This is from Andy, who has been banned forever by Mikhail:
FANTASTIC match. Now this is the sort of start I was hoping for. Not only did we win the match with some flair, our tactics were exactly what I wanted to see. We did not step out onto the pitch like lethargic drunks, as we would have when Capello was in charge. Rather, we took the game to Livorno and kept playing with heart until the final whistle, scoring a few decent goals because of our effort. If Capello was still in charge, we would have scored no more than two goals because after the first goal we would have took our foot off the peddle, thus making us susceptible due to complacency and lack of drive. If we take the field and perform with the same drive, heart and tactical nous every match, we could very well win Serie A this year... no lies. But it's still too early to tell.
My thumbs up
The tactics. We took the field with a 4-3-1-2, with Nocerino pushing out a little wide on the right and Almiron having free reign in the center. It should be completely obvious that Nedved MUST be deployed in the center or have a free role, as he was superb opening up space for other players tonight. Our DRIVE and the way we pressured Livorno tonight was simply perfect. We never slowed down our pace of play and we continued to take the game to our opposition, something they cannot handle as they are an inferior side. This is something we never witnessed under Capello because he made us become complacent, thus looking lethargic and falling back whenever we had a lead. That shit DOES NOT work anymore, especially with the squad we have right now. We MUST take the game to the opposition with all the weapons we have, and if we sit back with this current defense, we will lose out in the end.
The midfield. Zanetti, Nocerino and Almiron were all very solid centrally, and all of you should be able to see how that trio can protect our defense very well, something we certainly need. It's obvious a three-man midfield can work for us, and I actually believe a three-man midfield is necessary with our current defense. Not to knock our defense as they did a good job tonight, but I still feel they are not strong enough for us to rely upon in the sense of constant attacks. I feel that we MUST have more of the possession so we can hedge our risk of defensive errors. A three-man midfield of Almiron, Zanetti and Nocerino/Tiago will give us that strength through the middle of the pitch that will smother opposition attacks. With the straight 4-4-2, we give up strength in the middle, and by strength I mean bodies. The more bodies we have through the middle, the more difficult it is for the opposition to penetrate our central defense.
Our finishing. David Trezeguet has already shown our board why he deserves his pay increase. Thank GOD our board was not that imbecilic to let him leave, as he is certainly a key player for us this season. Iaquinta is no Trezeguet, not a Del Piero, or anything for that matter. It's scary to ponder life when Trezeguet is retired because nobody else is as classy of a finisher as our David.
My thumbs down
Not much to say here after the first match. All I have to say is that it's still too early to tell how good we actually are. This Livorno side looked very weak, especially through the middle of the pitch, and they barely constructed a few attacks against us. They did have two good opportunities to score before Loviso's goal, and they came from marking breakdowns from our defense. So, I do believe our defense needs to impove big time in the coming matches. There is no excuse for missed marks, and while Criscito and Andrade did very well today, they still made some slight mistakes.
Conclusion
All in all, this is exactly what we needed. What a way to say hello to Serie A once again. Even though the penalty was a joke and Iaquinta thought he was Pele after the ball deflected off his side, it's still a result that is VERY good for our psyche. It's very important that we start off with a huge bang in our first few matches, and there's nothing like a 5-1 win against Livorno to start off our campaign. I congragulate Ranieri, the players, and the fans for giving us an amazing re-entry into Serie A, something Juventus does indeed DESERVE.
Buffon - Did everything he needed to do, which wasn't much, thankfully. He couldn't have stopped the Loviso shot as that was spot on. 6
Salihamidzic - Our new right-back. As soon as we got him I was pondering whether he could take this spot, but after today I have to say he deserves it. He's less mistake prone than Zebina, and when you add on his attacking prowess, he really has to play. What a warrior. 6.5
Andrade - Did very well intercepting passes and controlling the defense. Perhaps he missed a few marks, but he still did very well on his Serie A debut. 6.5
Criscito - What a player at such an early age. Apart from a few missed marks on crosses, he did very well, especially when thinking about his calmness and maturity at the back. Criscito plays as if he's a seasoned veteran. 6.5
Chiellini - I don't think he made a terrible mistake all match. Throughout the friendlies and this game, it's obvious he's superior to Molinaro, and we need him out there. 6.5
Nocerino - He seemed to be pulling very wide on the right, but he still looked damn good with the ball and fought with fire in his belly. Nocerino was a bane for Livorno's left side of midfield, as he always challenged for the ball and got stuck in. 6.5
Zanetti - Solid. He did everything he was supposed to defensively, and with him in midfield our defense will look much better. 6.5
Almiron - Absoluely the next Veron. He's our quarterback and with a little improvement, he could equal Veron in terms of ability. 6.5
Nedved - Fantastic. As I said before, he needs to be deployed in the center of the pitch or a free role up top, as he caused Livorno so much havoc with his runs. With Nedved patrolling the opposition 18, it will create so much havoc that we will be have many more opportunities to score than using the straight 4-4-2. GUARANTEED. 7
Trezeguet - Thank God we didn't let him go. Perfect finishes. Domenech is an idiot. 8
Del Piero - He created our first goal, which was crucial. Looked good but also looked a little slow, but Alex is still a great weapon. 6.5
Iaquinta - Took a dive to win the penalty, celebrated like he scored a bike after the ball hit his side and went into the net, didn't do much else to be honest. I don't know why people are so blinded by this guy. 5.5
Tiago - Looked good for the time he played, but the announcer kept labelling him a playmaker. He's not a playmaker FFS.
Zebina... not enough time to judge.
Well done boys, great start. FORZA JUVE.
Buy on AliExpress.com
Neved's hunger, professionalism is something that every youngsters should watch watch watch, and learn them from heart. He is a true role model, and Juve youngsters are blessed that they got such a 10000% pro in their team.
