First half was a game that would be envied by any team in the World, second half was like two relegation battlers trying to win.
First half was a dream, we played excellently, the decision by Ranieri was the right one, not many people like him, but today was a tactical victory thanks to Ranieri's decisions. He surprised everyone with this formation, from the Roma coach to the Juve fans. With the trident we are used to 2 DM's and one AMC which results in a slow build up to actions, but Ranieri went with two creative midfielders and only one defensive midfielder, which meant we could counter quicker and keep the ball longer to keep our defense more relaxed.
Del Piero played one of his best games of the season, he had the will, the passion that in the past few weeks have been missing, he had a certain 'grinta' that made him push on, and at times was also in our own penalty box defending. This Del Piero, working hard on the wings, would definitely be called up to the nazionale, if he accepts to sacrifice so much continuously. Also his set pieces today where very good, especially that cannon ball which almost tore the net. Grande Ale!
Just to inform some people who may not know, Camo was taken off at half time as he had a muscle strain, at first i thought it was a retarded sub by Ranieri, but he didn't want to risk Camo, i personally would have put in Sissoko as we were 1-0 up, but Ranieri wanted to put in Nocerino as he can play on the right side of midfield.
Ratings:
Buffon (7): Not too much to do in this match, but what he did he did perfectly, lesser keepers might have let one chance in (De Rossi's free kick). My favourite moment of Buffon's game: Mancini was stopped for offside, and just shot at goal as hard as he could, Gigi just put out his left hand and stopped it, Mancini's morale must have been shattered
Zebina(7.5): If not for Del Piero, he would be MoM. He didn't stop running for 95 minutes, I didn't used to like Jonathon, but now is slowly finding place in my heart, he always joins in the attack, and is always the first one to help out the central defenders if they are in need of extra men. Made very good runs, had an opportunity to score, but blazed it over the bar. I believe he has one of the best fitness levels in all of Serie A. Don't think i've seen him play this well since he was with Roma. His temper also seems to be under control more now.
Molinaro(6.25): He is improving, his fitness is very high, and his defensive recuperations are much better now, his timing of tackling also seems to be getting better. If he manages to learn how to cross and aim where he wants the ball to go he might actually be good enough to be the left back of Juve, as he has everything a good LB needs except crossing, cause he is fast, knows when to attack and when to stay back, and now is improving his tackling and timing, also his fitness is second to none, though his positioning in defence could improve a bit. IF he improves on crossing and positioning we MIGHT have a good player. Today he got into promising positions, but most of the time gave bad balls in, either they didn't pass the first defender, or else they'd be over-hit. Molinaro could be an important asset if he works on his crossing.
Legrottaglie(6.5): At times looked quite nervous, but he and Chiellini kept Totti quiet, and he did absolutely nothing all game. Was lucky not to score an own goal but he had to make that tackle as there was a Roma player right behind him.
Chiellini(6.5[just]): Kept Totti quiet, imo he needs to calm down a bit, he commits too many stupid fouls. If he calms down a bit he can be a great defender. Gets too many yellows for my liking, but if he calms down these will go down as well.
Zanetti(7): Did what he had to do, keep De Rossi and Pizarro quiet, they barely got the ball, so in turn they could not give the ball to Totti, another good game by one of our best players this season.
Nedved(7.5): You can see from today's match that Nedved both loves Juve and still has some Lazio blood in him
, every time we play Roma, we get a showing of a 28 year old in his prime rather than a 35 year old who has been contemplating retirement since 2004. Some nice passes, linked quite well with both Del Piero and also Molinaro. Was it a dive to get the free kick for our goal? He looked for it, but then again so did Mexes so probably the right decision from the referee. Could be useful next year as a rotation player, as i'm not sure he'd be able to play week in week out, but he'll be a sore loss for Juve. Vai furia Ceca
Camoranesi(7): You may not notice what he gives on the pitch when he is there, but once he is off the pitch you notice the loss. First half we were like a Ferrari in 5th gear, second half we were like a Skoda stalling at the traffic lights. Camo gives us that extra spark we need, he links up very well with Zebina and also with our attackers, had a few passes go astray, but all in all a good game
Iaquinta(6.5): Kept the ball well, gave us that extra bit of speed in our attack, though he could never really utilize it, he had a great chance in the first half, but Doni made a great save. Was mostly on the pitch for counter attacks and for a physical presence. With some more minutes under his belt, he could start scoring regularly again.
Trezeguet(6): In the first half he touched the ball 4 times. One was a brilliant cross to Iaquinta that Molinaro would dream possible. Other than that he was just there as a worry to defenders and sniffing around looking for a half chance to stick it in the back of the net. The game was mostly played in the middle part of the pitch, and i knew from the beginning that trez would get no or very few chances, in fact i can't remember him actually having a chance. Still he is vital to the team as he is our poacher.
Del Piero(8.5): Il nostro capitano, what more is there to say, he was everywhere on the pitch, from attack to left back. Wherever the ball went he was there, like i said before he had a grinta once again that was missing for the past few weeks. Didn't have too many goal-scoring chances, but when he had them he tested the keeper. A freekick that i think if our Superman would have problems saving. Was all over the pitch. More performances like this from him and the team and we'll have second place
Nocerino(6): Was put on at half time due to an injury to Mauro, had to play out of position, so overall not too bad, still not what we expect from someone who has been named Gattuso's successor, but he is still young and has time to improve.
Sissoko(6.5): I liked him very much today, even though he was on for about 25 minutes only. Whenever he was challenged to a header he came out on top, he blocked many shots and intercepted quite a lot of passes. Also his block on Mancini was just fabulous. Ranieri made the right choice in Momo by not rushing him into the first team and putting all the pressure on him, he is slowly intergrating him into the first team. It will be interesting to see how Juve will play in the near future. Don't forget he is only 23.
Palladino(6): He was just put on to keep the ball and maybe get some fouls around the box to double our lead. Didn't have enough time to really do anything with the ball.
Ranieri(6.5): His tactics today were good, especially in the first half. His decision to put in Momo Sissoko was also smart, even though it was the logical thing to do when you are suffering and none of your attackers are touching the ball. We were a bit lucky in the end, but luck favours the prepared.
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but reality hit in the second half, as I'm sure that everyone was on the edge of their seat, just waiting for disaster. Lucky for us, it didnt happen
