++ [ originally posted by -Z- ] ++
I know some of you ill tell me that I'm over-reacting, that things are not so bad, etc etc, but hear me out anyway.
I truly believe that this current Juventus team has given us all it has and they cant do any moer. We've fallen and we wont be able to get up. The Juventus era of the last decade or so when we won numerous Serie A titles, won the CL once and lost it three times is over.
I truly believe that we need drastic changes before the next season, not only in terms of bringing in new players but also in terms of changign the players mentality, even if it means bringing in a new coach. And it's not only because of one loss, we have been playing badly all season, and I simply dont believe we can win anything this season. The Scudetto is virtually out of our reach, not only because of the 8 point gap, but also because of our play. I simply dont believe we can beat any of the big teams this season. Milan, Roma, Lazio, Parma, Inter, Deportivo... we are going to have to improve significantly to even have a chance of winning.
In my opinion these are the areas we need to change:
Goalkeeper:
Yes, I believe we need to bring in another quality goalkeeper, possibly someone thats young, but proven nontheless. I'm not saying we need a replacement for Buffon, but we need a new substitute keeper. Someone with enough quality to make Buffon sweat and give his best in training, someone that can even replace Buffon when he's out of form. Competition is a great thing, it makes you try harder in order too keep your place. I dont exactly see Buffon being scared of Chimenti, do you?
Defence:
This should have been delt with sooner. Our defenders are simply too old, too slow, and past it. I pity the team that has to rely on Iuliano, or Montero not to concede. All the flaws of our defence have been cruelly exposed this season, and noone can deny there is a problem. We lack speed and security, and we make enought errors we can export them to third world countries, and still have plenty. Iuliano, Montero and Ferrara are simply too old, and should not be playing at top level anymore. Thuram has also just passed that magic border after which your career goes downhill... We need changes.
Midfield:
There is no midfield. Altho our midfield was ok last year and we are "supposed" to have more quality and depth this season, that simply isnt the case. Our entire midfield, and all of the team for that matter, depends on Nevded. And he's not superman, nore can he keep his form up forever. Tacchinardi and Appiah have been out of form and we're not holding the midfield nor winning balls like we used to. The wingers are practically non existant. We dont even have a left winger, while Camo makes up for one good performance with 10 bad ones. We need to be able to attack on the whole width of the field, and that implies that the wingers will have to take some pressure off the middle of the pitch and off Nedved. We cant expect Zambrotta to do all the work on the left, nor can we expect the inconsistant Camo and defensive minded Thuram to do anything on the rigth. Bot sides need to be imroved. And thats not all, we need a creative midfielder, a real playmaker. Someone thta can organize the play with flair and spark, creativity and vision, technique and class. Nedved, altho he does a great job, doesnt do it exactly that way, and he too is not getting any younger.
Attack:
The attack has actually been the best part of our team, but it's still far from perfect. We have too many forwards and only one tall target man. At least one of the Del Piero, Di Vaio and Miccoli trio should go, and if we get another small forwards, even two. I dont thik it should be Miccoli, so you do the math. We also need to add another big man to our roster, as there are times when Trezeguet will be injured or out of form. We need someone to replace him.
Coach:
Altho Lippi has done great things for us and is without a doubt one of the greatest managers in the world, I believe it's time for a change. We need someone that will bring in a new approach to the game, someone that will be prepared to experiment more and to take more risks. Someone young and hungry for titles, someone that will be able to motivate the guys again.
Possible solutions:
Goalkeeper: I'm not quite sure who is available, has quality and would be prepared to sit on the bench. Landrau maybe? He would be certanly be an upgrade from Chimenti
Defence: Altho we need to rejuvenate our defense, I believe we still need to have some experience in it, someone to guide our young guns to stardom.
IMO Stam fits the bill perfectly, he's tall, strong and has definite class. He's 31 and has at least two more years of top class football in him. A great partner in him would IMO be Lucio. He's 25, he's tall, stronga, and has an excellent header. He has some pace too, and IMO the defensive pairing of Stam and Lucio would be the best in Italy, if not the world. Legrotagglie and Tudor would sit on the bench, and another defender would be requiered too, someone to lear at first and later replace Stam. Someone like Gonzalo Rodriguez, or Mexes, or Ferrari...
For the right back position we need someone that can both defend and and attack, and someone that's young. Altho Trabelsi is a good player, he would not be my first choice. IMO Hinkel would be great, he's younger than Trabelsi and is and EU player. I believe that after a year of playing under Thuram he would be ready for top class Europan football and a starting place in Juventus. A replacement for zambrotta wouldnt be bad either, someone like Evra.
Midfield:
Like I said, we need tackling, width and flair. IMO the tackling and ball winning part gets lowest priority because we already have Tacchinardi, Appiah and Blasi for that position. But an upgrade is definately possible. We ned to find a natural replacement for Davids, be it Tiago, Muntari or someone else, I dont care.
As far as the fingers are concernet, we need a replacement, and understudy for Camoranesi, someone that has potential and that will in a year or two be better and that can put in consistent performances. Santana would do, but if we are looking for an someone inside the club maybe Gasabaronni could do it.
As far as the left side is concerned, we need a natural left footed player, with solid passing and a great cross. Someone that can play a one two with Zambrotta and combine with him on the left. Also someone that can take corners from the right side. The French Beckham, Rothen.
As far as the playmaker position is concerned, the best and most realistic option is Rosicky, altho someone of the Diego or Aimar type woučdnt be bad. But IMO ROsicky would be more than enought, and if we're buying from Germany Stuttgart's Hleb has some serious skills.
Attack:
Like I already said, we have a good attack but it could be better. We need a replacement for Trezeguet, and IMO Zlatan would be up to the job. he could do Treze's job (he is Ajax' best scorer this season with some 23 goals I believe), and he would add something new, some flair, better technique and someone that can create chances for others better than Trezeguet. Cavenaghi would be a good replacement too, but he's second on my list.
IMO, Miccoli needs to stay with us, while Di Vaio and Del Piero are not that neccessary. Di Vaio could leave in order to create room for anoter forward, Saviola maybe, while we could get some money for our other transfer operations by selling Del Piero. Zalayeta IMO is more than good enough to be a 5th striker for us, and him and Benjamin should gve us more than enough cover if someone gets injured.
Coach:
Deschamps. Who better to create a new Juventus than a player who has won it all with the old Juventus. He's proven he can get the results with Monaco, and his youth and hunger for trophies could be an invaluable asset.
I know some of you will not agree about such drastic measures, but I believe it's time for them and that they will make us even stronger than ever.
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