Well, our offense played like crap in the first half. In the second half, after a 2-0 lead, it was our defense's turn. No surprise that Boumsong was closely involved in both goals. But the team overall got caught sleeping -- there's more blame to go around that just Boumsong.
These are the point losses you can rue later in the season... We end the first half of the campaign the way we started: Paro with a solid match and a disappointing draw.
Buffon - 5.5 - Saved us from a Boumsong nightmare to start the match (a weak backpass), but otherwise didn't really make any great saves. I think he could have done more to defend both goals.
Balzaretti - 6 - Decent crosses on the offsive end. A few good headers to clear, but otherwise got beat a bit on the run. But he should have clamped down on the cross that lead to the last goal. He put his hand up, but you weren't getting the call.
Boumsong - 4 - I cannot villify him for the loss of two points. We could have easily scored more, and we could have fluffed a couple of goals through with our lackadaisical defensive attitude after the 2-0 lead even if Boumer wasn't on the pitch. Still, his simple skills are sometimes maddening. The PK was a harsh call, but he could have at least made contact with the ball. And he should have defended the last goal from the inside and not the outside. I'd have rated him lower, but he did some decent things that prevented his play from being an all-out disaster.
Chiellini - 6 - Had a good game overall. Good clears and challenges. Some nice clearing headers. But when he went down on a challenge, that lead to the set up for the Arezzo PK, otherwise I'd give him a 6.5.
Birindelli - 6 - Surprisingly had a decent match. Some defensive flaws, but I've come to expect that. What I didn't expect were good crosses and runs at the other end that made his appearance today seem worthy.
Palladino - 6 - He was rubbish in the first half. But his decision not to get involved in the first goal plus his finish on the second redeemed him. Still, there's a lot of Mutu 2006-7 going on here: a striker fielded out of his position.
Paro - 7 - Juve's MOM throughout the game. He cleared the ball when we were in trouble. He intervened well. He lunged forward a few times and even made those efforts effective ... setting up a pass that lead to the second goal. One of the smartest things he did was recognize how DP was the engine for our offensive setups, so he always picked him out deep on the left wing.
Zanetti - 5.5 - Average game. Our control could have been better, and I fault him for some of that.
Del Piero - 6.5 - He was our playmaker today. He distributed the ball well, and he created openings with his footwork. He played as you would expect from a cool-headed captain. Too bad he didn't get the defensive support he deserved today.
Zalayeta - 6 - Had some poor finishes, as usual. But his passes were good and created good chances -- including the cross that lead to the first goal.
Trez - 6.5 - Quiet in the first half, his one-touch rocket goal was precisely the sort of finish we've been missing for weeks. And the soft touch to set up Palladino's goal was key.
Subs:
Marchisio - 5.5 - Seemed a little rusty. But he came on for a rusty-looking Zanetti. He was a little too amped up and needed to settle down a little for this one.
DD - 5 - Could have used more subs, and I question how effective four strikers on the pitch would be. But he stuck with it and we got our goals. Unfortunately, we probably could have used some more defensive subs after the 2-0 lead, and the team rested on their laurels too much in the end.
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