Socrates

Spanish international already agreed to join Juventus in July Juventus have reportedly booked Celta Vigo full-back Oscar Mingueza for next season, with the player agreeing to join as a free agent. The Serie A giants have been lacking quality and depth on the right-hand side, as Joao Mario has already faded into a forgotten figure in Turin, just six months following his arrival from Porto. ............ Therefore, Juventus are hoping to add a quality right-back to their ranks in January, but they could be forced to delay their plans until the summer. In recent days, Mingueza emerged as the Old Lady’s preferred option for the role. Damien Comolli and Marco Ottolini launched a swift onslaught in the hopes of securing agreements with the player’s entourage and his employers, Celta Vigo. Juventus succeeded in the first mission, finding an agreement with Mingueza on personal terms. However, the Spanish club has yet to sanction the 26-year-old-old’s departure, which could postpone his arrival in Turin until July. ............ Mingueza is currently running on an expiring contract, so he’s free to negotiate and sign a pre-contract agreement with any new club. Therefore, the Turin-based newspaper believes that the Spanish international will, sooner or later, join Juventus, regardless of Celta Vigo, who could only delay the move until the summer. The Bianconeri have offered the LaLiga side a €3 million to sign Mingueza in January. However, the Spaniards weren’t enticed by this figure, as they owe Barcelona a 50% sell-on fee. ............ Mingueza is a product of Barcelona’s famous academy, La Masia, and he’s been playing his football at Celta Vigo since the summer of 2022. . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/oscar-mingueza-agreed-join-juventus-july/

Juventus expected to make three changes to starting lineup against Benfica Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti will tweak his starting lineup when hosting Benfica on Wednesday evening. The Bianconeri failed to win any of their first four Champions League contests this season, but bounced back by beating Bodo/Glimt and Pafos in their last two outings. ............ Spalletti will be ready to ring the changes by reintroducing three regular starters back in the starting lineup. After an underwhelming display this weekend, Mattia Perin will make way for Michele Di Gregorio. ............ Moreover, Khephren Thuram should resume his duties in the middle of the park. The Frenchman has seldom been rested this season, so he will naturally regain his automatic starting spot alongside his captain, Manuel Locatelli, dropping Teun Koopmeiners to the bench. ............ The third change could take place in attack, with Francisco Conceicao returning to the lineup after recovering from a slight knock. The Sporting Club youth product earned a brief cameo against Cagliari, and will be looking to prove his fitness ahead of his personal Derby against Benfica. If the Portuguese winger gets the nod, Fabio Miretti would likely be relegated to the bench. ............ Juventus expected XI (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-expected-to-make-three-changes-to-starting-lineup-against-benfica/

Juventus ready to raise their offer for Mateta but they face another hurdle After falling short in their initial attempt, Juventus remain hellbent on securing an agreement with Crystal Palace for Jean-Philippe Mateta. ............ The Serie A giants launched their opening bid over the weekend, offering €2 million for a six-month loan plus an obligation to buy for €28 million linked to European qualification. However, the Eagles decided to turn down the offer, insisting on their €40 million valuation. ............ Juventus will try again for Mateta, as they look to close the deal in the next 48 hours. The Turin-based newspaper claims that the Bianconeri have already found an agreement with the player on a four-year deal. The Old Lady is thus hoping to have the French striker at Luciano Spalletti’s disposal ahead of the big weekend clash against Napoli. The two clubs could reach a compromise in the region of €35 million. Hence, an improved offer from Juventus should unblock the operation. ............ The player’s agents are requesting sizable commissions for their part in the negotiations. While these figures aren’t unattainable, it remains to be seen if Juventus CEO Damien Comolli is willing to pay this ransom or simply instruct the club’s sporting director, Marco Ottolini, to move towards other profiles. ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-ready-to-raise-their-offer-for-mateta-but-they-face-another-hurdle/

Di Marzio: Crystal Palace rejects opening Juventus bid for Mateta Juventus have reportedly failed in their initial attempt to strike an accord with Crystal Palace for Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Bianconeri identified the Frenchman as the ideal profile to round off their attacking department, which currently lacks the services of the injured Dusan Vlahovic. ............ As reported earlier, Juventus made an opening bid for Mateta worth €30 million in total. The Serie A giants offered Crystal Palace €2 million to sign the striker on loan until the end of the season, with an obligation to buy worth €28 million hinging on Champions League or Europa League qualification. Nevertheless, Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reveals that the Old Lady’s offer has fallen short of the mark, as the Premier League side has decided to reject it. As the transfer marker expert explains, the Eagles continue to insist on their initial asking price of €40 million, refusing to offer any discounts, even though the 28-year-old’s contract will expire in 18 months. ............ This development comes on the heels of a shocking outburst from Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who accused the club’s owners of abandoning the cause after agreeing to sell his captain and key defender, Marc Guehi, to Manchester City. ............ It remains to be seen if Glasner’s shocking statement will have any ramifications on Juve’s Mateta plans, or will instead signal the end of the manager’s tenure at Selhurst Park. The 51-year-old had already expressed his desire to leave Palace at the end of the season. . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/di-marzio-crystal-palace-rejects-opening-juventus-bid-for-mateta/

Stanno vincendo per onorare la memoria di Commisso

A proposito di statistiche. Ieri su 98 minuti, se ne sono giocati solo 52 effettivi. I giocatori del Cagliari erano sempre a terra o con crampi, botte non realmente prese. Rimesse in gioco dal fallo laterale con ulteriori perdite di tempo. L'Italia é d'altronde il Paese della commedia dell'arte ...... anche nel calcio.

Effective playing time in Cagliari vs. Juventus sparks Spalletti’s protest Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti complained about Cagliari wasting time during the Bianconeri’s 1-0 loss in Sardinia, with the effective playing time in the game barely exceeding 52 minutes. ............ Juventus coach Spalletti was unhappy with the attitude of Cagliari players in their Serie A encounter at the Unipol Domus on Saturday. The Bianconeri dominated proceedings and had the best chances against the Rossoblu, but lost their second game under Spalletti due to a Luca Mazzitelli goal in the second half. ............ “[Referee] Massa tried to give more minutes of added time, but people started falling to the ground, and it’s something that has to be fixed,” Spalletti said. “One has to play football and not waste time on every throw-in. That’s how five or six minutes passed by. “They don’t want to play with actual playing time, but these things will only continue to grow. “Massa actually added even more time because of stoppages, but it has to do with resting and slowing the pace of the match, taking whatever breaks you want to regain your composure,” concluded the Juventus coach. “Ten players were constantly throwing themselves on the ground. Something needs to be done about it. First it’s a cramp, then a contact, then a kick that never even happened.” ............ As reported by Opta, out of the 98 minutes in the game, the effective playing time was just above 52 minutes. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/effective-playing-time-juventus-spalletti/

Juventus submit an offer for Crystal Palace striker Mateta Crystal Palace have reportedly received a concrete offer from Juventus for their centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Bianconeri are looking to add a new striker to their ranks in January, as Dusan Vlahovic’s return date remains unknown, with some reports fearing he could be out until the spring. In any case, the Serbian is expected to leave the club once his contract expires in June. Hence, sooner or later, a replacement will be required. ............ In recent days, Mateta emerged as the Old Lady’s preferred target to bolster the attacking department. Unlike David and Openda, who tend to struggle against physical defenders, the Frenchman is a classic marksman blessed with remarkable strength and a clinical touch in front of goal. This season, he has thus far contributed with 10 goals and two assists in 33 appearances in all competitions. Juventus have lodged an offer for Mateta worth €30 million in total. ............ The Bianconeri are hoping to sign the French striker on an initial loan until the season for €2 million, with the obligation to buy him for another €28 million plus bonuses in June. The Serie A giants feel this is a fair offer, considering that the player’s contract will expire in 18 months. Di Marzio adds that the buy clause would be triggered by Juve’s qualification either for the Champions League or the Europa League. ............ . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-submit-an-offer-for-crystal-palace-striker-mateta-figures-formula-revealed/

Italian media push Juventus to sign Mateta after latest defeat Italian newspapers suggest that Juventus’ 1-0 loss against Cagliari on Saturday highlighted the Bianconeri’s need for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Juventus suffered their second defeat under Spalletti last night, seeing Cagliari secure a 1-0 win at the Unipol Domus. ............ Multiple sources, including Sky Sport Italia and Fabrizio Romano, claim that the Bianconeri have held positive talks with the striker’s entourage. The Serie A giants will send an offer to sign the French forward on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, which becomes mandatory if Juventus qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/italian-media-push-juventus-sign-mateta-defeat/

“That’s not right” – Spalletti wasn’t pleased with four Juventus players after Cagliari defeat Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti felt the team was unlucky against Cagliari, but he still wasn’t happy with the individual performances of some of his players. ............ After the contest, Spalletti admitted that Cagliari deserved to win considering all the effort they put in throughout the match, especially in the defensive phase. “I can explain why Cagliari deserved it, because they fought for every ball, defended well and tried to break forward effectively,” said the 66-year-old in his post-match interview. ............ The Juventus manager brought in tricky wingers Edon Zhegrova and Francisco Conceicao in the second half, but neither was able to make the difference. The Tuscan thus criticised the duo’s displays, especially with their positioning. “Even though they have the characteristics to operate in that kind of congestion, they get dragged into the frenzy and lose clarity. “Conceicao was dropping back to play as a holding midfielder, Zhegrova was drifting away from the danger area, forcing Kalulu and Kelly to cover the flanks. That’s not right. They have to stay in dangerous zones and make the difference.” ............ “We played the game, kept the tempo high and suffocated every one of their attempts. It was just meant to go this way. Everyone has their head in their hands, but we did what the match required. We need to be better at exploiting a few more moments, like the free kick awarded for the goal. “They were also a bit fortunate, but in football, these episodes go for you or against you. Maybe next time they’ll fall our way. We have to be sharp. “Yildiz was then unlucky two or three times. I saw four or five moments where the ball just broke the wrong way. It becomes hard to criticise the players. Like the shot against Lecce: it hits the post, crosses the line and comes back to the goalkeeper. “These things happen. You congratulate the opponents even if they probably didn’t deserve it. Let’s focus on adding something extra in the next match.” ............ Spalletti was then asked about Jonathan David and Lois Openda, who failed to inflict the damage inside the box. “What did they lack? Certainly pace,” said the Juventus manager in his post-match press conference. “With more pace, they would have carved out more space to shoot and create more.” ............ “Yildiz always shows the same level of quality. He did well and produced a very good performance, despite not being 100 per cent because of the flu.” . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/luciano-spalletti-four-juventus-players-cagliari-defeat/

Juventus player ratings vs Cagliari: One-man Yildiz show not enough in Sardinia Juventus suffered their first loss of 2026 after failing to find the back of the net against their hosts Cagliari, who won the contest thanks to a single shot on target. The Isolani adopted a low block and managed to absorb the visitors’ pressure before stunning them with a superb volley from Luca Mazzitelli that was worth three valuable points. ............ Juventus XI (4-2-3-1) Mattia Perin – 5.5 Although the goal wasn’t necessarily his fault, as he didn’t have a good vision of the ball, this was Cagliari’s only shot on target. Pierre Kalulu – 5.5 The Frenchman was slow to react to Mazzitelli’s movement on the goal. Didn’t provide much in the attacking phase. Gleison Bremer – 6 ............ Lloyd Kelly – 6 ............ Andrea Cambiaso – 6 A mixed bag from the full-back, who made some important interventions at the back, but was also wasteful in possession at times. Manuel Locatelli – 6 ............ Teun Koopmeiners – 6 The Dutchman ran more than any other player on the pitch, but like Locatelli, didn’t provide the quality touch when in possession. Weston McKennie – 5.5 ............ Fabio Miretti – 6 It wasn’t a bad display from the young midfielder, who tested Elia Caprile on a few occasions, but it was still a slight step back compared to his previous outings. Kenan Yildiz – 7 The Turkish star had a relatively quiet first half, considering his standards, but was almost unplayable after the break, dribbling past his markers almost at will. He only lacked the final touch, and perhaps some quality from those around him. Jonathan David – 5 The Canadian’s two-match scoring run came to an end after failing to cause harm for Cagliari inside the box. He was at times bullied off the ball by the nasty Yerry Mina. Substitutes Edon Zhegrova – 5.5 The Kosovar found little success with his crosses and dribbles. Lois Openda – 5 ............ Khephren Thuram – N/A Francisco Conceicao – N/A Vasilije Adzic – N/A . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-player-ratings-vs-cagliari-one-man-yildiz-show-not-enough-in-sardinia/

Cagliari 1 - Juventus 0: Initial reaction and random observations “Tonight is one of those classic fixtures that can be a trap,” Chiellini told Sky Italia. Consider the trap having been fully fell into. It was just one of those nights — one of those just head-shaking kinds of nights. Chiellini proved to be right on the money. The man knows ball! But you probably knew that already. Juventus, despite what felt like 95% possession — hell, it wasn’t that far off in actuality — and so many waves of attacking movements that made the Attack Momentum meter on Sofascore look like one-way traffic, coughed up three points against the 16th-place team in Serie A. You combine Juve’s complete inability to score on Saturday night and one Luca Mazzitelli half-volley completely out of nowhere and you get Cagliari picking up just their second win over Juventus in the last decade and a half with a 1-0 victory at the Unipol Domus in Sardinia. ............ Three points dropped. Three valuable points. The loss means that Napoli — who beat Sassuolo 1-0 earlier in the day on Saturday — will come to Turin next weekend with a four-point edge over Juventus. It also means that Roma can jump back into fourth place if they are to get any sort of positive result against Torino on Sunday. Not exactly ideal no matter how you put it — especially when you consider the fact that Cagliari had been in a rough run of form over the last two months since Juventus played them last. Except, Cagliari did exactly what they sought out to do. Juventus huffed and puffed and completely failed to blow the house down. Spalletti’s squad had 18 corners! EIGHTEEN! But the thing was, that Juve continue to be so ineffective from set pieces that having that many corners just seem to be mostly a waste of time and energy. Did Cagliari defend well? Yes, of course. It’s not like Juve were dealing with the wide-open spaces that they were seeing when they steamrolled past Cremonese five days earlier. But, at the same time, Saturday night’s struggles put a magnifying glass back on what this team still struggles to do in the final third. Whether it’s the lack of execution, the lack of variance, the lack of somebody opposite Kenan Yildiz who can consistently be a threat to break down an opposing defense or just the lack of a big and physical striker who can hurt you with the ball at his feet and in the air. ............ The trap game happened. They’re almost impossible to avoid — especially so when you know damn well what’s right around the corner on the schedule in a few days. It’s just about preventing them as much as you can no matter how much somebody like Chiellini or Spalletti continues to warn you about them. Juventus didn’t do that on Saturday night. And they handed Cagliari one of their only wins in the last three months because of it. RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS Juventus primavera won on Saturday. Juventus Next Gen won on Saturday. Juventus senior team … I guess I will just stop there because we know what hapened. Give Jean-Philippe Mateta and give him to me now. A striker who can do something in the air wold be really nice considering how useless all those crosses Juventus sent in against Cagliari and how they resulted in absolutely nothing. Juventus sending in 1,000 crosses against Cagliari and Filip Kostic didn’t even touch the field. Amazing. Sending in a ton of crosses to two strikers who aren’t all that great in the air. Seems like a mistake. Then again, with things so packed because Cagliari defended the middle of the field so well — yes, you’re allowed to say the opponent did something positive, it’s OK — Fabio Pisacane was in the squad the last time Cagliari beat Juventus, huh? Well he certainly looks good for somebody who’s almost 40 years old, that’s for sure. (Although guessing a relegation battle will wear on him a little bit however much longer he’s in a job with the club he play for until 2021.) ............ I feel safe in saying that Elia Caprile is a very good goalkeeper and he probably won’t be playing at Cagliari next season. Dude is 24, only getting better and should be playing for a much bigger club in Serie A. A couple of those saves that Caprile made, especially the ones against Fabio Miretti and then Yildiz in the second half that skipped off the wet turf or a Cagliari player (or both), were just fantastic reflex stops. Guy is good. I can already feel it now. All of the good things said about Jonathan David the last couple of games just flying out the window like you’re in an airplane that is 30,000 feet above the ground. The funny thing is, it’s not like he was the sole reason why Juventus lost. Did he play well? No, but the swing from “He’s improving!” to “He’s back to being crap!” is wholeheartedly predictable. Eighteen corners. Twenty-one shots. An xG of just 1.32. That ain’t gonna cut it, man. ............ Juventus’ defense on that free kick, though? Yeah, kinda sleepy. OK, so on the third or fourth look I guess I agree that it wasn’t a penalty on Miretti. In the moment, though, well that’s a completely different kind of reaction. I thought that was 100% a penalty at first. Speaking of 100% that was basically how much possession Juve had in the final 20-25 minutes. There’s throwing the kitchen sink at an opponent chasing the lead. Then there’s Luciano Spalletti out here and basically throwing on every single available attacking player for a good chunk of the second half against Cagliari. If only it had resulted in a goal or two, right? ............ That Locatelli and Teun Koopmeiners double pivot just ain’t it. Just not working at all. ............ It is rather unfortunate that two of Juventus’ most frustrating performances over the last two months have come against two of the worst teams in Serie A. Our guy Kenan looks tired. This would have been a great chance to get Kenan some rest ahead of the Champions League returning. Instead, there he is in the 03rd minute trying to will this team to a point after a disappointing performance. ............ Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/previews-reviews/35539/cagliari-juventus-2026-serie-a-matchday-21-final-score-result-initial-reaction-random-observations

Juventus make unwanted Serie A history losing with 78 per cent possession Juventus have made Serie A history by becoming the first team to lose a game with 78 per cent possession since the data has been collected in 2004. The quite extraordinary statistic was presented by Opta following this evening’s 1-0 defeat to Cagliari at the Unipol Domus stadium. The Bianconeri dominated the match, having 20 shots on goal to just three, 18 corners to one, and with an xG of 1.17 compared to just 0.2 for the Sardinians. ............ Nobody else had managed such an achievement since Opta began gathering data on Serie A matches in the 2004-05 campaign. ............ Cagliari won with the Luca Mazzitelli volley, which represented their only shot on target, whereas Juve failed to convert any of their five. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/juventus-make-unwanted-serie-a-history-losing/

Spalletti: ‘Juventus players must keep their roles, Cagliari sniffed an opportunity’ Luciano Spalletti said Juventus must ‘tip our hats’ to Cagliari following a 1-0 defeat, but also criticised his players for wandering out of their roles in a frenetic fightback. The coach had suffered only one defeat in all competition since taking charge of the Old Lady, but after winning six of the last seven Serie A games, this was an entirely unexpected result. They dominated possession in Sardinia, wasting scoring opportunities and punished by a set-play routine, Luca Mazzitelli volleying in the Gianluca Gaetano free kick with his back to goal. Incredibly, Cagliari won with an xG of 0.16 compared to Juve’s 1.28. ............ “Cagliari deserved it, because they fought for every ball, closed up and tried to go on the counter. We were unable to be determined enough in preparing the situations, there are games that go like this, we move on,” Spalletti said. “The substitutes got swept up in the frantic nature of the game. Zhegrova and Conceicao dropped back to get the ball in midfield rather than stay up there, so got too far away from the ‘hot’ areas of the pitch. “Kalulu and Kelly then started pushing up the flanks, but no, they are defenders and needed to be defending. We can complain about that, players need to stay in their roles, but in general we played our game, suffocated every attempt at a counter-attack. It was destined to go like this, there’s no point crying over spilt milk. ............ “Yildiz was unlucky on two or three situations. I saw some moments where the ball had a different spin on it, bounced slightly harder than expected, it’s down to those tiny details in the end,” continued Spalletti. “These things happen, you tip your hat to your opponents, who brought home a victory that perhaps they didn’t deserve, but sniffed out the opportunity and took it. Maybe next time we can learn from that and sniff out our chance too.” It had been such a big opportunity for Juventus to put themselves in the Scudetto race, knowing they are set to face Champions of Italy Napoli next weekend. Instead, they risk falling further behind the top four, especially if Roma get a result away to Torino tomorrow, and are now 10 points adrift of leaders Inter. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/spalletti-juventus-players-must-keep-the-roles/

Player ratings: Cagliari 1-0 Juventus – Defensive resilience denies Bianconeri Cagliari held firm to pick up a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home against Juventus, and have Luca Mazzitelli and their defensive unit to thank for the three points at the Unipol Domus on Saturday evening. A single goal from Mazzitelli from a set-piece was enough for Cagliari to hold onto against the Bianconeri, who dominated in most statistics and had a penalty decision overturned during the first-half. ............ Cagliari: Caprile 6.5; Ze Pedro 6.5, Mina 6.5, Luperto 6.5; Palestra 6.5, Gaetano 6.5, Adopo 6, Mazzitelli 7, Obert 6; Kilicsoy 5 (Borrelli 6), S Esposito 5 (Idrissi 6). Best Cagliari player: Luca Mazzitelli 7 – ............ Coach: Fabio Pisacane 7 – ............ Juventus: Perin 6; Kalulu 5.5, Bremer 6, Kelly 6, Cambiaso 5.5 (Conceicao 6); Locatelli 6 (Zhegrova 5), Koopmeiners 5; McKennie 5.5 (Thuram 6), Miretti 6 (Openda 5.5), Yildiz 6.5 (Adzic n/a); David 5. Best Juventus player: Kenan Yildiz 6.5 – Another performance with glimpses of real quality from the Bianconeri gem, even if things didn’t end up falling for him or his teammates in the final third. He has the ability to take it past opponents in tight spaces and rustle up threatening shots out of nowhere. Eight completed dribbles for him tonight: No other player on the pitch completed more than one. Coach: Luciano Spalletti – Juventus just couldn’t break down the Cagliari block. They spent most of the match in the opposition half, had a whopping 77.9% of possession, enjoyed a pass accuracy above 90%, but crucially, of their 17 shots, only four ended up on target. Frustrating to say the least. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/player-ratings-cagliari-1-0-juventus-defensive/