It's already March in case you haven't noticed, and title races all over Europe are entering the final straight, and as we prepare to watch the (hopefully) exciting run-ins, the usual suspects all across the continent are gearing up for a trophy, or a place in the Champions League next year at the very least.
Barca, Bayern, Manchester United and Lyon - all the glitterati are preparing for the sprint. But, for one prestigious team European glory is a bit far off; the boys from Juventus will have to make to with a more modest target.
When the Bianconeri were relegated last summer, there was much gnashing of teeth at the punishment (in fact, one or two fans still feel they have a small axe to grind with the authorities) and a huge exodus of talent, including enforcer Paddy Vieira, wildcard attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the legendarily unwatchable Emerson, king of the full-backs Gianluca Zambrotta and of course golden boy Fabio Cannavaro, who appears to have decided to retire from top-class football without actually stopping playing.
Not all the big guns were flogged off though. Some were forced to stay, among them World and European champion David Trezeguet and Italo-Argentine winger Mauro Camoranesi. Turning up to training on a misty morning in November for a briefing on the upcoming 'glamour game' against Crotone could hardly have been where those two guys wanted to be whilst their ex-teammates were living it up in the Champions League.
To add salt to the wounds, the likes of Trezagol and Camoranesi even had moves lined up, but the club blocked them at the eleventh hour. The other Serie A leftovers like Jonathan Zebina and Alessandro Birindelli didn't have Serie A clubs jamming the switchboard asking about their availability, which may have added further to the discontent in the dressing-room.
The first few months of seeing the Turin club in Serie B were very strange, and the team struggled, with the odd hiccup and rumour of training-ground unrest emerging. It soon became very clear that the stars that weren't allowed to leave in August were left a little 'peeved' at being forced to play in the less-than-sexy Serie B rat race. And that is entirely understandable. The last thing David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi wanted to do at their ages was prat around in the second division.
Throughout the autumn and the winter the twice European Champions were solid but not spectacular. However, in recent weeks they have really knuckled down, got to grips with the job in hand and completely blown away any lingering memories of the crisis club of last year's scandal.
A 4-0 hammering of Piacenza on Sunday put Juve firmly back in the headlines for the right reasons, and provided loyal captain Del Piero with a hat trick (and perhaps more praise from the press than was strictly appropriate) and propelled the Old Lady to the top of the table.
A combination of wise old heads, youthful promise and patience from the board has started to pay off as Didier Deschamps' unit are beginning to look like the powerful Juventus the world knows. The stats reveal the extent to which the FIAT-backed club have got their stripy arses in gear since Christmas and stopped feeling sorry for themselves.
They have recorded 17 wins this season, and have a total of 49 points, which would be 58 but for their match-fixing penalty reduction. Their tally of 49 goals is the best in the division, and their defensive record of only 15 conceded is also the best. This focused group is headed straight back into the big time at the first attempt.
The directors are already working feverishly on signings for next season and although there isn't as much money as in past years, the usual names still pop up when the subject of rebuilding gets into full swing - Steven Gerrard, Luca Toni and an emotional return for Cannavaro.
The most important thing in the mind of the average Juve fan is that the storm is over and this time next season they may even be back battling for the title. It will be interesting to see what type of welcome they get from other fans 'coming in from the cold' next September. But they will have served their time and won promotion fairly and squarely.
It will also be intriguing to watch what happens to Jean-Alain Boumsong. One can't envisage him thriving in Serie A. He was singled out as Juve's worst performer on Sunday night, getting 5.5 out of 10
. Your team keeps a clean sheet yet you still get bashed by the sports papers - not good. If that doesn't dent the chances of his survival at the club, nothing will. But then again, it isn't like going to Carolina when you are supposed to be having a cuppa and lemon curd sandwiches with your granny, is it?
By Sheridan Bird
Barca, Bayern, Manchester United and Lyon - all the glitterati are preparing for the sprint. But, for one prestigious team European glory is a bit far off; the boys from Juventus will have to make to with a more modest target.
When the Bianconeri were relegated last summer, there was much gnashing of teeth at the punishment (in fact, one or two fans still feel they have a small axe to grind with the authorities) and a huge exodus of talent, including enforcer Paddy Vieira, wildcard attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the legendarily unwatchable Emerson, king of the full-backs Gianluca Zambrotta and of course golden boy Fabio Cannavaro, who appears to have decided to retire from top-class football without actually stopping playing.
Not all the big guns were flogged off though. Some were forced to stay, among them World and European champion David Trezeguet and Italo-Argentine winger Mauro Camoranesi. Turning up to training on a misty morning in November for a briefing on the upcoming 'glamour game' against Crotone could hardly have been where those two guys wanted to be whilst their ex-teammates were living it up in the Champions League.
To add salt to the wounds, the likes of Trezagol and Camoranesi even had moves lined up, but the club blocked them at the eleventh hour. The other Serie A leftovers like Jonathan Zebina and Alessandro Birindelli didn't have Serie A clubs jamming the switchboard asking about their availability, which may have added further to the discontent in the dressing-room.
The first few months of seeing the Turin club in Serie B were very strange, and the team struggled, with the odd hiccup and rumour of training-ground unrest emerging. It soon became very clear that the stars that weren't allowed to leave in August were left a little 'peeved' at being forced to play in the less-than-sexy Serie B rat race. And that is entirely understandable. The last thing David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi wanted to do at their ages was prat around in the second division.
Throughout the autumn and the winter the twice European Champions were solid but not spectacular. However, in recent weeks they have really knuckled down, got to grips with the job in hand and completely blown away any lingering memories of the crisis club of last year's scandal.
A 4-0 hammering of Piacenza on Sunday put Juve firmly back in the headlines for the right reasons, and provided loyal captain Del Piero with a hat trick (and perhaps more praise from the press than was strictly appropriate) and propelled the Old Lady to the top of the table.
A combination of wise old heads, youthful promise and patience from the board has started to pay off as Didier Deschamps' unit are beginning to look like the powerful Juventus the world knows. The stats reveal the extent to which the FIAT-backed club have got their stripy arses in gear since Christmas and stopped feeling sorry for themselves.
They have recorded 17 wins this season, and have a total of 49 points, which would be 58 but for their match-fixing penalty reduction. Their tally of 49 goals is the best in the division, and their defensive record of only 15 conceded is also the best. This focused group is headed straight back into the big time at the first attempt.
The directors are already working feverishly on signings for next season and although there isn't as much money as in past years, the usual names still pop up when the subject of rebuilding gets into full swing - Steven Gerrard, Luca Toni and an emotional return for Cannavaro.
The most important thing in the mind of the average Juve fan is that the storm is over and this time next season they may even be back battling for the title. It will be interesting to see what type of welcome they get from other fans 'coming in from the cold' next September. But they will have served their time and won promotion fairly and squarely.
It will also be intriguing to watch what happens to Jean-Alain Boumsong. One can't envisage him thriving in Serie A. He was singled out as Juve's worst performer on Sunday night, getting 5.5 out of 10
. Your team keeps a clean sheet yet you still get bashed by the sports papers - not good. If that doesn't dent the chances of his survival at the club, nothing will. But then again, it isn't like going to Carolina when you are supposed to be having a cuppa and lemon curd sandwiches with your granny, is it? By Sheridan Bird
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