals conceded were headers and Capello admits that could be a problem in the Champions’ League encounter with Liverpool on Wednesday.
“We were lacking something in the air today compared to Fiorentina, but when a cross comes in like that and you’re not in position, there’s precious little you can do. Liverpool are an excellent squad that defends with a great deal of attention, while they are always dangerous on set-pieces. Unfortunately, we are a bit short on height at the moment, if you excuse the pun.”
Dino Zoff witnessed the best Viola performance of his reign, but emerged with just one point at the end of a thrilling match.
“Mistakes can happen, but it isn’t easy to swallow this result after going ahead three times. Hopefully we will learn from our errors eventually,” said the former Juve man.
Zoff was the best goalkeeper of his generation, so it must have been particularly galling to see Sebastian Cejas give away the first goal with a howler.
“When you’re a goalkeeper, the important thing is to get the ball, so style doesn’t really matter. The psychological status of a shot-stopper has always been crucial, as there is more pressure on him than anyone else.”
There were scuffles outside the Stadio Franchi before the game, but the team managed to pour the intense rivalry into a positive performance.
“These games are always dangerous because there is the risk tensions will spill over, so I tried to keep the team relaxed and not pile more pressure on them. This is football, not a war zone,” said Zoff.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fabio Capello admits Juve’s defensive worries are a concern for the Liverpool game, while Fiorentina can’t believe they failed to win tonight.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored two goals in the spectacular 3-3 draw at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, ending a goal drought lasting almost two months.
“Ibrahimovic angered me because he is always dangerous when he receives in the area, so I didn’t understand why he insisted on coming back to get the ball,” revealed Capello. “He proved tonight just what he can do and he’s very difficult to mark.”
The Bianconeri fought back three times to eventually grab a point and Capello switched to a 3-4-3 system for the second half.
“I believed the half-time substitutions were the right choice, as to win you need to take a few risks, and we had an excellent second half. The fact that we came back three times is psychologically important, but so is the fact the team showed passion, determination and character in a difficult situation.”
There is a worrying trend in that two of the goals conceded were headers and Capello admits that could be a problem in the Champions’ League encounter with Liverpool on Wednesday.
“We were lacking something in the air today compared to Fiorentina, but when a cross comes in like that and you’re not in position, there’s precious little you can do. Liverpool are an excellent squad that defends with a great deal of attention, while they are always dangerous on set-pieces. Unfortunately, we are a bit short on height at the moment, if you excuse the pun.”
Dino Zoff witnessed the best Viola performance of his reign, but emerged with just one point at the end of a thrilling match.
“Mistakes can happen, but it isn’t easy to swallow this result after going ahead three times. Hopefully we will learn from our errors eventually,” said the former Juve man.
Zoff was the best goalkeeper of his generation, so it must have been particularly galling to see Sebastian Cejas give away the first goal with a howler.
“When you’re a goalkeeper, the important thing is to get the ball, so style doesn’t really matter. The psychological status of a shot-stopper has always been crucial, as there is more pressure on him than anyone else.”
There were scuffles outside the Stadio Franchi before the game, but the team managed to pour the intense rivalry into a positive performance.
“These games are always dangerous because there is the risk tensions will spill over, so I tried to keep the team relaxed and not pile more pressure on them. This is football, not a war zone,” said Zoff.
Fiorentina 3 - 3 Juventus
Pazzini 14 (F), Del Piero 22 (J), Chiellini 36 (F), Ibrahimovic 59, 82 (J), Dainelli 75 (F)
Stadio Franchi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juve fought back three times to earn a draw in a six-goal thriller at Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi.
This fixture had not been played in Serie A for three years following Fiorentina's bankruptcy, but the intense rivalry between them had not dissipated with time and a record 45,000 tickets were sold for this match.
Juve had the opportunity to break away at the top of the table following Milan's earlier 1-1 draw with Brescia and their last defeat at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was in 1998. Valeri Bojinov was injured with Chris Obodo and William Viali suspended, while ex-Juve man Fabrizio Miccoli was only fit for the bench after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
The Bianconeri were struggling with an injury crisis, as Jonathan Zebina, David Trezeguet, Ciro Ferrara and the suspended Ruben Olivera were out, while Emerson was a late absentee with a muscular problem. Gianluca Pessotto and Alessandro Birindelli stepped into the breach.
The Viola had a very aggressive start and after five minutes Gigi Buffon only slapped a Martin Jorgensen cross into the path of Giampaolo Pazzini, but his header was off target.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a stern talking to by Pierluigi Collina after the Swede sarcastically applauded a decision against him.
Buffon then had to rush outside the area to clear from Pazzini as he had out-sprinted the central defenders. Pavel Nedved has just returned from a series of long-term injuries, but he fell heavily on to the small of his back after an accidental clash with fellow Czech Tomas Ujfalusi.
Juventus could not have gone closer to opening the scoring, as on 14 minutes Fabio Cannavaro's glancing header from a corner kick was slapped out by Sebastian Cejas, though some players argued it had already crossed the line. Replays suggest it was certainly a debatable incident.
But the move continued and Fantini set up Pazzini for a spectacular strike that he slammed into the top corner from the edge of the box. The Under-21 international dummied Birindelli and hit the rasping shot past Buffon.
Juventus drew level soon after, but it was a terrible goalkeeping error from Cejas. Alessandro Del Piero sprung the offside trap and his shot bounced in front of the Argentine at the near post to leave him red-faced.
Luca Ariatti slipped at the crucial moment during another counter-attack, but Fiorentina restored their lead with a player that they still own. A corner kick was touched out for Jorgensen and his fine cross reached Giorgio Chiellini for a precise header from the six-yard box.
Cejas was at full stretch to turn a Del Piero free kick round the post as it remained an open and intense game, but in first half stoppages Pazzini brought a great save out of Buffon by again holding off his marker.
Fabio Capello introduced Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero for the second half in place of Birindelli and Pessotto for a 3-4-3 system. Del Piero wasted a good opportunity within 30 seconds of the restart, as he wanted an extra touch and was crowded out in the area.
Buffon misjudged a free kick and was able to get back into position in time to block Jorgensen's header. Juve hit back and an Ibrahimovic piledriver skimmed inches wide of the upright.
Ariatti's header failed to trouble Buffon at the near post as his contact was weak, but Cejas again cost his team with an appalling error. The goalkeeper rushed off his line and took the ball off his own defender, passing it straight into the path of Ibrahimovic to roll into an empty net.
Chiellini was again allowed a header from a corner kick and this time it was just wide of the target, then Buffon was quick to react as Pazzini had taken the defence by surprise.
Anything could happen in this game and moments later Del Piero's shot-cross was parried into the path of Ibrahimovic, only to see it charged down by Ujfalusi.
The Artemio Franchi crowd cheered the introduction of fan favourite Fabrizio Miccoli for the final 20 minutes. The Italian international is still half-owned by Juventus, though he is not set to return this summer, and was only able to start from the bench due to an Achilles tendon problem.
Fantini threw away a golden opportunity on the counter-attack, as he opted to shoot from an improbably large distance rather than pass it to Miccoli.
Fiorentina's celebrations were only postponed by a couple of minutes, as Marco Donadel's free kick found another defender - Dario Dainelli - for a free header to make it 3-2 to the Viola.
Del Piero almost made it 3-3 on Zalayeta's pass, but saw his shot charged down by a defender who happened to be in front of him.
The equaliser - and the sixth goal of the season - arrived with 8 minutes left on the clock. Ibrahimovic ran down the left flank, exchanged backheels with Zalayeta, and lobbed Cejas to complete the latest comeback.
The tempo in this incredible game never slowed for a second and Juventus went for the winner, but Nedved opted to pass rather than shoot and Zalayeta's effort was charged down.
Gianluca Zambrotta slipped, but still managed to get his volley on to the crossbar, then Miccoli curled a free kick inches wide of the near post with the aid of a deflection off Stephen Appiah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiorentina: Cejas; Maggio, Dainelli, Ujfalusi, Chiellini; Ariatti, Maresca, Donadel, Jorgensen (Delli Carri 78); Fantini, Pazzini (Miccoli 70)
Juventus: Buffon; Birindelli (Zalayeta 46), Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Tacchinardi (Appiah 80), Pessotto (Montero 46), Nedved; Ibrahimovic, Del Piero
Ref: Collina
Pazzini 14 (F), Del Piero 22 (J), Chiellini 36 (F), Ibrahimovic 59, 82 (J), Dainelli 75 (F)
Stadio Franchi
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juve fought back three times to earn a draw in a six-goal thriller at Fiorentina's Stadio Artemio Franchi.
This fixture had not been played in Serie A for three years following Fiorentina's bankruptcy, but the intense rivalry between them had not dissipated with time and a record 45,000 tickets were sold for this match.
Juve had the opportunity to break away at the top of the table following Milan's earlier 1-1 draw with Brescia and their last defeat at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was in 1998. Valeri Bojinov was injured with Chris Obodo and William Viali suspended, while ex-Juve man Fabrizio Miccoli was only fit for the bench after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
The Bianconeri were struggling with an injury crisis, as Jonathan Zebina, David Trezeguet, Ciro Ferrara and the suspended Ruben Olivera were out, while Emerson was a late absentee with a muscular problem. Gianluca Pessotto and Alessandro Birindelli stepped into the breach.
The Viola had a very aggressive start and after five minutes Gigi Buffon only slapped a Martin Jorgensen cross into the path of Giampaolo Pazzini, but his header was off target.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was given a stern talking to by Pierluigi Collina after the Swede sarcastically applauded a decision against him.
Buffon then had to rush outside the area to clear from Pazzini as he had out-sprinted the central defenders. Pavel Nedved has just returned from a series of long-term injuries, but he fell heavily on to the small of his back after an accidental clash with fellow Czech Tomas Ujfalusi.
Juventus could not have gone closer to opening the scoring, as on 14 minutes Fabio Cannavaro's glancing header from a corner kick was slapped out by Sebastian Cejas, though some players argued it had already crossed the line. Replays suggest it was certainly a debatable incident.
But the move continued and Fantini set up Pazzini for a spectacular strike that he slammed into the top corner from the edge of the box. The Under-21 international dummied Birindelli and hit the rasping shot past Buffon.
Juventus drew level soon after, but it was a terrible goalkeeping error from Cejas. Alessandro Del Piero sprung the offside trap and his shot bounced in front of the Argentine at the near post to leave him red-faced.
Luca Ariatti slipped at the crucial moment during another counter-attack, but Fiorentina restored their lead with a player that they still own. A corner kick was touched out for Jorgensen and his fine cross reached Giorgio Chiellini for a precise header from the six-yard box.
Cejas was at full stretch to turn a Del Piero free kick round the post as it remained an open and intense game, but in first half stoppages Pazzini brought a great save out of Buffon by again holding off his marker.
Fabio Capello introduced Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero for the second half in place of Birindelli and Pessotto for a 3-4-3 system. Del Piero wasted a good opportunity within 30 seconds of the restart, as he wanted an extra touch and was crowded out in the area.
Buffon misjudged a free kick and was able to get back into position in time to block Jorgensen's header. Juve hit back and an Ibrahimovic piledriver skimmed inches wide of the upright.
Ariatti's header failed to trouble Buffon at the near post as his contact was weak, but Cejas again cost his team with an appalling error. The goalkeeper rushed off his line and took the ball off his own defender, passing it straight into the path of Ibrahimovic to roll into an empty net.
Chiellini was again allowed a header from a corner kick and this time it was just wide of the target, then Buffon was quick to react as Pazzini had taken the defence by surprise.
Anything could happen in this game and moments later Del Piero's shot-cross was parried into the path of Ibrahimovic, only to see it charged down by Ujfalusi.
The Artemio Franchi crowd cheered the introduction of fan favourite Fabrizio Miccoli for the final 20 minutes. The Italian international is still half-owned by Juventus, though he is not set to return this summer, and was only able to start from the bench due to an Achilles tendon problem.
Fantini threw away a golden opportunity on the counter-attack, as he opted to shoot from an improbably large distance rather than pass it to Miccoli.
Fiorentina's celebrations were only postponed by a couple of minutes, as Marco Donadel's free kick found another defender - Dario Dainelli - for a free header to make it 3-2 to the Viola.
Del Piero almost made it 3-3 on Zalayeta's pass, but saw his shot charged down by a defender who happened to be in front of him.
The equaliser - and the sixth goal of the season - arrived with 8 minutes left on the clock. Ibrahimovic ran down the left flank, exchanged backheels with Zalayeta, and lobbed Cejas to complete the latest comeback.
The tempo in this incredible game never slowed for a second and Juventus went for the winner, but Nedved opted to pass rather than shoot and Zalayeta's effort was charged down.
Gianluca Zambrotta slipped, but still managed to get his volley on to the crossbar, then Miccoli curled a free kick inches wide of the near post with the aid of a deflection off Stephen Appiah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fiorentina: Cejas; Maggio, Dainelli, Ujfalusi, Chiellini; Ariatti, Maresca, Donadel, Jorgensen (Delli Carri 78); Fantini, Pazzini (Miccoli 70)
Juventus: Buffon; Birindelli (Zalayeta 46), Thuram, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Tacchinardi (Appiah 80), Pessotto (Montero 46), Nedved; Ibrahimovic, Del Piero
Ref: Collina
i heard that buffon , thuram were horrible in this game , thuram made these mistakes before , he dont know how to mark the attacker , he always stands infront of him instead of being next to him , if we dont how to mark the attackers , how we going to do in liverpool game , since they can score from set-piece and corners:down:
Buffon made a couple of misjudgements. But I cannot attribute any of the goals directly to his own mistakes -- certainly when compared with Cejas. He made at least one, if not two, brilliant saves during the match as well.
Thuram was bad. I had to rub my eyes to make sure he wasn't just playing out of place on the defensive wing again with Zebina out. But then Zebina has been worse on marking during set pieces.
I do think that a critical part of our success Wednesday will be in how many corners and near-goal set pieces we concede to Liverpool. We've defended in these situations much better in the past, so I am still hopeful that a bit of what we witnessed this week was more of a wake-up call -- some rust to shake out after a couple weeks of internationals and papal deaths.
Thuram was bad. I had to rub my eyes to make sure he wasn't just playing out of place on the defensive wing again with Zebina out. But then Zebina has been worse on marking during set pieces.
I do think that a critical part of our success Wednesday will be in how many corners and near-goal set pieces we concede to Liverpool. We've defended in these situations much better in the past, so I am still hopeful that a bit of what we witnessed this week was more of a wake-up call -- some rust to shake out after a couple weeks of internationals and papal deaths.
what a horrible performance from the DM and defence.. we looked like amatures..!!
but, it's better this way, to see how bad we are and stop some people from dreaming.. if we are going to win on wednesday, the fiorentina match would be the reason.. cause it showed how much work we have to do..!! and in some way, it would increase the responsibility on the players shoulders..
regarding nedved.. it's sad to see him out of touch lately, damn this injury.. but, IMO, it's his age too.. I think he should hangs his boots for good next season..
but, it's better this way, to see how bad we are and stop some people from dreaming.. if we are going to win on wednesday, the fiorentina match would be the reason.. cause it showed how much work we have to do..!! and in some way, it would increase the responsibility on the players shoulders..
regarding nedved.. it's sad to see him out of touch lately, damn this injury.. but, IMO, it's his age too.. I think he should hangs his boots for good next season..
Well that certainly was an .... interesting match.
We started off sluggish again, misspasses all over the place, longballs forward again and we were soon to pay for that by a Pazzini wondergoal.
After the goal we switched from the 4-4-2 formation to:
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Tacchinardi pessotto
Nedved
Ibrahimovic DP
With Nedved often wandering out to the right, we immediately played better as Zambrotta made some crucial and excellent runs forward and Camoranesi had more to combine with, it quickly payed off with Del Piero's venamous ,yet lucky, goal.
Just when I thought we were taking control of this game, Fiorentina's goal quickly followed. Chiellini headed in a fine cross and both Thuram and Buffon looked really awfull. As Andy pointed out so well, it looked like Thuram ran away from Chiellini. Buffon should've collected the cross though as it was easily within his reach.
With 2-1 behind Capello made some (risky) changes at half-time, bringing in Zalayeta and Montero for Birindelli and Pessotto. Switching to a new formation which hadn't even been tested yet:
Buffon
Thuram Montero Cannavaro
Nedved Camoranesi Tacchinardi Zambrotta
Zalayeta Ibrahimovic Del Piero
I really thought Camoranesi's, Zambrotta's and Zalayeta's roles in this formation were crucial.
- Camoranesi really excelled as cmf(he already excelled in the first as rmf as well though).
- Zambrotta had all the attacking space he wanted, and boy did he use it!
- Zalayeta gave us back, what made the 4-3-3 so succesfull just weeks ago.
Although this formation gave away a lot of room at the back, making us volnerable to counter-attacks we were able to constantly pressure Fiorentina and it payed of with an Ibrahimovic goal(although their keeper didn't look good, Chiellini's facial expression said it all..).
Again I felt we were taking control of the game, just for Fiorentina to score again. Montero made another of his stupid, yet so vital, mistakes by making an unneeded foul against Miccoli.
The freekick followed and some bad marking(again, thuram??!) allowed for the tall Dainelli to head home the cross.
At this point, although we kept up the pressure I did not feel confident anymore and our attacks started to look a little nervous.
A moment of genius from Zalayeta and especially Zlatan(bravo!) allowed us to score the 3-3 though.
Full-time.
Capello made some good choices in the match, but taking the risks of subsituting at half time and switching formations at two points in the game.
I'm really worried by this result though, as a 3-3 score is really uncharacteristic for juventus: so many goals scored and scored against...
5 goals conceded in two matches... We haven't conceded much more goals the entire season added-up!
I'm not confident for the liverpool match at all now, I hope we play the 4-3-3, bench Nedved and use him as our 'ace in the hole'
. Zambrotta behind Pessotto in the 4-3-3, or Zambrotta as midfielder would be the best.
Let's hope Capello will slap Thuram in the face to wake him up and practice a lot on defending set-pieces these couple of days. Capello should also let the bix and strong trio of Emerson, Zalayeta and Ibrahimovic (altough it will go at the cost of counter-attacks) defend in the box at free-kicks and corners...
On a positive note: I was happy to have seen our 'never say die' attitude back in this match..
--------------------------------------------------
Ratings:
Buffon 5,5 I don't particularly blame the goals on him (maybe the second), but he looked uncomfortable and nervous all game long. He is starting to seriously worry me.
Birindelli 5,5 Didn't add anything defensively and offensively, did not make any mistakes though.
Thuram 5 Made mistakes in all the goals.
Cannavaro 7 Good as always
Montero 6 Didn't look bad at all, made a costly foul though.
Zambrotta 7+ the Good old Zambrotta finally returned, Pessotto always seems to do Zambrotta good and the 3-4-3 also worked well for him. Made a lot of trademark runs, was caught out defensively a couple of times though.
Camoranesi 7+ looked very good as well, was played in all sort of positions today (winger, right midfielder, central midfielder) and he excellend in all positions. He even had a playmaking role.
Tacchinardi 6 Looked very solid, mistakeless and solid passing. Everything but spectacular though.
Pessotto 6- Allowed Zambrotta to play better. Pessotto didn't look nearly as good as he looked against Liverpool though and was very quiet.
Nedved 5,5 was practically non-excistent out there. He really tried his best, things simply wouldn't go for him though.
Zalayeta: 6,5 Started of silently after his entrance, but he made some very important contributions as the match went on and had a moment of pure brilliance. He should start against liverpool.
Ibrahimovic 7+ Did not look good in the first half, lost the ball often and made some strange decisions. In the second half he was very much alive though and scored the 2-2 and a wondergoal for the 3-3.
Del Piero 6,5 Had some good touches, tried his best, but he was pretty silent. Scored an important goal though.
Any comments?
We started off sluggish again, misspasses all over the place, longballs forward again and we were soon to pay for that by a Pazzini wondergoal.
After the goal we switched from the 4-4-2 formation to:
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Tacchinardi pessotto
Nedved
Ibrahimovic DP
With Nedved often wandering out to the right, we immediately played better as Zambrotta made some crucial and excellent runs forward and Camoranesi had more to combine with, it quickly payed off with Del Piero's venamous ,yet lucky, goal.
Just when I thought we were taking control of this game, Fiorentina's goal quickly followed. Chiellini headed in a fine cross and both Thuram and Buffon looked really awfull. As Andy pointed out so well, it looked like Thuram ran away from Chiellini. Buffon should've collected the cross though as it was easily within his reach.
With 2-1 behind Capello made some (risky) changes at half-time, bringing in Zalayeta and Montero for Birindelli and Pessotto. Switching to a new formation which hadn't even been tested yet:
Buffon
Thuram Montero Cannavaro
Nedved Camoranesi Tacchinardi Zambrotta
Zalayeta Ibrahimovic Del Piero
I really thought Camoranesi's, Zambrotta's and Zalayeta's roles in this formation were crucial.
- Camoranesi really excelled as cmf(he already excelled in the first as rmf as well though).
- Zambrotta had all the attacking space he wanted, and boy did he use it!
- Zalayeta gave us back, what made the 4-3-3 so succesfull just weeks ago.
Although this formation gave away a lot of room at the back, making us volnerable to counter-attacks we were able to constantly pressure Fiorentina and it payed of with an Ibrahimovic goal(although their keeper didn't look good, Chiellini's facial expression said it all..).
Again I felt we were taking control of the game, just for Fiorentina to score again. Montero made another of his stupid, yet so vital, mistakes by making an unneeded foul against Miccoli.
The freekick followed and some bad marking(again, thuram??!) allowed for the tall Dainelli to head home the cross.
At this point, although we kept up the pressure I did not feel confident anymore and our attacks started to look a little nervous.
A moment of genius from Zalayeta and especially Zlatan(bravo!) allowed us to score the 3-3 though.
Full-time.
Capello made some good choices in the match, but taking the risks of subsituting at half time and switching formations at two points in the game.
I'm really worried by this result though, as a 3-3 score is really uncharacteristic for juventus: so many goals scored and scored against...
5 goals conceded in two matches... We haven't conceded much more goals the entire season added-up!
I'm not confident for the liverpool match at all now, I hope we play the 4-3-3, bench Nedved and use him as our 'ace in the hole'
. Zambrotta behind Pessotto in the 4-3-3, or Zambrotta as midfielder would be the best.
Let's hope Capello will slap Thuram in the face to wake him up and practice a lot on defending set-pieces these couple of days. Capello should also let the bix and strong trio of Emerson, Zalayeta and Ibrahimovic (altough it will go at the cost of counter-attacks) defend in the box at free-kicks and corners...
On a positive note: I was happy to have seen our 'never say die' attitude back in this match..
--------------------------------------------------
Ratings:
Buffon 5,5 I don't particularly blame the goals on him (maybe the second), but he looked uncomfortable and nervous all game long. He is starting to seriously worry me.
Birindelli 5,5 Didn't add anything defensively and offensively, did not make any mistakes though.
Thuram 5 Made mistakes in all the goals.
Cannavaro 7 Good as always
Montero 6 Didn't look bad at all, made a costly foul though.
Zambrotta 7+ the Good old Zambrotta finally returned, Pessotto always seems to do Zambrotta good and the 3-4-3 also worked well for him. Made a lot of trademark runs, was caught out defensively a couple of times though.
Camoranesi 7+ looked very good as well, was played in all sort of positions today (winger, right midfielder, central midfielder) and he excellend in all positions. He even had a playmaking role.
Tacchinardi 6 Looked very solid, mistakeless and solid passing. Everything but spectacular though.
Pessotto 6- Allowed Zambrotta to play better. Pessotto didn't look nearly as good as he looked against Liverpool though and was very quiet.
Nedved 5,5 was practically non-excistent out there. He really tried his best, things simply wouldn't go for him though.
Zalayeta: 6,5 Started of silently after his entrance, but he made some very important contributions as the match went on and had a moment of pure brilliance. He should start against liverpool.
Ibrahimovic 7+ Did not look good in the first half, lost the ball often and made some strange decisions. In the second half he was very much alive though and scored the 2-2 and a wondergoal for the 3-3.
Del Piero 6,5 Had some good touches, tried his best, but he was pretty silent. Scored an important goal though.
Any comments?
Maybe we can try the 4-3-3 formation against Pool
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Emerson pessoto
Zalayeta Ibrahimovic DP
* Introduce Nedved in the 2nd half and it will become
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Emerson pessotto
Nedved
Ibrahimovic DP
* = Sub the striker there is not performing
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Emerson pessoto
Zalayeta Ibrahimovic DP
* Introduce Nedved in the 2nd half and it will become
Buffon
Birindelli Thuram Cannavaro Zambo
camo Emerson pessotto
Nedved
Ibrahimovic DP
* = Sub the striker there is not performing
Pazzini socred such a wonderful goal, and Zlatan too 
very entertaining match. And I think that Appiah was really great when he came in. He did some good stuff. Didn't look like he had soap under his feet this time. Buffon was shabby, Thuram was hmmm not good today. I wonder what has happened to Juventus defence in the air. BTW, Emerson didnt play yesterday, right?
very entertaining match. And I think that Appiah was really great when he came in. He did some good stuff. Didn't look like he had soap under his feet this time. Buffon was shabby, Thuram was hmmm not good today. I wonder what has happened to Juventus defence in the air. BTW, Emerson didnt play yesterday, right?
