Juventus have now been crowned champions of Italy for the 28th time but a number of people had already assigned them the title on May 28, 2004. It was on that day that the football world awoke to the astonishing, simply unbelievable news, that Fabio Capello was the new Bianconeri boss.
It was widely expected that Monaco’s Didier Deschamps had pipped Cesare Prandelli for the Turin hotseat, following the departure of five-time Scudetto winner Marcello Lippi. Yet it was the man who once claimed he "would never join Juve" who was asked to return the Old Lady to her former greatness.
Don Fabio certainly had the pedigree to take on such a role. After all, he won the championship at his first attempt with Milan, before collecting three more with the Rossoneri, and Real Madrid. He later even won a Scudetto at Roma, a club who have incidentally gone through four tacticians since his departure less than a year ago.
There is no doubt that Capello has been the most important factor in the outfit’s rejuvenation after last season’s disappointing campaign. He came in with clear ideas and the club expertly met his transfer needs by signing Emerson, who was a key player under him in Rome, plus Fabio Cannavaro and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – two men he’d tried to net for some years while in the capital. The title, despite Milan’s efforts, duly followed.
Yet don’t expect the Juve faithful to be singing his name in the streets of the northern city too loudly. He may have again installed their club as champions of Italy but a certain amount of hostility remains. The fans have forgiven Emerson and Jonathan Zebina for their Roman past, but Capello is still tainted with numerous anti-Juve outbursts and his treatment of crowd favourite Alex Del Piero hasn’t helped either.
It’s something that Capello, a former Juve player, seemingly doesn’t have a problem with though. He’s been able to retain his professionalism and simply get on with the job he was hired for, with grit and determination that now characterises his side.
"My footballing philosophy is linked to that of (Juve legend) Gianpiero Boniperti," said Capello in pre-season. "I once asked him whether the result is the most important thing, he replied by informing me that it isn’t the most important thing but it is the only thing that matters. I think you can only enjoy football if you win, therefore I ask the fans to judge me on my results."
The Juventini may not be ready to offer their love to the tactician but they will have to admit he’s done well with what he’s had to work with. Nobody is suggesting that the club don’t have world class players but their squad is weaker than Milan’s options and possibly even those of Inter. Fortunately Capello’s brain was enough to nullify Milan’s beauty.
"He deserves great merit, especially as I think Milan and Inter do have better squads," former Torino boss Giancarlo Camolese recently stated. "Yet Capello has been able to get the best out of his players."
Ex-Juventus defender Sergio Brio has also paid tribute to Capello. "This Scudetto belongs to him," he suggested. "Perhaps no other Coach has made such an impact on a Juventus title. He’s perfectly looked after the changing room, even if a few people have criticised him for being too tough, especially with Del Piero. But the results say it all and let us not forget that Juve have been top of the table from start to finish."
Although undone by Rafael Benitez’s ‘catenaccio’ in the Champions’ League this season, Capello’s latest success has underlined his status as one of Europe’s master tacticians. Replacing Lippi was never going to be easy for the Italian giants but they may well have substituted the ‘best’ with someone even better. This, ominously for their rivals, may not be Capello’s first and last League title in Turin…
