Serie A: Juventus vs Livorno [August 25 2007] (27 Viewers)

Snoop

Sabet is a nasty virgin
Oct 2, 2001
28,186
anyone who rates Nedved less than ten, should be banned. you have no choice. that god damn kid deserves it dammit! :D
 

PhRoZeN

Livin with Mediocre
Mar 29, 2006
16,939
Noce didn't contribute much in fact he made a lot of mistakes when passing the ball, also his yellow showed his inexperience..Zanetti's rating reflects the fact that Livorno were never that threatening and made plenty of mistakes when attacking...He held his line well but a 6.5 I think is fair..

Tiago player for about 20 mins during which he impressed me enough to get half a point more than the average rating of 6.
Noce worked hard, yes the yellow card was the result of a bad challenge, but he was constantly helping to push forward, not forgetting that he contributed in a few of our goals. I guess your right about zanetti..Im still unsure though about rating a 20 minute player..Good stuff but you could prolly use the same analogy for tiago, the fact that he was given the space to move around in..
 

Orgut

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2002
19,351
Chiellini is going to be huge
Nocerino is defenitely a great prospect and I see him as one of the best 5 DMs in the world in a few years
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,799
But how many of us saw 5-1 coming, though? Did we even score 5 goals in a game all last year? :oops: (OK, Arrezzo, Trestina, and Cortone don't count. :D)

And even if someone did call for that, I would flame them for being a completely blind amateur. :pint:
 

Elvin

Senior Member
Nov 25, 2005
36,923
Just want to add this:

All of us are enjoying the hunger in Juve's game, which we missed so much since Vialli and Co. days (I'd say).

I think the atmosphere at Stadio Olimpico is one of the major factors in this.
 

Orgut

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2002
19,351
What do you mean you didn't see Almiron & Zanetti?
I have started watching from the 50-60 min therefore I haven`t seen DP play as he was sub by Iaquinta and Almiron also went out before I have even noticed he was there as for Zanetti do not remember him was he on the field?

Sali DP and Almiron went out for Zebina Iaquinta and Tiago
Where was Zanetti I don`t remember
 

Kosta

The Eccentric
Jul 16, 2006
5,775
But how many of us saw 5-1 coming, though? Did we even score 5 goals in a game all last year? :oops: (OK, Arrezzo doesn't count. :D)

And even if someone did call for that, I would flame them for being a completely blind amateur. :pint:
I came close with 4:0 prediction , does that makes me a blind amateur ? :cry:
 

bianconeri-10

Junior Member
May 16, 2007
236
Just want to add this:

All of us are enjoying the hunger in Juve's game, which we missed so much since Vialli and Co. days (I'd say).

I think the atmosphere at Stadio Olimpico is one of the major factors in this.
agree i love playing in the olimpico much better than the delle alpi imo more ppl for sure
 

Stephan

Senior Member
Nov 9, 2005
16,647
Now that the live part of the match is over... time for analysis...

Well, that was a confidence booster.

In the first half, the 1-0 scoreline didn't reflect how well we dominated. But the 5-1 final score didn't reflect how close this match was to turning early in the second half. After a rather gifted PK call for Iaquinta, the wheels simply came off for Livorno.

But one of the things I really like about this new-look Juve: up 3-0, they looked hungry for more. In seasons past, this squad would rest on its laurels and be content to kill the clock. Ranieri seems to have instilled a spirit of, "Hey, scoring is fun. Why let up now?" And it showed in the team attitude and play later in the second half. These guys didn't want the match to end, and that's a good thing when you have a lead.

But back to early in the second half, Juve wasn't firing on all cylinders and Livorno were creeping back into it -- creating more offensive chances and moving possession to their side of the pitch while Juve looked too disorganized to score again any time soon. The PK awarded to Iaquinta seemed to change all that.

In the immortal words of The Wolf from Pulp Fiction, "Let's not start sucking each others' **** yet." So I am kind of glad to see the late goal from Livorno. Our defense was shaky against what was a really poor Livorno, and it would have been too easy to get too cocky after a win like this. But there was some great team play. I couldn't be happier for a start to the season back in A.

Players...

Buffon - 6.5 - Mostly solid and untested. But let one go at the end. I love that he's our backup captain.

Chiellini - 6.5 - Not too shabby on defense. And would occasionally put in some good offensive shots.

Andrade - 6 - I was worried about his foot speed after seeing the Armenian NT beat him often in quickness, if not for his ability to pull out raw defensive skill for the stop. But he looked quick today. It made me real nervous to see him playing so deep in the Livorno end at times -- at least without another CB we can really rely on in a counterattack situation. But overall he did well (who didn't in a 5-1 match?). Some positional choices weren't so good, but nothing I'd worry about -- should be tightened up in the weeks ahead. Needs to get control of the long ball.

Criscito - 6 - Out of position at times, including that late goal. But overall did well for his first real start for us. He'll need to develop: Livorno offered few real credible threats on offense today.

Salihamidzic - 6 - While his crosses could have been more accurate, I did like the interplay between himself and Nocerino on the right corner. Good involvement offensively from the wing, and an occasional good stop on the other end.

Nedved - 7.5 - The engine that could. This guy was non-stop. He stuck is leg out to poke a ball while lying on the ground from a tackle, etc. A bundle of energy. Classic early season Nedved though -- not tired and bruised enough to hit the turf for some rest, so he was really active. We'll see as the season wears on. A real leader from the center of the pitch, and perhaps the guy most responsible for the team's rhythm today. MOM edge, even over a higher-rated Trez, because of how he lead the most pivotal part of our club today: midfield.

Nocerino - 6.5 - A real fighter. Snarling junk yard dog. He took a lot of abuse in the first half, but he dished some out too. I really think he's making a great addition to the squad already -- he looks comfortable and he fits our team role/need well. Surprisingly, he added a bit on offense too today, particularly in his exchanges on the wing with Salihamidzic.

Zanetti - 6.5 - A rather solid game. Best when he's not taking shots on goal as usual. ;) Some good stops and redirection of play.

Almiron - 6 - Pretty solid, but we've seen him play better before. A good game only overshadowed by the fact that our midfield played particularly well as a unit today. That was clearly the strongest part of our game today.

Trezeguet - 8 - It's hard not to give a guy with a hat trick less than a 7, and I won't here. Maybe not as stellar as he can be, but this was one of his better matches. Good ball movement and most of his finishes were good. At worst, his finishes sometimes went directly to Amelia.

Del Piero - 6.5 - The DP worshippers probably think this game completely sucked and Claudio should be beheaded for subbing Del Piero first. He was having a good game. And DP didn't look thrilled to be pulled. But when on the pitch, he created a lot of opportunities. Great assist on the first goal. And while his free kick went exactly where I expected, it was classic DP.

Subs:

Iaquinta - 6.5 - You can't knock a guy who scores a brace after coming on in the second half, no matter what you think of a player. I wasn't sure the Iaquinta-Trez combo would work with two big men up front, but Claudio had him play a lot on the wings, which worked since we didn't have enough dangerous crosses in this match ... and particularly with DP subbed. Great penalty kick taken to really blow out this game. And the tip on Nedved's shot for his second goal may have been cheeky, but it was effective. And a great assist for Trez's last finish. Iaquinta 1 - Haters 0 this time around.

Tiago - 6.5 - Perhaps his best match yet in a Juve kit. We need to expect that from him. He gets five points just for looking good in a Juve kit -- I don't know what it is. (And it's not because he looks like Sarah Silverman in cleats.) Really good ball control in close quarters to recover things and send them constructively upfield. Some good stops too.

Zebina - 6 - Not involved much, but didn't make any blatant mistakes. Prevented crosses when we needed it.

Coach:

Ranieri - 6.5 - The team was well-prepared, looked organized, and continued to fight even with a 2-0 lead. I like that style already. Still, big challenges ahead and it will be interesting to see how he can prepare the team for road matches and ones where our offside trap today could be easily shredded apart by quality offenses. And some of the subs worked, but I am not certain they were exactly the best ones. But for now, Ranieri 1 - Haters 0.
great post :tup:

one thing though, having 2 big players upfront isnt really something new though, zlatan was also tall guy.

And about keep pushing, lets wait still, after all it was the first match, players were motivated and there for eagerness was there.
 

Sadomin

Senior Member
Apr 5, 2005
7,327
Buffon 6 - Did what he could.

Salihamidzic 6 - Solid in defence and worked hard in attack, but needs to improve his delivery.
Criscito & Andrade 6 - Forming quite a good partnership. Need to be more focused at times, though. Rossini's header could just as well have been a goal.
Chiellini 6.5 - Supports the central defenders very well in the air, and his technique has definitely improved. Will become an important part of the Italian NT.

Nocerino 6 - Very passionate player who linked up well with Salihamidzic. Nice assist but also got a silly yellow card at the end.
Zanetti 6 - Covered the area between midfield and defence without being spectacular.
Almirón 6 - Had a good first half where he was involved in most of our attacking play, but in the second half he was forced to help Zanetti more in defence.
Nedved 7 - He was everywhere and involved in everything. Still one of the best midfielders in Serie A.

Trezeguet 7.5 - Three well taken goals. Trezeguet's as lethal as ever.
Del Piero 6 - Looked a bit unfit but did well to set-up the first goal.
Iaquinta 7 - Can't give anything less to someone who scores two (albeit lucky) goals and sets up another in his debut. Much needed confidence boost for him.
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,799
What did you think of Nocerino's performance? Most people seem to think he played well but he disappointed me.
I liked it for the role he played. Kinda in a Gattuso-like way. It wasn't about tossing balls in the box, or even spectacular stops deep in your own end -- it was about aggressiveness, intimidation, and giving the opposing midfield little breathing room with your pressing to put much of anything constructive together. At that, I felt he succeeded.

anyone who rates Nedved less than ten, should be banned. you have no choice. that god damn kid deserves it dammit! :D
:lol:

:tup: nice analysis, totally agree.
Nice analysis swag. My ratings are basically the same as yours except for Nocerino and Chiellini.
Thanks, guys. :pint:

I came close with 4:0 prediction , does that makes me a blind amateur ? :cry:
Nah. Makes you an optimist. :D
 

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