I have nowhere near the same animosity towards giovinco as many other juventini. last season he was more exciting to watch and more potent, than any of our wingers other than 2 months of super krasic. I would have preferred a season of decent giovinco to a 8/9 week period of super krasic. It must be galling for him to have seen how inept we were last season...how we let him go in order to play with one decent winger for the right flank, and pepe and marchisio for the left. I would be surprised if all the comments attributed to la formica atomica have been reproduced verbatim from the original source.
Whilst I agree that he will unlikely ever be a truly top player for a truly top club, we have not been a top club for two seasons now, so it seems odd to be criticizing him from a stance of assuming we remain a top club. 7th then 7th is not a top club...Agreed, I doubt he will ever excel at one of italy's present top clubs...Napoli, Inter, Milan, but I do not wish him any ill will, and would still be happy if I saw him in our colours once again.
Still...we seem fine now for wingers, with more than we can manage, and Elia/Krasic could be a brilliant double pronged pincer offence, capable of pinning back fullbacks and delivering crosses into the box. Elia seems much more confident and capable at cutting in and heading direct for goal...i am very excited about seeing them in action.
We now have the stadium of a top team. the ingredients are in place for our squad to improve hugely on the last two season's consistent failure...and finally we have a manager whose appreciation of what lo stile juventus truly means and who has the traditional grit, heart and extreme determination which we haven't seen in the playing or managerial ranks since Nedved retired.
( I am aware that Nedved is part of our BoD, but in terms of management, I assume he is more an advisor/ambassador)
Its a shame about Ziegler, also rather strange, given our horrible time with the LB position since Zambrotta's departure. Most weird of all is that a swiss international, proven competent serie a player, good age, good fitness, was not even allowed to stay and fight for his place when the competitive action properly began. A very odd move...one that I have never seen before at a high level. Who is our reserve LB? Estigarribia has the grit, from what I learn, but his natural talents are far more offensive. Chiellini is by far our best CB and must play there. So who does that leave? Liviero?
I hope to see
Buffon
Lich Barzagli CHiellini De Ceglie
Vidal Pirlo
Krasic Matri Vuci Elia
I have read suggestions that MArchisio will begin in place of Vidal, and I hope this is wrong. Our first game in our new stadium, and the last thing we need is Marchisio to have one of his regular no-shows. Vidal may not be yet attuned to Conte's demanded, but he is 10 times the player that CLaudio is...a natural born warrior and he MUST play.
Now is the time to see how much of COnte's main talent...extreme grinta and pride in juventus...he has managed to transfer into the team. The very least I expect is for the team to come out of the blocks like berserkers, and fight like wild wolves, from the first to the last whistle. I want to see a fierce, burning desire that refuses to wane with the first challenge we lose, the first goal we concede, the first pass we misplace...
forza juve