i didnt wanna start a new thread so here goes.....
Juve Facing Back Problems
Crushed 4-0 by AS Roma and trailing Serie A leaders AC Milan by eight points, Juventus are asking themselves an unusual question - what happened to our title-winning defence?
Marcelo Lippi's side, winners of the past two Serie A titles, have had the tightest defence in Italy for the past four seasons. But having conceded 25 goals so far this in this campaign, they have the worst defensive record of any of the teams in the top eight. After just 20 games this season, Lippi's team have already conceded more goals than their entire title-winning campaign in 2002.
At the Olimpico Stadium on Sunday, Roma's Francesco Totti and Antonio Cassano tored through the defence throughout the game and their combination of invention and speed proved too much for central defensive pairing of Nicola Legrottaglie and Paolo Montero to cope with. Uruguayan Montero had a nightmare game, conceding the penalty shortly after the break, which allowed Totti to put Roma 2-0 up and then minutes later getting himself sent off for a crude kick at Totti. The 33-year-old's lack of pace was frequently exposed and his hot temper, always a problem, left his team 2-0 down and with ten men.
Legrottaglie, who joined Juve from Chievo in the close-season, has struggled to settle in nad has never looked as comfortable as during his impressive performances in Verona and with Italy. The veteren Ciro Ferrara, who will be 37 today, watched the match from the bench it is strange that a club with such huge resources now has such little cover at the back.
After the woeful defending in the recent 3-3 draw at the lowly Empoli, many experts predicted Juve would make a late move in the transfer market to shore uptheir backline. It did not happen and Lippi has insisted that with Croatian defender, Igor Tudor and the experience Mark Iuliano, as well as French full back Lilian Thuram, he had plenty of options.
On paper that may be true, but Montero's drastic loss of form and Legrottaglie's failure to raise his game leaves Lippi with little choice but to turn to Ferrara and possibly ask Tudor to drop back from midfield.
Lippi insist that despite the crushing defeat at the Olimpic Stadium, Juve remain in the title race. "If there's anyone here who thinks that by loosing here we've given up on the title, he should think again. Juventus never gives up," he said.
Certainly the season is far from over and Juve, also in the last 16 in the Champions League, are past masters at making late burst for the title. But for the first time in years Juve's defence looks weaker than their rivals.
Roma have powerful Argentine stopper, Walter Samuel and classy Romanian Cristian Chivu at the heart of the defence which has conceded just nine goals in 20 games so far this season. Milan's pairing of Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini has bags of experince and quality and so far has conceded just a few goal everyr other game
Reuters