Serie A : Juventus - Empoli (12 Viewers)
- Thread starter Maher
- Start date
I'm just watching the game now, and we really werent that bad. We sure as hell created alot more than Empoli did.
And yeah, what's with the center mid side-foot passing craze in our team?
And am i the only person that notices cannavaro is the center of action on every single corner kick. Not just this game, in all our games. He doesn't always hit the ball but 80% of the time he's the one that gets there. That guy can jump like a mad man.
Nice try by dp in the 37' st by the way
And yeah, what's with the center mid side-foot passing craze in our team?
And am i the only person that notices cannavaro is the center of action on every single corner kick. Not just this game, in all our games. He doesn't always hit the ball but 80% of the time he's the one that gets there. That guy can jump like a mad man.
Nice try by dp in the 37' st by the way
Juve 2 Empoli 1, the scoreline during the game. Not a really flattering score to be honest. And those 2 goals come from a defender! For once I was thinking, what is Cannavaro doing in the box, shouldn't he be defending? We are playing against an Empoli side which is experiencing a crisis, yet we are very lucky to win. I may say that it is bad luck against Chievo, but we truly don't deserve to win.
Buffon: Couldn't do anything much about the free-kick, but I think that based on his experience, he should have done better. 5.5
Zambrotta: Involved in attack as usual. I think that he should been playing for only 1 side for a paeriod of time. Constantly changing his position will make him confused. 6
Cannavaro: Man of the match. The Italian captain does his main job in defending and even scored a brace. Celebrates with a lion heart. I think that he should be captain instead of Thuram if DP is not playing, but too bad he hasn't been in Juve for a long time. 7.5
Thuram: Given away a free kick, which is normal. Besides that, nothing to comment. 6
Balzaretti: Good runs, good passes and good crosses. No wonder Torino fans consider him a hero b4 he joins Juve. Does not even deserve the substitution at all. After all he's been playing well. 6.5
Camo: Another ok day for him. Nothing more, nothing less. 6
Emerson: I assume that he is playing as a brick wall. Pretty good job done, but passing still needs improvement. 6
Vieira: What's up with this guy? He's slow and his passes are awful. This isn't the Vieira that we want. This is a far cry from his Arsenal captain days. If he performs like that, he should be benched. 5
Mutu: Great dribbler, great passing, and good pace. Should have been played in the middle and should not have been substitued so early. 6.5
DP: Contribute to the game, making some nice passes and hit the crossbar twice. Unlucky not to score a goal. I would give him 6.25, but a 6.5 would be better for all the critics to stop bother DP. Even if DP is a professional, I wish that critics should juz be patient and shut their mouth. 6.5
Trez: 0 service, should have contributed more instead of juz waiting for balls to come. 5.5
Zebina: Good to see him back b4 he goes off to somewhere else 6
Zalayeta: From what I see, he desperately needs more games to play even though his loyalty to the club is known. 5.5
Capello: All hats to u for nearly making a fool out of Juve against a weak side called Empoli that is facing a crisis. Ever since we concede the goal, everything is going on perfectly until the double substitutions were intoduced, which slowed down our attack. If ur contented with a 1-1 draw against Empoli, I really think that u have a lot of work to do. Your tactic of leaving both Emerson and Vieira as DMs really baffle me. When we need to attack, both players just remain, and their passing has worsened. Both men need to improving their passing. And Mutu should been played in the middle. As I said earlier in this thread,
I will give u a 5.
Buffon: Couldn't do anything much about the free-kick, but I think that based on his experience, he should have done better. 5.5
Zambrotta: Involved in attack as usual. I think that he should been playing for only 1 side for a paeriod of time. Constantly changing his position will make him confused. 6
Cannavaro: Man of the match. The Italian captain does his main job in defending and even scored a brace. Celebrates with a lion heart. I think that he should be captain instead of Thuram if DP is not playing, but too bad he hasn't been in Juve for a long time. 7.5
Thuram: Given away a free kick, which is normal. Besides that, nothing to comment. 6
Balzaretti: Good runs, good passes and good crosses. No wonder Torino fans consider him a hero b4 he joins Juve. Does not even deserve the substitution at all. After all he's been playing well. 6.5
Camo: Another ok day for him. Nothing more, nothing less. 6
Emerson: I assume that he is playing as a brick wall. Pretty good job done, but passing still needs improvement. 6
Vieira: What's up with this guy? He's slow and his passes are awful. This isn't the Vieira that we want. This is a far cry from his Arsenal captain days. If he performs like that, he should be benched. 5
Mutu: Great dribbler, great passing, and good pace. Should have been played in the middle and should not have been substitued so early. 6.5
DP: Contribute to the game, making some nice passes and hit the crossbar twice. Unlucky not to score a goal. I would give him 6.25, but a 6.5 would be better for all the critics to stop bother DP. Even if DP is a professional, I wish that critics should juz be patient and shut their mouth. 6.5
Trez: 0 service, should have contributed more instead of juz waiting for balls to come. 5.5
Zebina: Good to see him back b4 he goes off to somewhere else 6
Zalayeta: From what I see, he desperately needs more games to play even though his loyalty to the club is known. 5.5
Capello: All hats to u for nearly making a fool out of Juve against a weak side called Empoli that is facing a crisis. Ever since we concede the goal, everything is going on perfectly until the double substitutions were intoduced, which slowed down our attack. If ur contented with a 1-1 draw against Empoli, I really think that u have a lot of work to do. Your tactic of leaving both Emerson and Vieira as DMs really baffle me. When we need to attack, both players just remain, and their passing has worsened. Both men need to improving their passing. And Mutu should been played in the middle. As I said earlier in this thread,
I will give u a 5.
Week 21 Spotlight: Quality in a Can Monday 23 January, 2006
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Player of the Week: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)
Fabio Cannavaro’s double prevented an unlikely defeat for Juventus at home to Empoli on Sunday, preserving his side’s eight-point lead in Serie A and proving that cometh the hour, Canna’s the man.
With Juve having seen their lead sliced to five points, following Inter’s 3-0 win over Palermo the previous evening, the Bianconeri needed a display of character and this was no better personified than by the determined stopper.
Without the Neapolitan at the heart of his defence, there can be little doubt that Juve Coach Fabio Capello’s seemingly unstoppable Italian champions would not be such an impenetrable force.
Canna has built a wonderful understanding with Lillian Thuram in the centre of a Juve rearguard that has conceded just 12 Serie A goals in 21 matches and yesterday his two headed goals brought the Turin side back from behind to win a hard-fought match 2-1.
With his side behind to a superbly-taken early Empoli free-kick, Cannavaro settled his team’s nerves by rising at the far post to head home Mauro Camoranesi’s free-kick after 17 minutes.
Despite going on to dominate the match and twice hitting the crossbar through Alessandro Del Piero, Juve were in danger of slumping to a second straight draw and conceding yet more ground to the chasing pack – until Cannavaro struck again.
With 13 minutes left the Italy captain was on hand to meet Del Piero’s corner with another header to guarantee three points for the Italian champions and restore the Old Lady’s healthy title lead.
Cannavaro made his name as a youngster playing for his hometown club, Napoli, before he was snapped up by Parma in 1994, where he enjoyed a successful eight years, winning two Italian Cups, the 1998 UEFA Cup and the Italian Super Cup the following year.
During this time the stocky stopper was also called up to the national team, where his performances in the build-up to the 1998 World Cup won him a regular place in the side, which he has inhabited ever since.
As well as appearing in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals, Cannavaro also narrowly missed out on European Championships success in 2000 when the Azzurri lost in the Final to France in extra-time.
Having forged an imperious partnership alongside Alessandro Nesta in the middle of defence, Cannavaro was named Italy captain almost four years ago when Paolo Maldini decided to call time on his international career.
Cannavaro came under considerable criticism following his £16m switch to Inter in the 2002-03 season, but the Nerazzurri came as close as they ever have done during their 16-year-title drought, finishing second in Serie A and reaching the semi-final of the Champions League.
After a second season at the San Siro, which was blighted by injury, Cannavaro made the surprise move to Juventus and, as an ever-present in the side, marshaled the defence of a side that conceded just 27 goals all year and brought him his much-awaited first Scudetto.
He also scored in the 2-1 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Liverpool, proving, as yesterday, that when the going gets tough, he can be called upon to rise to the occasion.
Cannavaro is now at the peak of his career. A key figure in Juve’s success story, the redoubtable 32-year-old will now be looking to win the only club medal that eludes him – the Champions League – before hoping to guide his country to World Cup success.
source: channel4.com
Perhaps the consolation for this game
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Player of the Week: Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)
Fabio Cannavaro’s double prevented an unlikely defeat for Juventus at home to Empoli on Sunday, preserving his side’s eight-point lead in Serie A and proving that cometh the hour, Canna’s the man.
With Juve having seen their lead sliced to five points, following Inter’s 3-0 win over Palermo the previous evening, the Bianconeri needed a display of character and this was no better personified than by the determined stopper.
Without the Neapolitan at the heart of his defence, there can be little doubt that Juve Coach Fabio Capello’s seemingly unstoppable Italian champions would not be such an impenetrable force.
Canna has built a wonderful understanding with Lillian Thuram in the centre of a Juve rearguard that has conceded just 12 Serie A goals in 21 matches and yesterday his two headed goals brought the Turin side back from behind to win a hard-fought match 2-1.
With his side behind to a superbly-taken early Empoli free-kick, Cannavaro settled his team’s nerves by rising at the far post to head home Mauro Camoranesi’s free-kick after 17 minutes.
Despite going on to dominate the match and twice hitting the crossbar through Alessandro Del Piero, Juve were in danger of slumping to a second straight draw and conceding yet more ground to the chasing pack – until Cannavaro struck again.
With 13 minutes left the Italy captain was on hand to meet Del Piero’s corner with another header to guarantee three points for the Italian champions and restore the Old Lady’s healthy title lead.
Cannavaro made his name as a youngster playing for his hometown club, Napoli, before he was snapped up by Parma in 1994, where he enjoyed a successful eight years, winning two Italian Cups, the 1998 UEFA Cup and the Italian Super Cup the following year.
During this time the stocky stopper was also called up to the national team, where his performances in the build-up to the 1998 World Cup won him a regular place in the side, which he has inhabited ever since.
As well as appearing in the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals, Cannavaro also narrowly missed out on European Championships success in 2000 when the Azzurri lost in the Final to France in extra-time.
Having forged an imperious partnership alongside Alessandro Nesta in the middle of defence, Cannavaro was named Italy captain almost four years ago when Paolo Maldini decided to call time on his international career.
Cannavaro came under considerable criticism following his £16m switch to Inter in the 2002-03 season, but the Nerazzurri came as close as they ever have done during their 16-year-title drought, finishing second in Serie A and reaching the semi-final of the Champions League.
After a second season at the San Siro, which was blighted by injury, Cannavaro made the surprise move to Juventus and, as an ever-present in the side, marshaled the defence of a side that conceded just 27 goals all year and brought him his much-awaited first Scudetto.
He also scored in the 2-1 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Liverpool, proving, as yesterday, that when the going gets tough, he can be called upon to rise to the occasion.
Cannavaro is now at the peak of his career. A key figure in Juve’s success story, the redoubtable 32-year-old will now be looking to win the only club medal that eludes him – the Champions League – before hoping to guide his country to World Cup success.
source: channel4.com
Perhaps the consolation for this game
Is this typical?
It happened a couple of times now but i remember the days we couldnt make the come back no matter what,
i prefere that.
Its good to win the teams able to start the game scoring a lucky goal and then guard it.Its one very dif task esp for our defensive based team,
actually i m very pleased with this performancethat prooves how powerfull team Juve is now,
we got unlucky, our midfield sucked, our attackers couldnt score, the ref was thinking it was a basketball game and wasted the half play time on fouls, our coach did some mistakes and we still won the day, we cant be stopped...
It happened a couple of times now but i remember the days we couldnt make the come back no matter what,
i prefere that.
Its good to win the teams able to start the game scoring a lucky goal and then guard it.Its one very dif task esp for our defensive based team,
actually i m very pleased with this performancethat prooves how powerfull team Juve is now,
we got unlucky, our midfield sucked, our attackers couldnt score, the ref was thinking it was a basketball game and wasted the half play time on fouls, our coach did some mistakes and we still won the day, we cant be stopped...
Ok we had a bad day but it wasnt as bad as people say,it could be much worse,
as Empoli never had the chance to score and we were creating chances all the time(not deadly thought), normally we sould have finish this game from the first half,
Empoli and the young ref did whatever possible to slow down the rythm of the game and we eventually got a litle tired of it, creating, this is our weak point all the time, but we did much worse in the "near" past,
Juventus isnt a team built to massively create chances,
to do this we need excelent wingers(like the ones we have)
and our DMs to contribute more(like they did at the begining of the season), they once again sucked today at their offensive role
and this scenario was the worst possible for our team,
this was the kind of the days a normal team would loose points,
but not the champions,
we had the determination needed(unlike previus games) to turn this game
and we fought for it against all the odds and it wasnt luck IMO,
because it wasnt the first time,IMO Empoli was lucky to score this goal(as they dont score it every game) and we were unlucky not to score others against this pathetic keeper.
About Capello: He is lucky to have the right tools for it, any player in our team can make the difference in his day,today it was canna's day,if Cap had Empoli's players...
Buffon 5.5 - The best keeper in the world cannot forget positioning even off form,he underestimated the situation
Blaza 6.5 - Good runs+crosses,helped in our construction of the game, one of our best players, he is ready to be a starter,subbing him messes with his confidence,why Cap, why?was he tired?
Canna 7.5 - Solid in defense, imensive contribution in corners,MOM
Thuram 6.0 - Solid,silent work,he stepped forward and stopped many counterattacks in their birth
and when the situation got danzerous he stopped the game with fouls away from the box,normally our famous keeper wouldnt mind...
Zamb 6.5 he was better as RB today, he had the role he used to have as LB,better than average, thanx to him, Emo and Thuram, Empoli never got close from this side
Emerson 6.0 - Average,did his job on stopping Empoli in the center nothing more, nothing less
Viera 4.9 - Bellow average,another bad day,he was our weak link,he couldnt control neither the midfield game,neither his own legs...
Camo 6.0 - A lot of try to proove he is still here and strong, but he was too anxius
and maybe a little slapppy,thing that mattered in his affectiveness(that backheel on Treze wasnt lucky thought:eyebrows: ) )
Mutu 5.5 - Not one of his best days,he was fast alright the few times his teamplayers passed him the ball,but when he got it,he didnt know what to do with it,i used to admire Mutu because of the ideas and the creativity he had,(thats why the Romanians call him the "brilliant")it seems Cap is working his way on turning him to a winger...
DP 6.5 - 2 crossbars means he was there in the attack too, our Captain now is no longer anxius to score and he concentrates more on setting up our game,
because the service from the midfield wasnt present he got back a lot to try smth as OM,Empoli's multipersonal defence couldnt be penetrated from his efforts alone and DP has bellow average stamina+strenght for sure,he fought his battle with dribbles and smart, carefull passing,we lost the ball many times, in this game,
but not by DP's mistakes...
Trez 4.5 - As i ve always being saying,Trezegoal is not the kind of players that can make the diference on winning the superiority in a game, but he can take advantage of it,today he was uneffective in this role too,so many crosses, crappy defenders,crappy keeper and Trezeqeut let Canna score 2goals...
Zalayeta 5.0 - He used to be an impressive sub...
Zebina 6.0 - It seems the accidentations didnt cost him that much,he is ready to help us when/if needed but i need too see more of him to be sure(if it was my choice i would choose Balza though)
Capello 5.0 He losted it completely, he may be good on pre-match preparations but he cant adapt his tactic in the course of battle, i think he bet everything on Vieira's performance and Canna saved him from loosing this bet...
as Empoli never had the chance to score and we were creating chances all the time(not deadly thought), normally we sould have finish this game from the first half,
Empoli and the young ref did whatever possible to slow down the rythm of the game and we eventually got a litle tired of it, creating, this is our weak point all the time, but we did much worse in the "near" past,
Juventus isnt a team built to massively create chances,
to do this we need excelent wingers(like the ones we have)
and our DMs to contribute more(like they did at the begining of the season), they once again sucked today at their offensive role
and this scenario was the worst possible for our team,
this was the kind of the days a normal team would loose points,
but not the champions,
we had the determination needed(unlike previus games) to turn this game
and we fought for it against all the odds and it wasnt luck IMO,
because it wasnt the first time,IMO Empoli was lucky to score this goal(as they dont score it every game) and we were unlucky not to score others against this pathetic keeper.
About Capello: He is lucky to have the right tools for it, any player in our team can make the difference in his day,today it was canna's day,if Cap had Empoli's players...
Buffon 5.5 - The best keeper in the world cannot forget positioning even off form,he underestimated the situation
Blaza 6.5 - Good runs+crosses,helped in our construction of the game, one of our best players, he is ready to be a starter,subbing him messes with his confidence,why Cap, why?was he tired?
Canna 7.5 - Solid in defense, imensive contribution in corners,MOM
Thuram 6.0 - Solid,silent work,he stepped forward and stopped many counterattacks in their birth
and when the situation got danzerous he stopped the game with fouls away from the box,normally our famous keeper wouldnt mind...
Zamb 6.5 he was better as RB today, he had the role he used to have as LB,better than average, thanx to him, Emo and Thuram, Empoli never got close from this side
Emerson 6.0 - Average,did his job on stopping Empoli in the center nothing more, nothing less
Viera 4.9 - Bellow average,another bad day,he was our weak link,he couldnt control neither the midfield game,neither his own legs...
Camo 6.0 - A lot of try to proove he is still here and strong, but he was too anxius
and maybe a little slapppy,thing that mattered in his affectiveness(that backheel on Treze wasnt lucky thought:eyebrows: ) )
Mutu 5.5 - Not one of his best days,he was fast alright the few times his teamplayers passed him the ball,but when he got it,he didnt know what to do with it,i used to admire Mutu because of the ideas and the creativity he had,(thats why the Romanians call him the "brilliant")it seems Cap is working his way on turning him to a winger...
DP 6.5 - 2 crossbars means he was there in the attack too, our Captain now is no longer anxius to score and he concentrates more on setting up our game,
because the service from the midfield wasnt present he got back a lot to try smth as OM,Empoli's multipersonal defence couldnt be penetrated from his efforts alone and DP has bellow average stamina+strenght for sure,he fought his battle with dribbles and smart, carefull passing,we lost the ball many times, in this game,
but not by DP's mistakes...
Trez 4.5 - As i ve always being saying,Trezegoal is not the kind of players that can make the diference on winning the superiority in a game, but he can take advantage of it,today he was uneffective in this role too,so many crosses, crappy defenders,crappy keeper and Trezeqeut let Canna score 2goals...
Zalayeta 5.0 - He used to be an impressive sub...
Zebina 6.0 - It seems the accidentations didnt cost him that much,he is ready to help us when/if needed but i need too see more of him to be sure(if it was my choice i would choose Balza though)
Capello 5.0 He losted it completely, he may be good on pre-match preparations but he cant adapt his tactic in the course of battle, i think he bet everything on Vieira's performance and Canna saved him from loosing this bet...
I missed this match but it seems we played poor or atleast not as good as we should.
Canna won us the match huh, im so impressed by him, he always seems to step up when we need him the most. He had two headers last seaosn too, one against Liverpool which was a crucial goal and another against Roma.
Forza Cannavaro!
Canna won us the match huh, im so impressed by him, he always seems to step up when we need him the most. He had two headers last seaosn too, one against Liverpool which was a crucial goal and another against Roma.
Forza Cannavaro!
Thanks for the ratings, Cronos. I hadn't seen the game -- only the highlights -- so this helps fill in the blanks.
I've seen a lot of comments about this, and this much I did catch several times on all the replays last night. It's downright foolish for a goalie to play to cover the exact corner of the next. It's a matter of leaving yourself open to the most reasonable odds and chances there, and that free kick was pretty amazing in terms of placement.
Not that he couldn't have improved by getting a hand on it. But the goal is always big enough to force any goalie, even Super Gigi, to make choices.
I've seen a lot of comments about this, and this much I did catch several times on all the replays last night. It's downright foolish for a goalie to play to cover the exact corner of the next. It's a matter of leaving yourself open to the most reasonable odds and chances there, and that free kick was pretty amazing in terms of placement.
Not that he couldn't have improved by getting a hand on it. But the goal is always big enough to force any goalie, even Super Gigi, to make choices.